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By Sara Bayat, University of Victoria As a somewhat recent innovation, 360° films are still new territory in terms of production concepts. Given the fact that the camera (or six cameras, to be more accurate) is shooting in the round, there’s little editing that can be done beyond special effects or splicing scenes together, and so the majority of the finished product must be shaped on set rather than in post-production. Simply, the footage cannot be manipulated as readily as it is in the world of conventional—a.k.a. ‘flattie’—filmmaking, and this presents challenges on multiple levels. Take, for example, the extremely low-budget short film, My McGuffin (available in all its glory here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lsa-8HhBqE), in which a man stumbles upon this newfangled 360° camera in the middle of a public square, claims it for his own, and trouble then ensues. I suggest that you watch the four-minute video before reading further, as I’m…

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By Morgan Buxton for WRIT 420 Note: Sources are hyperlinked* As an adrenaline junkie, I am particularly drawn to horror films. In fact, the first thing that I did after receiving my Habor VR headset in the mail was download an app called “VR Terror 360” to my phone. From there, I spent close to two hours walking into walls and annoying my roommates by shrieking every time something startled me—walking into a monster in your living room is far freakier than having him jump out at you from your television screen. Here is what I learned from my first VR 360 experience: It’s not that bad. Virtual reality has significantly altered the classic framework of           filmmaking. As a writer, this got me thinking. Virtual reality films don’t only alter the way we write movies, they alter the way we watch them. In a two-dimensional world,…

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By Natasha D’Amours for WRIT 420 Cinematic VR. VR storytelling. 360° films. Whatever you call it, this new form of storytelling – this new medium – is innovative and exciting. Still in its early stages, most 360° film content is non-fiction. Which makes sense – it’s easier to forgive technology slip ups, like noticeable seams, awkward cuts and visible equipment and crew, when it comes to non-fiction. The viewer knows they’re in the real world. They don’t need to be convinced of the virtual reality. There’s no suspension of disbelief to maintain. That’s not to say that there’s only non-fiction when it comes to 360° content. More and more, people are using this new technology to tell narrative stories. They’re learning how to use the 360° technology to create seamless spherical tales: invisible seams, invisible equipment, and cuts woven into the story so skillfully that they don’t feel disorienting at…

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By Kaitlyn Michaelis, University of Victoria As someone who has followed Rooster Teeth’s adventures since 2011, I’m fairly familiar with their production work and the kind of humorous content they put out. The media production company has put out more than a handful of short films, video game playthroughs, created TV mini series broadcasted through their own website (Day 5, RWBY, and Crunch Time, to name a few recent ones). When I started taking Writing 420 and learned that we were going to be making a short 360° film, Rooster Teeth uploaded a short live-action 360° film to YouTube called Kidnapped. The premise is that you are Agent X, caught in between two idiotic henchmen and their boss. You must be dispatched of, as you have come in the way of their plans. But through a comedic misinterpretation, the two bumbling henchmen take you out — an idyllic ride on…

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By Chandler McCorkindale, University of Victoria While doing research on 360-degree narrative films, I stumbled upon White Room: 02B3 (available for $3.99 on the App Store). I chose to write about this film because like our film currently in production, it was shot in both 360 degrees and a traditional Flattie format. In terms of the script, the film revolves around six strangers who awake seated around a table in a white room with a gun on it. Unsure of who they are, or how they got there. They only know that they are a part of an experiment that tests their ability to settle disputes with communication or conflict. This script is ideal from a 360-degree standpoint because it allows for a controlled shoot. Roddenberry Entertainment doesn’t have to worry about camera movement or positioning. They don’t have to worry about weather or natural lighting. Instead they can situate…

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