As VR journalists, filmmakers and enthusiasts, I think we all like the resonating analogy between the begining of cinema in the early 1900s with the develoment of VR and 360 video. We are forerunners and leaders of a new, exciting and undefined visual medium––hell yeah!
In a previous article, I described what I learned from posting a 360 video everyday for a month. I’d like to expand on that article and share some thoughts about specific videos from that month-long experiment about what worked and didn’t work shooting in 360 video.
Are Interviews Effective?
In several of my videos, I experimented with setting the camera rig inbetween two or more people as they talked. It’s tempting to capture conversation in 360 degrees because, well, you don’t have the issue of not getting the other angle––you’ve got all of them. However, I’m on the side that thinks interviews in 360 degrees aren’t very effective. The reason being they don’t keep the viewer’s attention where with 2D video the framing focuses attention. The viewer has too much freedom.
In this final video of the month experiment, I sat down with two friends and discussed insights about the future of VR and 360 video. In what I dub a “VR cast”, I think this video is likely more interesting to listen to rather than watch.
Interviews seem a bit gimmicky––but don’t get me wrong––I do think they can work in some instances. For example, if the location of the interview is significant to the context of the discussion. The above video was shot at the travel ban protest in San Francisco with the man who burned the American Flag. I’m not going to claim that this a great interview, but rather share it as a possibility for what a good interview in 360 video could be like. The context of the interview gives added meaning to the content.
And then there is Day 24. My classmate, Aria, and I chat while I hold the Samsung 360 on a selfie stick (more accurately called a narcissistick). The walking and talking in this video isn’t particurlarly gripping which leads to me think that 1. best practices for handehld shooting need to be developed and 2. talking to a 360 camera like a selfie camera is simply ineffective.
Samsung and Nikon brand their 360 cameras as action cameras which I do not get. We all know that extreme movement in 360 degrees doesn’t work. Even just a little movment will nauseate your viewers. My Day 24 post is shaky and hard to follow — and I’m just walking! I’m not sure what the advantage is of taking a 360 camera with you kayaking down a waterfall. It seems like a hoaky marketing scheme and really just reinforces that jouranlism and VR belong together — not at the end of a narcissistick.
The VR Language
We are in a VR moment and as content creators we have an incredible opprotunity to develop and define the way people consume and think about VR. I think that’s what draws me to VR despite the pains of dealing with awkward 360 video workflows––we get to create the language of VR!
Much like how 2D cinema had to develop techniques to tell stories — such as the close up, pan and montage — we need to develop the formal storytelling vocabulary for 360 footage. In this short video, I play with continuous editing from shot to shot. Because 360 video sees everything, you don’t have the luxury of using framing to draw attention. Instead you need to use proximity (to the camera) and editing to keep attention on the movement/subject. At least, that’s what I’ve figured out so far about the cinematic language of VR. But there’s still more to learn.
Just Observe
What I think utilizes the emotional power of 360 video is simply observing. There is a sense of magic when you feel like you’re in a place, uninhibited and free to look around. You understand the context of the location and how that plays into the story. For journalists and filmmakers alike, this is key. Let the user experience. Don’t spoon feed. We can get facts from reading an article. With that said, voiceover is a vital tool to convey necessary information and context for what we see in a 360 video and it can be done tastefully. Think about what the viewer needs to know in order to connect emotionally with the location and with the story. Anything beyond that turns your video into wallpaper.
360 video can put us places we simply can’t go. And that is freaking magical. We can have rare and expensive experiences without taking a single step. As I struggled to find something to post everyday for a month, I kept that perspective in the back of my head––what would people not be able to experience easily or cheaply. I also had to bear in mind that the vast majority of people consuming 360 video watch using their phone as a magic window (unless you’re reading this article then you’re probably that type of person who has five cardboards at home). The Head Mounted Display is undoubtedly the best way to view, but that’s a big hurdle of inconvenience for the general consumer. So, while we as purists will always have our plethora of cardboards, we need to remember when producing 360 video––people prefer the magic window. And that does change how we shoot and edit.
Conclusion
There is a lot of trial and error with 360 video, but I think a good rule of thumb is to keep in mind how your 360 shot connects with the story you are trying to tell. If the reason for shooting in 360 correlates with your story in some way (whether it be through context, location or message), then you really can’t go wrong.
Dane is a Stanford Journalism graduate student and a guest writer for Haptical. Follow him on Twitter, on Facebook or on YouTube. If you are interested in publishing your article with us, here is how you can do it.
