Traditional vs 360 Video

Objective

In the two years I’ve been focused on XR media the landscape continues to evolve. I started my career as a graphic designer and illustrator over a decade ago, and then progressed to user experience and motion graphics artist hybrid to filmmaker and now I’m an amalgamation of everything.

In working with AR and MR, I could see right away the potential and practicality of what those technologies could bring. The concept of 360 video sounds really cool but outside of being an observer of things happening around you and seeing spatial faculties, was there power in creating narratives? As a director my strength comes from how I perceive something and how I can evoke an emotion in my audience. What happens when a director’s specific perspective is taken away? What power is there? What opportunities are there?

Equipment and Technology

For the traditional video I used my Sony a6500 (view it here) for the 360 video I used the GoPro omni. Both were edited and colour corrected in Premiere Pro.

The omni connects and synchronizes six HERO4 Black cameras, linking and triggering video streams. There is no need to synchronize your videos in post-production.

Aligning the footage from the omni required technical finesse as often the stitches dissected the middle of the frame because of camera placement.

I used the GoPro omni to film the 360 video.

Concept

I wanted to show the different stages of heartbreak which was inspired by two songs, Happiness by Rex Orange County and The Mirror by Madison Ward.

The hurt starts to settle in and you get the phantom limb sensation. You know you are alone but you still feel the presence of the other person.
Skies brighten but then, perhaps you get a text or a call, and they pull you back in as if they knew you were almost out of the dark.
There is closure when you realize what has happened is best for everyone and it’s not your fault. Sometimes things don’t work and you’re hopeful that this person will no longer paralyze you.

I would shoot the video on the Sony and the omni and survey how my audience reacted with a focus on how they felt when they saw each video. They could choose what to focus on and I wanted to know if the message came across or if they connected at different levels to the various elements.

Findings

When watching 360 video on YouTube or my mobile device it wasn’t immersive enough and the experience fell flat. But when people wore a headset and noise cancelling headphones the whole experience changed — it was more impactful. They were an immersed observer. For the viewer it was new turning your whole body to see what you were watching.

Many of the comments I received were positive.

This is cool.
I can look around the room.
Great song.
Nice space.

That was important because in comparison to the traditional video, the comments were focused on the experience and not about the content. The content was visually pleasing and there were three amazing dancers with no bounds utilizing the space but the emotional connection wasn’t as prominent to the viewer as with traditional video when they could focus on purely the content.

Conclusion

This project helped me delve deeper in understanding the depth and importance of how we watch videos and not just what we’re watching. The experience of consuming media in the 360 format is exciting but it has challenges in its ability to create emotional narratives for the audience. It would be interesting to be able to create a video that could utilize both the strengths of traditional and 360 video to experience a multitude of different perspectives at certain points to create active engagement and viewing with the audience.

There have been examples of 360 video complimented by other media that showcase the potential of 360 video as shown in the music video below for the Gorillaz.

At the moment there isn’t an out-of-the-box solution that is easily available for mainstream content creators. To create something like the video below you would need extensive knowledge in 3D, motion graphics and general video production.

I am excited for the development of 180 video because it will give you a larger view field and the ability to look around but not to the point where the technology experience overshadows the content. Below is an example of what is to come.