Imagine being able to be at any event, any time, anywhere. From major world events to concerts and sporting venues — even walk the red carpet alongside your favorite stars. Imagine being able to watch the movie 300, and looking around at the fighting that surrounds you! Sound too good to be true? Its not, thanks to 360º video.
If you’ve been following Gravity Jack lately, you’ve probably noticed that we have taken a particular leading interest in this up-and-coming technology; one that allows you to look around and be apart of any scene imaginable. Standard video only allows you to view what is in the immediate field of view of the camera — or simply view the scene from the perspective the camera person decides to shoot from. With 360º video, the viewer is literally immersed in the video, giving them a full-scale view. The viewer is given complete control, and is able to direct how the camera pans around!
Here’s a quick shot we took in our Liberty Lake office to help you experience what this is capable of!
https://youtu.be/H0DBenHUO9c
Why is this technology revolutionary? Like most technologies, the possibilities seem to be endless! Imagine watching your favorite sporting event as the cameraman instead of waiting to catch that killer play/replay. 360º video gives you the ability control what angle YOU want to view the action from — as though you were there in real life. If you want to follow your favorite player around, simply control the video to do so (and ensure the cameraman doesn’t ‘drop the ball’ — pun intended 🙂 Sports aren’t your thing? 360º video can take you anywhere! Take a tour of your favorite museum, from the comfort of your own couch. Be your own tour guide, and see things at your own pace. Zoom in to see Mona Lisa’s mole that you didn’t even know was there.
At Gravity Jack we use 6 to 7 GoPro Hero 4 Black cameras. We mount them on a 360º camera rig, which in turn, gives us a full sphere of video. After assembled, we mount the rig in an area where we can take advantage of having as many viewable angles as possible. Those mounts can include the roof of a car, or even a skydiving helmet, placed on our CEO’s head! The best part is that there is no such thing as a blind spot — the user is in total control. After the footage is captured we take it to our editing room. Editing will then stitch the sequences together, making the sequences completely seamless.
Once the the edits are complete, we can bring the video to you in several formats. First, is the standard YouTube version. Here, you watch the video on your computer screen, in what looks similar to a standard online video player. The only difference is that you have the ability to pan and control the action with a navigator button in the upper left hand of the video (like the one above!). Another (extremely cool) way to watch 360º video is through a virtual reality headset. Here, you physically put on a headset that mimics your eyesight, by projecting a dual image, so your brain processes it as one seamless image. With the virtual reality headset, you can look in any direction and the camera will take you there. This style gives you the feeling that you are physically immersed in your surroundings, as if you were actually there!
Don’t have a VR headset? Get one for just a few bucks! There are several virtual reality headsets available that users can enjoy these experiences from. A majority of these headsets can tend to be on the pricier side, so Google invented a device that was affordable. They named it ‘Cardboard’ because it is mainly made out of just that. Simply click here to purchase a pair for yourself! All of our projects to date have been Cardboard friendly. Download our Wienermobile app to give it a try!
Interested in learning more about 360º video, and how Gravity Jack can change the way your users experience the world around them? We have the equipment and the expert team, ready to bring your idea to life. Contact us, today!
