Some Thoughts on the Future of 360° Films

Over the course of this term, whenever I told people that I was working on a 360° film, I got a variety of responses, varying from “What’s that?” to “That’s cool!” to the more serious “Do you think 360° is the future of filmmaking?” The short answer to that last question is: I don’t know. The long answer is something like this… When I started Writing 420 in September, I’d never even watched a 360° film with a headset, let alone made a 360° film. I immediately found the concept of working in 360° appealing, though. While some people in the class were hesitant about virtual reality and would have rather worked on a flat film, I was eager to explore this new technology. I didn’t know if it would turn out well. I was sure there would be less trial and error (and likely a better final result) if…

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Camera’s and Unlimited Immersion

Three things to know before you pick up a 360-degree camera: 1) Know how to hide… very well. 2) Don’t push the wrong buttons on the camera. 3) Learn to get tricky with your set, not your frame. Well, obviously there is a lot more to know when it comes to the emerging field of 360-degree media. However this should give you an extremely basic start. Overall I don’t think I’ve learned as much on a film set as I did on Knot For Sale. This film pushed us all to think outside of the box when telling a story. Working as a Camera Assistant on set was abnormal and uncomfortable at first. One a normal set your thinking about angles, lighting, lenses, frames, but on a 360 set your job is condensed into thinking about the set, stiches, and the movement of the physical camera. Anyone working near the…

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