The pace at which Virtual Reality is developing is extreme. Almost every day there is new developments in Virtual Reality and with the backing of major players like Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Sony, Samsung, Hollywood and Disney it is no wonder.
Both Youtube and Facebook now offers users the ability to watch 360° movies on their platforms. This allow movie makers and publishers the platform to efficiently distribute their movies to the masses. Allowing anyone who has a computer or smartphone with YouTube or Facebook the opportunity to watch 360° Virtual Reality movies. Before this development it was quite costly to stream Virtual Reality movies.
Imagine sitting down to enjoy your favorite movie, but instead of watching the action played out on a flat screen television, you put on your Virtual Reality Headset and are now immersed inside the movie. Instead of only seeing the angle that the camera man (or director) wants you to see, you now have 360° immersive views. (meaning that you can watch where ever you want to watch, you can watch up down, left or right in full 360°). In my opinion it is bigger than when the Television went from black and white to full color.
While much of the buzz around Virtual Reality headsets has focused on virtual reality gaming, the impact of Virtual Reality technology on movies could be just as profound if not even bigger.
The necessary hardware to experience high quality virtual reality is getting cheaper and more accessible, the hardware and software is getting more powerful, and we’re already seen thousands if not millions of the first virtual reality projects hit the web. (And many of them have been done low budget and experimental and still looks awesome!)
Meet Henry – to see how VR will change movies
If you take a look at the Meet Henry movie which is one of the first Cartoonish 360° Virtual Reality stories for kids you may get some idea of the potential of Virtual Reality movies. Instead of just reading a story or watching a one dimension story, kids can immerse themselves into the story and feel as if they are there and part of the story! It is simply amazing and awesome at the same time! – I wish we had this when I was a kid, but I guess it is also special to be part of the pioneers of this type of technology!
360° Virtual Reality Movies – a New Experience
“Virtual reality presents audiences with the opportunity to immerse themselves in a story like never before possible,” says 360 Labs’ Thomas Hayden, a 360-degree video filmmaker who has produced movies for the likes of National Geographic, Visa and U2. “VR gives user input to the movie itself, like what you are looking at and when. So, now a story can be told around that data in an invisible layer that may affect the story.”
Just imagine how many different ways you could experience a film. If a movie is 120 minutes long there is 7200 seconds in the movie and each second have a 360° view. Depending on where you are looking and when, can give you a completely different story to the person watching the movie next to you.
The recent launch of the Star War movies accompanied by some 360° videos just show how eager people are to experience and watch movies in 360 degrees. Some of these videos have already millions of views and the news and media everywhere is talking about it.
I am You Short film trailer
Although the movie is not completely 360° Virtual Reality experience, the video makers used 2 stereo cameras to film the “I am you” short film. This provides a First person experience to viewers, which looks quite awesome! – You can watch the video normally on Youtube or on TV but if you view it through a Virtual Reality headset if becomes something different and it feels as if “I am You” is true.
Just is just a peak into what is waiting for us – when 360° Virtual Reality videos are going mainstream! – Exciting times I tell you, exciting times!
