Mixed Reality

Storytelling Layers on 360 Video

In this project, students will film 360 video and explore the best ways to add on that additional layer; students will finish the quarter with two videos, and will document their findings to make their storytelling methods more accessible to others.

360 video greatly increases the control viewers have over what they see, potentially increasing the sense that they are “really there.” But removing the editorial context around an image also makes it harder for journalists to indicate what’s important about a scene. Overlaying text and/or graphics is one technique for providing important context and story. In this project, students will film 360 video and explore the best ways to add on that additional layer; students will finish the quarter with two videos, and will document their findings to make their storytelling methods more accessible to others.

Faculty and Staff Leads

Zach Wise

Professor, Journalism

Emmy winning interactive producer & Associate Professor @NorthwesternU, @KnightLab. Formerly of The New York Times. Creator of TimelineJS & StoryMapJS

Results

  • Mixed Reality > Storytelling Layers on 360 Video

    An introduction to 360° video

    by Umang Shukla | shuklol

    360° video is a fairly recent technology in which omnidirectional cameras are used to grab a spherical video capture of a space, rather than the rectangular capture in traditional videography. The perspectives of the omnidirectional cameras are then stitched together to generate an immersive experience for viewers to experience, placing the viewer within the context of a scene or event rather than presenting them as an outside observer, and giving the viewer the ability to...

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  • Mixed Reality > Storytelling Layers on 360 Video

    Guide to shooting 360° video

    by Umang Shukla | shuklol , Nikolas Wright | wrighteous

    Before embarking on any 360° video project, we strongly encourage you to ask *why*. It is true that a spherical video can transport and immerse viewers in a way that is hard to replicate with traditional film, but which shouldn’t be used for the sake of creating 360° video. We encourage content creators to ask themselves the following questions before deciding to shoot in 360: * Are we transporting the viewer to a place they...

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  • Mixed Reality > Storytelling Layers on 360 Video

    How to Edit 360 Video in Adobe Premiere Pro CC

    by Sherry Chiu

    Before you start editing your footage, make sure you have stitched your footage. You can read our guide to stitching here. After you have completed stitching your footage, you can now "edit" them in traditional video editing software like [Adobe Premiere Pro CC](http://www.adobe.com/products/premiere.html). Stitching is a common term that involves merging the separate camera inputs into single viewable format. On the other hand, editing is a broad umbrella term that we will use to refer...

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  • Mixed Reality > Storytelling Layers on 360 Video

    Publishing your 360° content

    by Jake Daniels | JakeDanielsVII

    Publishing can be confusing for aspiring 360° video storytellers. The lack of public information on platform viewership makes it nearly impossible to know where you can best reach your intended viewers, or even how much time and effort to devote to the creation of VR content. Numbers are hard to come by, but were more available in the beginning of 2016. At the time, most viewers encountered 360° video on Facebook. In February 2016, Facebook...

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  • Mixed Reality > Storytelling Layers on 360 Video

    Stitching 360° Video

    by Jake Daniels | JakeDanielsVII

    For the time-being, footage filmed on most 360° cameras cannot be directly edited and uploaded for viewing immediately after capture. Different cameras have different methods of outputting footage, but usually each camera lens corresponds to a separate video file. These video files must be combined using "video stitching" software on a computer or phone before the video becomes one connected, viewable video. Garmin and other companies have recently demonstrated interest in creating cameras that stitch...

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Project Details

2017 Spring

Important Questions
  • What makes for compelling 360 video? What content works best in this environment?
  • How do you capture an interesting 360 video?
  • How do people naturally navigate 360 content?
  • What visual techniques can we use to help guide viewers through videos?
  • How can content overlays provide additional context and enhance 360 experiences?
Sample Milestones
  • VR/360 logs
  • Pitch. Students select the topic and approach for their project.
  • Project plan. Students submit a proposal including a paper prototype, list of equipment they will be using, and their plan for shooting.
  • Project 1. Students make and annotate one video
  • User testing. Students have people use their video, observe their reactions and interview users for feedback.
  • Final project. Students make another piece, incorporating the things they learned on the previous piece.
Outcome

Two annotated 360 videos, at least one of which should be publishable.

Students

Nikolas Wright

Jake Daniels

Sherry Chiu

Umang Shukla