360 Degree Footage
Virtual Reality
When I was growing up, TV regularly predicted the future with regard to new technology and how it would irrevocably change our lives. We were assured that the rapid pace of technological innovation would mean that by the year 2000, robot servants, artificial intelligence and virtual reality would be everywhere.
But the millennium came and went and nothing seemed to change. We got the occasional inkling into the new paradigm: the smartphone; the tablet; inter-active TV. But these were just snazzier versions of already existing media, the phone, the desktop computer; the telly, which had been with us for decades.
Six months ago, though, that all changed for me. A traditional 2D filmmaker, I was introduced to the latest development in virtual reality: 360° video.
I can tell you the future envisaged in our childhood is here, right now.
But let me first say, marketing has missed a trick, here, for this isn’t just 360-degree filming: it’s the visual equivalent of surround sound, providing a visual global panorama. For the 7-camera rig doesn’t just pan through the 360 degree of a single complete sweep, it also captures the vista above and below and any angle in between.
In other words, it mimics what any human being can do at any moment: look in the direction he or she chooses. (This creates enormous problems for the cameraman as he has to find a way of staying out of shot!)
As an experienced documentary filmmaker I saw the potential for story telling and capturing people’s attention like never before.
Viewing the end product
But first the technicalities: there are two ways in which our target consumers can watch a 360-degree production.
Either, they view the end product on a 360° player with a 2D screen. Here, consumers become their own director, choosing from moment to moment the angle from which to view the unfolding scenario, by moving their mouse or mobile device around.
Or they don a virtual reality headset like we’ve all seen before and immerse themselves in the virtual world.
I have to say the first time you put on a headset it takes some getting used to. This is not like Google Glass, where you turn your head and the screen stays in front of you. When you turn your head – or look up or down – in 360-degree, you immerse yourself in the multiple vistas of your surroundings.
In my case, I was in a racing car driving out of the factory and onto and around the track. After a while, you really do feel like you’re actually there.
Drone Footage
Potential business areas for 360 degree video
But it’s not just simple merchandising and sales. 360-degree has the potential to change the way we do business at all levels.
Think what it could mean to the marketing strategy of an estate agent. A potential buyer of a property in LA could be based in Dubai, but is instantly transported to the interior of the house he is interested in purchasing, able to peruse it at his leisure as if he really were there.
This differs from the walkabout videos we often see on estate agent’s websites because the viewer is not constrained by the single camera angle, shot by the director and then chosen by the editor, to only show off the building at its very best.
The potential buyer can get into every nook and cranny so he can make a more informed decision about whether to buy the property in question.
In fact, the success of 360-degree will most likely be determined by the resolution of the images enabling the viewer to zoom into the tiniest detail or zoom out to the most spectacular panorama.
The potential is not limited to external marketing. It has enormous implications for Human Resources. Potential recruits could familiarize themselves with a future work environment almost first-hand and decide whether it is for them.
Recruiters could use it to test how potential employees react in certain circumstances or to certain stimuli. The potential to train new staff cheaply and effectively could be a game-changer. The list can go on and on.
As a filmmaker, I’ve been given enormous insight into the potential difference 360-degree filming can make to the world of documentary and feature film. As a promo-doc maker, I can see it changing the entire philosophy and practice of marketing and therefore business, forever.