Life In 360°: A Genie’s Offer

Some considerable time back on VRFocus (well, six months ago) it was Rebecca that brought you news of a new partnership between Disney – more specifically Disney Theatrical Productions – and OmniVirt. If you’re not familiar with the latter, they’re a company that actually crop up on the site quite often as they deal with advertising campaigns that use both virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) and they do an awful lot with 360 degree video. 

Life In 360° / 360 Degree VideoThe partnership produced a promotional campaign for the Aladdin stage show on Broadway, the video made in association with another familiar name: Koncept VR. It featured a recording on stage from the Broadway cast of the Genie’s signature song Friend Like Me, made during a performance.  With the final production embellished with some factoids about the show and some additional production bells and whistles.

While we mentioned the campaign we never actually posted up the finished article, I was saving this for shortly after Christmas but unless things have drastically changed this is set to be the last edition of Life In 360° and the last day of posts on VRFocus. Certainly, for the foreseeable future. So as we’re rapidly approaching this time of year is often associated with the traditional Christmas pantomime (of which Aladdin is a highly popular choice) and you’re aying goodbye to me, let’s rectify that absence of the video.

“Disney Theatrical Productions reached out to Koncept VR, craving a new kind of 360° experience to showcase the hit Broadway musical, Aladdin. Our goal was to do something unique, going beyond what’s already been seen in 360° Broadway videos – we wanted to champion the showmakers!” Explain Koncept VR on the project. “That mission led to the development of animations that not only shared information about the production, but also encouraged the viewer to look all around during the performance. Spectacular visual cues were added to lead the viewer’s gaze…any given moment could reveal a delightful surprise. “

That’s all for now for Life In 360° here on VRFocus. I hope you’ve enjoyed our little jaunt around the various 360 degree videos the web provides. After all, you ain’t never had a friend like 360.

Life In 360°: The Process Of Courting Fashion

Hello one and all, and a hello again from myself, as I’ve been away for a little while resulting in other folks taking over for a few days.  Welcome back to another edition of Life In 360° here on VRFocus where we begin Friday’s coverage of all things immersive by checking back in with the folks at Koncept VR. As you no doubt know, Koncept VR are one of those immersive technology companies that are always busy. New partners. New projects. New things to see. In fact, I’m hoping we’ll be hosting a guest piece of theirs somewhere down the line about just how they do it all, but that’s hopefully one for the future.

Life In 360° / 360 Degree VideoTheir most recent partnership with GQ took them onto the basketball court to film some 360 degree action with Philadelphia 76ers No. 21 Joel Embiid as part of a new campaign. The Cameroonian Centre has been making waves in Philadelphia since he was drafted there as the third pick overall in the 2014 NBA Draft – even making the 2018 NBA All-Stars.

I’ll leave it to Koncept themselves to give you the rundown on what you’re about to see: “In conjunction with GQ’s first ever digital cover, Koncept VR went behind-the-scenes of the Philly photo shoot to capture NBA star Joel Embiid in 360° action. The resulting video allows the viewer to get up close and personal with ‘The Process’ as he shoots, scores, and hangs loose with his selfie-snapping fans.”

You can see the video below, but you can also read the article on the GQ website where Embiid goes into his childhood, hopes, aspirations and talks about life on the court. You can do that here. Li360 is back on Monday at the usual time with a video about Greenland. I’ll see you then.

 

Life In 360°: In The Wake Of Disaster

The end of the week and for once I am actually not here but instead far away doing me-related things. Don’t worry though, because we’ve still got an edition of Life In 360° to begin our Friday wind down on the week. Despite it being post-Gamescom there’s been plenty of news and other items heading up on the website, so if you haven’t already be sure to give the whole of the front page a good once-over.

Life In 360° / 360 Degree VideoToday’s video carries on a recent tendency of looking into the aftermath of disasters from across the world, though this time not from a human point of view, but that of animals. The video was sent our way by Koncept VR, who are familiar faces to Life In 360° at this time, and by  the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals – or ASPCA for short – it being their first-ever venture into 360 degree filmmaking. The video in question covers the work done by ASPCA in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in 2017 and takes us to St. Croix, one of the the U.S. Virgin Islands.

When disaster is about to strike, it’s only natural people plan ahead for securing the important things and of course making sure the family is secure. ASPCA are keen to remind people that making sure the family is safe should also include any other adopted members of it.  Following the hurricane, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requested the help of ASPCA, and, supported by Nylabone, the organsiation ended up staying on St. Croix for more than three months, working to rescue or assist 22,000 displaced cats, dogs and horses and other animals.

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)“While there have been vast improvements in disaster preparedness for animals in recent years, experiencing a disaster first-hand helps people truly understand the importance of planning in advance,” explained Senior Director of ASPCA Disaster Response, Dick Green. “By giving pet owners an inside look at our emergency response operation via 360-degree video, we hope to further inform the public about the impact disasters situations can have on animals and inspire them to prioritize their own preparedness plans.”

You can find out more on the related website. I’ll be back with another example of 360 degree video use from around the world on Monday, so join me then on VRFocus.

Life In 360°: Made By Manhattan

The other week we had a very nice 360 degree video that was simply a time-lapse of the city of Portland. There was something quite beautiful as the skies darkened and the mood of the city completely changed. We’re back in America today for something similar; Koncept VR’s recording of the ‘Manhattanhenge’ (aka the Manhattan Solstice) effect. A twice yearly event where the setting sun aligns with the street grid of the Manhattan, New York, the full sun being visible between the streets as it sets and subsequently you see this happening between the profiles of the buildings.

It’s quite the sight and there’s a growing interest in the phenomenon. You can see Koncept VR’s short video below. VRFocus will be back on Friday with another example of 360 degree video.