360 Films
Have you thought about making 360 films? Or do you make 360 films but wonder how you might use them in domes? That’s the journey that the Soundview team have been on over the last few years. First, we made 360 videos for clients’ websites, then for virtual reality headsets. And some years ago we developed our first immersive VR tours. Our 360 cameras have flown on drones, sped down zip wires, sat in the ocean and even been in tiger enclosures. Now we’ve added creating 360 films for immersive spaces to our experience. Here’s what you need to know to make the transition to creating documentary content for domes.
360 Documentary Video For 360 Domes
What is 360 Video Content?
So, let’s start at the beginning. 360 films are immersive content that can be viewed on a conventional screen, in VR headsets or in an immersive dome. The videos are usually captured with a 360 camera. If you view these videos on a screen, you can move around in a 360 space with your cursor or finger. Whereas in a VR headset, you move your head to look around the virtual space. We’ve all seen the images of people wearing VR headsets (we’ve got a few here!) However, 360 immersive domes are a newer and rapidly growing phenomenon where 360 films can be viewed. They have the added advantage of a shared experience.
How Does That Video Content Work in a Dome?
If you are unfamiliar with the idea of an immersive dome, think of a planetarium. It’s like a cinema where the screen isn’t just in front of you, rather the image is projected all around the inside of the sphere. So, no matter where you look, whether it be in front, behind, to the side or above, the image is continuous. And fortunately for us, here in Plymouth in southwest England, we have the largest immersive dome in Europe. It’s an incredible 15 Metres in diameter and can accommodate around 80 people seated. It allows the viewer to be immersed in the action. Of course, it’s an amazing experience and calls for some specialist skills and knowledge.
Shooting 360 Content for Domes
Content for Domes: The 360 Cameras We Use
Firstly, let’s talk about cameras. In our documentary video for 360 domes, we use a range of different 360 cameras. At the top end, we have an Insta 360 pro – which has 6 lenses to capture the whole scene. Be mindful, with 360 shooting there is no behind-the-camera. Everything from floor to ceiling, wall to wall and all points in between is in shot. So that means a lot of data! The combined output of the 6 lenses creates an 8k image, which translates into a very high-quality film for projection in the immersive dome. Other cameras we use, Do slightly different jobs. This includes the GoPro Max, which allows us to shoot 360 footage from a drone. Brilliantly this gives you a panoramic bird’s eye view of any location!
Shooting for Immersive Spaces: Things to Consider on Location:
As we mentioned earlier, everything is shot in a 360 video. So that means there is nowhere to hide! That includes you, other crew members, lighting or sound equipment. We often will place lighting behind an object so it puts light into the scene but you can’t see the light source itself. As for finding a space for yourself, you have to be imaginative. If you’ve seen any of our 360 documentary content then you may have spotted us pretending to read a newspaper on a bench for example if we’re filming in a park, or disguised as walkers admiring the view if we’re on a cliff top.
Movement: Use it and Keep it Gentle
It’s great to have movement in a 360 scene. This often means having lots of moving ‘actors’ or elements moving around the camera. In fact, we have found that audiences love to see action. And if it’s in different parts of the 360 space, even better. This makes the best use of any dome or headset.
Another really important consideration is the movement of the camera. We’ve found that gentle movement is acceptable. The camera does not want to move rapidly or silently because it can cause viewers nausea in the immersive environment. So for 360 content taken with a drone, we would take to the air slowly and rotate the camera steadily and gently ( true of 360 videos for headsets too).
Post-Production on Documentary Content For 360 Domes:
You’ll find processing the video files time-consuming. Because you are shooting on multiple lenses, the images need stitching together, This requires rendering time and the final files are hefty, so you’ll need plenty of media storage, and a fairly high-end computer to handle the data you’re asking to. The pace of cutting tends to be slower than in traditional editing.
Because you have a huge area for the audience to look at and make sense of, shots need to linger longer. Fast pace editing would also have a similar effect to camera movement, the last thing you want your audience to feel is sick! Allow more time for post-production than a traditional documentary and build in time for the actual viewing of the content in the dome space as it is a very different experience to watching on a flat screen in the edit suite.
So now it’s your turn, to go out experiment, discover and enjoy, and we’d love to hear about your experiences, so get in touch.
