Prologue: Introduction
There are so many potential applications for 360 video and VR, including for journalism and documentary content, exciting marketing content, engaging educational experiences or just to simply capture the world around you.
Have you ever found yourself looking at an amazing photograph that truly takes your breath away and wished you could just step inside for a moment? Or have you ever been watching an interesting video but wanted to know what was on the other side of the lens?
We definitely have. And by we, we mean the team that have put together this handbook you’re reading right now. Collectively, we are Dr. Gary Gould (PhD in Film and Television), journalism professor Adrian Ma, designer and researcher Joshua Cameron, and project assistants Adam Chen and Stephanie Liu. Hi! Nice to meet you.
We are multimedia instructors, researchers and content producers based at Ryerson University in Toronto. We couldn’t help but notice that interest in 360 video and virtual reality has really skyrocketed in recent years and some amazing content is being created. We have been exploring and experimenting with 360-degree video, photography and spatial audio recording, and figuring out how these elements can be used to create incredible, immersive experiences. From capturing special events that give you the best seat in the house to producing virtual reality documentaries that make you feel like you’re actually there, creating 360 video and virtual reality (VR) content can be an exciting and uniquely engaging form of storytelling.
There are so many potential applications for 360 video and VR, including for journalism and documentary content, exciting marketing content, engaging educational experiences or just to simply capture the world around you. And thanks to rapid innovations in technology, creating this stuff is easier and cheaper than you may think.
Our objective with this resource is to walk you through the essential steps in creating compelling and engaging 360 video experiences. While some prior experience with photography or videography can help, the technology available now gives anybody the ability to produce this type of amazing content. By the time you work your way through this book’s chapters and exercises, you will be able to:
- Set up, operate and shoot high quality pictures and video with a 360 video camera;
- Turn your 360 videos into basic virtual reality content;
- Understand some of the ethical challenges associated with immersive content;
- Develop stronger stories and narrative 360 content.
We thank you for your interest in 360 video. Are you ready to get started? Let’s go.
Sincerely,
The Team
