this is bbc news with joanna gosling. the headlines: voters in france head to the polls to decide their next leader in the final round of the country's presidential election. as russia's war on ukraine enters its third month, us secretary of state antony blinken is expected in kyiv, the first top us offical to visit since the invasion. it comes as eight people, including a baby, were killed in a russian missile strike at the sea port city of odesa. and british boxer tyson fury retains his wbc heavyweight title after beating dillian whyte at wembley stadium. now, it's time for a roundup of all the latest tech innovations, in click. this week, another chance to see if video games can play the pain away. the vfx that made bond make that bend, and there was this enterprising young fellow.

in the shadow of battersea power station in london, the future of mankind hangs in the balance. our two heroes are on a desperate mission to save the earth from being wiped out by an asteroid. hang on, you're bashing some boxes around now. what's this? ooh! 0h! 0k, well done. bit near. 0h! and quite frankly, they're being hopeless about it. do you want some nitrogen? can i throw it to you? 0k, i've got no feet. yeah, throw it to me. all right. look, they you go. can i catch it? got it. 0k, well, what am i actually doing with it now? erm, i don't know. hang onto it, i suppose.

well, that's why you've given it to me, cos you don't know what to do with it. this is a vr escape room in space where the objects you pick up and drop bounce around in 06. it really shows how vr can create experiences that would be impossible to achieve in a real escape room. but itjust looks like any landmass with some sea next to it. yeah, but there's a long... i don't recognise the curve. there's a long wiggly bit over here, right? yeah, although, what's funny, of course, is that escape rooms started online, then they moved to the real world and now they're becoming this sort of next—gen hybrid thing. true, not that it matters as, right now, i think we're running out of time. both scream lara chuckles 0h, we didn't manage to save the world. i'm sorry. yeah, you've all gone the way of the dinosaurs, i'm afraid. apologies. we've known for some time now that video games can help alleviate stress and anxiety and only last

year, we looked at a device called the mdoloris, which is usually used by doctors to see whether patients who are sedated are feeling pain or not. yeah, they've also been conducting other studies using the machine, specifically with kids who have cancer, to find out whether playing video games could do more for them than just be fun. omar mehtab has been finding out more. how are you feeling? erm, nervous. i'm pumped, i'm excited, but i'm a little bit nervous. we've arrived at the hospital la paz in madrid and we're here to meet the kids fighting cancer. hello. omar laughs why is that? well, it's because i'm about to play some video games with them. this here is my new friend marco. how long have you been

in the hospital? omar laughs pokemon? yes. yeah? i have pokemon as well. i've got my pokemon... can i get my pokemon? can i show him? you want to have a play? go for it, man. check out my pokemon. now, we're notjust here playing games for the sake of it, rather it's said to reduce the pain that these kids feel. a trial at this hospital has been studying these children, who often feel pain due to their condition, and the adverse effects of chemotherapy. the mdoloris machine. it monitors a person's autonomic nervous system, which unconsciously regulates body processes, such as breathing, blood pressure and heart rate, so doctors can, at a glance, see the level of distress a patient may be in. the lower the number out of 100, the more they are in, it quantifies pain. we looked at this machine last year where doctors said it helped assess how much pain someone was actually in, so they could administer the right amount of painkillers, so as not to over or under dose them. and it was critical in treating

covid patients as well. but now, they're using it to try and prove one of the most popular theories around. there have been various studies over the years looking into the relationship between gaming and pain, and by using this machine, they can objectively say when someone is feeling more or less pain. but why are video games having this effect? the effect of video pleases not only in the psychological and it is responsible for the stress response and not only for the psychological aspect but also for the bodily aspect. now, this trial has been peer—reviewed and published in the journal of medical internal research — they had 20 kids in total,

playing video games for an average of 2.3 hours every day, and that was enough to bring about less pain and less need for morphine, showing how effective this non—medical, noninvasive hobby may be. ok, me personally, i easily get vexed with video games if things don't go my way, but for these kids, not so much. the theory is that adolescent kids can gain more pleasure from video games than any other age range. i imagine he's been in pain... look, a medal! i imagine he's been in pain, but right now that doesn't matter. he's just fully absorbed, and right now, all this is all he cares about. daniel here, for instance, was one of the first trialists and immediately saw the benefits.

and it all began when this psp was handed to a patient, and they similarly noticed how affixed the kid was to it. now they want to take their findings further. we are given to portugal, to colombia, _ we are given to portugal, to colombia, to— we are given to portugal, to colombia, to india, - we are given to portugal, to colombia, to india, to- we are given to portugal, to- colombia, to india, to afghanistan. this is_ colombia, to india, to afghanistan. this is the — colombia, to india, to afghanistan. this is the future, _ colombia, to india, to afghanistan. this is the future, to _ colombia, to india, to afghanistan. this is the future, to give _ colombia, to india, to afghanistan. this is the future, to give to- colombia, to india, to afghanistan. this is the future, to give to all- this is the future, to give to all the kids— this is the future, to give to all the kids around _ this is the future, to give to all the kids around the _ this is the future, to give to all the kids around the world. - this is the future, to give to all| the kids around the world. they this is the future, to give to all- the kids around the world. they are worth— the kids around the world. they are worth everything, _ the kids around the world. they are worth everything, they _ the kids around the world. they are worth everything, they are - the kids around the world. they are worth everything, they are here - worth everything, they are here fighting — worth everything, they are here fighting every— worth everything, they are here fighting every day— worth everything, they are here fighting every day and - worth everything, they are here fighting every day and they - worth everything, they are here - fighting every day and they deserve the test— fighting every day and they deserve the best because _ fighting every day and they deserve the best because the _ fighting every day and they deserve the best because the real— fighting every day and they deserve i the best because the real champions here _ the best because the real champions here in— the best because the real champions here. , ., , ., .,

the best because the real champions here. , ., ., ., , here. in my opinion, video games can be help along — here. in my opinion, video games can be help along with _ here. in my opinion, video games can be help along with phonological- be help along with phonological treatment of pain with children and concerts this is an absolute demonstration of their beneficial effects of using video games and children, so yes, i think so. ——in children. so maybe one day, we'll find playstations, xboxes, and nintendo switches become standard in hospitals. but until then, maybe i'll also do a bit of gaming when i'm not feeling too great. after a three—year—long covid—enforced hiatus, south by southwest and its creative crowd are once more converging upon the lone star state. south by, as it's affectionately known by those in the know, is something intangible, something indefinable, dare i say, fluid? at once, it's a film, music, art and technology, well, party, really. it's neat, in a world

that is largely fractured and divided, to see a lot of different cultures coming together, meeting each other, making new connections. so much of what we do here is content, creativity. but even more so, inspiration. now in its 35th year, on everyone's mind is, what's next? unsurprisingly, the big talk this year is all about something beginning with the letter m, how it's going to affect entertainment and storytelling in the future. our relationship with reality is fundamentally changing, and because we have these ways that are augmenting or transporting us and we are actually creating memories that become a part of who we are, even though they are not real, and that is actually a sort of profound idea when you start to think about that. disney's ilmxlab has been crafting mixed reality experiences to expand its star wars and marvel franchises for years, but now it's focused on bringing

the magic to your everyday. people want to be creators, they don't want to just be consumers or participants. audiences are getting more sophisticated and their expectations are increasing, and they do want this connected storytelling. they want a sense of persistence. they want a sense that if they have done one thing that another experience knows that they have and that it's somehow enriched that, you know, that we're creating dynamic worlds, and that they have a role in those worlds. behold, the illustrious palace. vr theatre troupe the ferryman collective is premiering their latest interactive show, gumball dreams. it's 25 cents and unfortunately, i have no cash on me. it's kind of like a virtual version of secret cinema, but the stage here is made

of pixels, and the live performers are robots and blue aliens. it's a beautiful way of interacting with actors from wherever you are in the world. we have actors all over the world. we have somebody in thailand, in new york and la, and they interact with people from, like, rural areas who've never experienced immersive theatre before. so you don't actually have to leave your house to get to the theatre, you put on a headset instead of driving there. it's got a rubik's cube. he's very happy with that. you can do things in vr that you could never do in real life. you can make a book turn into a house right in front of your eyes, or travel through time and space into one room to the next. you know, you can get as much out of it as you put into it. i must stay behind for- i have many preparations. no! i have many preparations. off you go. — i have many preparations. don't leave me! i have many preparations. south by is also a major film festival showing 76 world premieres, attracting chequebooks, eyeballs, nicolas cage and nicolas cage's eyeballs. start—up legion m is capitalising

on this with their film scout app, which gauges authentic sentiment from real movie buffs. this is an entirely new way to finance and produce and develop films. if you think about it, fans hold all the power in the entertainment industry because it's our wallets and eyeballs that literally pay for everything, every dollar, everything. the reason that netflix and disney are worth hundreds of billions of dollars is because of the fans that are footing the bills. our philosophy is that, as much as possible, we want to harness, and leverage the wisdom of the crowd, so that we can make decisions based on data as opposed to just gut intuition from a couple of the executives. from apps to flying qr codes made from drones to magic musical carpets to tokens of the non—fungible variety, tech is being used across the arts here in countless ways, changing the way stories are told and consumed. and as the curtain falls on south by, the countdown to next year begins. that was nick in texas.

now, the film scout app being used at south by southwest has a rather special shareholder behind the scenes. he is a starship captain, an admiral, and these days, he's also an actual spaceman. it's william shatner. bill, welcome to click, sir. well, thank you. my goodness, i'm so happy to be here. how hard is it to get a film or a tv series greenlit and commissioned in hollywood? it is difficult because when anybody says yes, everybody's job is in suspension. i wrote a series of books called tech war some years ago, i directed a pilot film. it sold as a series. it lasted a year, and now i'm attempting to go with a very well known animation house to sell it as an animated series.

and it's tough. i've got a game show that's so unique, and i'm trying to sell that. so one thing after another, it's very difficult. it's almost impossible to sell anything... even with you attached? wow. notjust me, but people who are, you know, i mean, it's a whole area that some people think they know how to do it, and maybe they do, because they've had some success, but on the other hand, they might've been friends with that guy, and the guy said, well, you seem to know what you're doing, so i'll buy it. they might've been friends with that guy, and the guy said, well, you seem to know what you're doing, so i'll buy it. i mean, it'sjust loaded with... ..unknowns.

it's no secret grabs. —— it is no secret, — it's no secret grabs. —— it is no secret, it — it's no secret grabs. —— it is no secret, it is _ it's no secret grabs. —— it is no secret, it is up for grabs. starting from the beginning, you need the money to make the movie. mm—hm. now that's where legion m comes in, because they're now their basis is, "let's ask people to contribute money "to making a film," they'll own a minute part of it based on their small contribution, which is what i believe everybody wants. we want everybody to contribute a little tiny sum of money. they then have a little tiny partnership in the movie, and they also can express their opinion of the movie. and the movie is being made by supreme professionals being guided by the opinion of this large group of people whojoin in on film scout or legion m, those apps. being guided by the opinion of this large group of people whojoin in on film scout or legion m, those apps. i guess you can listen to the opinion of the people who are contributing, but i guess you also don't have

to follow their opinion if you know better. you know, is it always a good idea to follow the opinion of everyone? the premise is we don't know better. who knows better? if 1,000 people say, "that's funny," and you think, "that's not funny," you have to think, "that must be funny," because 1,000 people thought it was funny. 10,000,100,000 people say, "you know, what we're interested in is x," and you think, "x is not interesting," you have to bend. it must be... i think it must be unusual for someone who's been in the business as long as you to still be that open to public opinion. i would have thought that most people would kind of think they know it all by the time they've worked that long. that's where you gentrify. that's where you become so rigid that you think, "i know at all," and then you're dead because you don't know it. that's the final evolution of me at any rate. you finally go, "oh, i know how to do it. no, i don't."

and finally, you come to, whether it's sad or glad, the fact that i really don't know anything. and now you become open, not only to laughter and tears, but open to the leaves on the trees. i mean, now you become... ..almost, you know, show business then becomes almost spiritual in a way. i've met a number of astronauts through this programme. they said they saw earth from up there and it changed them, and ijust wondered whether you'd had the same experience. i was filled with grief because i saw how vulnerable... ..all of this is and not only saw it, we look around us at things that are falling apart in nature because of man, we're destroying this incredibly beautiful... this earth is filled...

everything about earth is beautiful, and it's evolved over five billion years. it's taken five billion years of, "oh, this is not working — i'll go onto this." you ever think about nature doing a display the way... ..the way people are trying to sell... ..entertaining of the vehicles? so nature is saying, "all right. let's see. maybe this will go." and nature does... and the supreme nature doesn't buy it. "no, that's not going to work." so nature's filled with things that are not working, and it goes away and another thing takes it. "oh, that works." and the show business of nature and it's all beautiful because it's all evolved and we're bloody destroying it, and itjust filled me with such grief. it took me so long to get... to be able to handle it. and that's where i'm at.

william shatner, what a legend! i know. you know the best thing about that interview? what? he turned up early, and he talked for longer than he said he would. oh, who wouldn't want to hang out with you? well, from one movie icon to an iconic movie. so, over the last few weeks, we've been looking at some of the films nominated for best visual effects at this year's oscars, and this week it is the turn of james bond. did you know that no time to die is the first bond movie that's been nominated in the best visual effects category in 43 years? moonraker was the last one in 1979. yes, of course. and here is some of the amazing work that went into the film. now your enemy is my enemy. his name is safin. and what does he want? revenge, me. the bond films have a rich heritage of shooting all of their extraordinary action for real. and this film was absolutely no different. there was visual effects

in it, but they were not up front and centre. so, for instance, in the norway lake sequence, the production actually went to norway and they filmed on a real lake, a real frozen lake in norway. but as with any production, when you shoot throughout the day, the footage looks different from shot to shot. there was kind of one or maybe two shots, which everyone was happy with the lighting conditions. we had a task to try and match the lighting across all of the shots. and in order to do that, we simulated a cg world where the lighting was exactly the same. and then we used a number of techniques to copy and mimic what we were seeing in the computer. so rather than... we still used the photography and built on top of it rather than replacing it whole hog. but we used the simulation to tell us what that should look like. the director, cary fukunaga, is very keen to keep as much of the stuff that he had shot as he could. that included the people,

that included the buildings, the trees even, but the trees didn't have snow on. so each tree had to be, particularly for the close—up trees, it had to be modelled in c6! to look exactly like the trees that were there. we put snow on them digitally, but then lifted the digital snow off and put them on top of the real trees that were in the plate. we had, you know, an amazing special effects team that really did, and stunt team, that really did jump land rovers through the air. and when we needed to replace things like that for lighting or for filling in the background, we kept exactly that stunt. so on a james bond film, no—one really wants to resort to c6! stunts and things like that. so they really do capture everything in camera. but when they, for sort of timing reasons, they take a chunk out of the middle of a chase,

suddenly, the continuity of where those vehicles are and where they need to be sort of goes out the window. that's when we do come in and we find a plate that maybe has got the toyota in it, which is bond's car, but it doesn't have the land rovers there, so had a motorbike. so we'll erase the motorbike, but we'll put the land rovers in and that's the kind of work that we are doing. it's not very flashy work to put in the grass that was completely chewed up by the stunt team and to replace that, but it does need to be... it does need to look really accurate and the attention to detail that our environments team had to go to model the tufts of the grass that matched the scottish highlands where they were shooting. unless we go to those sort of lengths, you don't end up believing it and it all feels like a bit of a fudge and we're not

interested in fudging it in, you know, 2022. not that long to go now till the oscars. i think the question everyone is asking is, "can dune do there what it did at the baftas recently?" what's your prediction? i'm team spider—man. ooh, interesting. anyway, that is it from us for this week. as ever, you can keep up with the team on social media. find us on youtube, instagram, facebook and twitter... thanks for watching. we'll see you soon. bye— bye!

hello. a lot of dry weather to come across the uk for the remainder of today and well on into the week ahead as well. very scant amounts of rainfall to come through the remainder of april. today the winds are a little lighter than they were on saturday, but still quite blustery. and they'll be easterly or north easterly winds, quite a big area of low pressure sits to the south of us, sinking into europe. this big high to the north across iceland, though, is what's bringing us predominantly dry weather this sunday. some showers just to clear the south west of england through the afternoon. and we could see one or two for northern england, the midlands, southern scotland and northern ireland through the afternoon but they will be very, very scattered.

always cooler along the north sea coast with the wind off the sea, some shelter towards the west. we could be looking at highs of 17 or 18 degrees. through the evening and overnight, a few more showers maybe for the north east of england. overall, though, a lot of dry weather, a bit more cloud for eastern scotland in the nightjust gone. i think it will be a little milder here for first thing on monday, essentially a frost free start to the new week. a few areas getting down the lower end of single figures in terms of temperatures. now, for monday, our high pressure centre just shifts a little bit further westwards. that swings our wind direction round to somewhat more of a northeasterly. and it also kind of weakens the effect of the high, if you like. so monday, after a fine start, i anticipate there'll be more cloud bubbling up through the day and a greater chance of that cloud towering high enough come the afternoon to squeeze out a few showers. they will be fairly well scattered

again though across the uk, but a greater chance of many areas seeing them through monday, although eastern coastal counties looks set to remain dry monday into tuesday, the high pressure still with us. as i said, it's going to stay very much with us through the rest of the week. but we switch to a more northerly wind direction, tapping into arctic air. and it also looks like we'll pull in more cloud initially from the north sea, but it'll spread quite a way westward. thanks to the arctic air. temperatures still making it into the mid teens in the best of the sunshine, butjust nine or ten along the length of the north sea coast and then the remainder of the week, it looks like we will tend to stay in arctic air with a northerly airstream. still a lot of dry weather to come. there will be some sunny spells. just look out for some local pockets of frost later in the week.

this is bbc news, broadcasting in the uk and around the globe. i'm david eades — live in clichy — northwest of paris. our top stories... the french make theirfinal choice for president with emmanuel macron well ahead of his far right challenger in the opinion polls. both candidates have urged people to get out and vote amid concerns of a record low turnout. hello, i'mjoanna gosling in london. also on the programme: as russia's war on ukraine enters its third month, us secretary of state antony blinken is expected in kyiv, the first top us offical to visit since the invasion. emergency workers say, 10 people have died in northern japan, after a sightseeing boat went missing on saturday.

and british boxer tyson fury retains his wbc heavyweight title