360/VR

While the technology of virtual reality can be seen in some devices such as the View-Master and the Sensorama—two inventions created in the mid-1900s—it has taken until the 2010s for the concept to take off. Now devices such as the Oculus Rift, PlayStation VR and HTC Vive offer consumers the chance to watch, learn, interact and play with countless forms of media at ease for an affordable price. Someone’s bedroom can be instantly transformed into a different universe in a matter of seconds.

After we had the chance to watch some 360 videos first hand while wearing a virtual reality headset, we were split into groups and given the task to come up with an idea for a 360 VR video, which we would then go on to shoot and show off to the class at the end of the day. We came up with a few ideas that were quite ambitious, such as a mass brawl fight sequence taking place around the camera, and for the camera to move from place to place.

The idea we decided to go with was to make the camera the point of view of a static person. This idea is something much simpler, but also something that can be very effective. After some discussions, we decided we would use our environment to our advantage and put the camera in the metaphorical shoes of a student who is sitting at their computer and minding their own business, when all of a sudden the rest of the class begins to bully them by throwing items at them, standing up and surrounding them and shouting insults at them. Our reason for going with this idea was because we believed it would give the viewer the impression of feeling trapped and trigger a sense of claustrophobia as they are being surrounded and intimidated by bigger, more imposing figures and they can move or get away from the incident. This also uses up almost all of the surrounding areas, so there is always going to be something to look at if the viewer was to look around with the VR headset on, and there are no huge gaps in the frame or in action.

I think the idea for our video was something that could be developed further and turned into a really powerful piece of media. Our limited time with the hardware meant we were not able to practice much and the plotting of our scene was rough and basic. I certainly think that, when viewing the finished article, you can understand and appreciate to a degree what we were trying to accomplish, however I don’t believe this looked anywhere near a professional standard. I do believe though, considering our restraints and inexperience with this form of media, that we did a good job at devising a creative concept that could be expanded upon and showing that it is possible to create something based around this idea in the 360 video format.

Our 360VR video can be viewed at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebFXfF28Hks