Image: Vincent Demers Photography, Getty Images
First-person footage of the real world is being created by a new generation of immersive storytellers who are going all out to impress
Though spherical videos may theoretically be perfect for the VR age, few people own VR headsets. No matter, because this emerging format’s early experiments are all viewable on phones, tablets and desktop browsers on platforms including Facebook, YouTube and Vimeo. Just drag the screen to explore these addictive first-person 360° perspectives on everything from wildlife and rare natural phenomena to extreme sports, documentaries and immersive journalism.
1. 8K 360 video of the Lunar Eclipse and Aurora Borealis near Fairbanks, AK
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Publisher: Jebb Corliss | Date: 11 Aug 2017| Duration: 1min 48secs
Since it brings a powerful first-person perspective, 360° cameras were always going to be popular with adventurers and extreme sports people wanting to share their passion in excruciating detail. Using the new GoPro Fusion 360º camera, wingsuit pilot Jebb Corliss dives out over Perris, California here, in ‘rodeo’ formation with another pilot. Where to look?
Up at the plane as they jump out? At the other crazy wingsuiters? Or down at the ground? That’s the beauty of the 360º format. Since no soundtrack has been edited, the audio is basically wind in the microphone, so it’s best watched on mute. But this raw video is a wild ride that demands a rewatch.
3. Mosul From Above: Fight against ISIS from the sky
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Publisher: National Geographic | Date: 12 Nov 2016 | Duration: 2mins 16secs
That the 360° format brings a powerful eyewitness dimension is unquestioned, but it can also be used to shine a light on areas of the world that humans almost never visit or see. That’s the case here with 360° Kamchatka Volcano Eruption, shot by National Geographic (a channel that’s really embraced the 360° format on YouTube) in remote Kamchatka Peninsula in eastern Russia. The viewer gets to see into the erupting Klyuchevskoy volcano, one of the world’s most active. Note the captions ‘floating’ in the clouds… and don’t forget to look behind you during the approach to see Klyuchevskoy’s dramatic V-shaped shadow.
5. Fossil Hunters of the Gobi
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Publisher: The New York Times | Date: 2 May 2016 | Duration: 1min 22secs
Here’s more proof that the 360° format isn’t just for titillation, but can also be a brilliant way of reporting news. Published by The New York Times a couple of years ago, this dramatic 360° video of large piles of confiscated ivory worth US$100 being burned by the Kenyan government.
An utterly bizarre scene in 360°, the fire – lit by President Uhuru Kenyatta – was an attempt to show the world that Kenya wants to end the illegal trade in ivory that is decimating the wild elephant population in East Africa. It’s a simple, short film of raw footage shot from just a couple of different camera positions, with no commentary.
7. First time in the Universe: Spacewalk in 360°
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Publisher: Sky News | Date: 15 Nov 2015| Duration: 4mins 5secs
Why tell when you can show? Though that’s always been the theoretical advantage of video over radio or the written word, it’s only with the birth of 360° cameras that it’s finally possible in a raw, unedited way. It’s spawned some exceptional storytelling and unique journalism, none more so than this simple yet powerful video showing boats packed with refugees landing on a beach on the Greek island of Lesbos. It comes with commentary, and occasional pieces to camera by the reporter, who wanders freely around the camera while the harrowing scene plays out all around. The BBC tried something similar with Calais Migrants: What’s it like in the ‘Jungle’?
9. 360º Total Solar Eclipse Experience 4K – Indonesia 2016
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Publisher: Gravity Industries | Date: 28 Nov 2017 | Duration: 2mins 48secs
One-part product demo video, one-part world-record attempt, this 360° video shows something truly groundbreaking. It’s essentially a show-off showreel by Richard ‘Iron Man’ Browning, an English inventor whose company Gravity created the Daedalus Mark 1, a body-controlled jet engine power suit that uses six miniature jet engines to achieve vertical flight.
In this 5k 360º video, Browning launches and sets off across a lake and returns in one piece. A nice touch is an outtake at the end in which Browning sinks into the lake halfway through a previous, failed attempt.
Source: digital camera world