Category: Life in 360

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Life in 360: Tilt Brush Music Video is a Neon-Soaked Journey

360 degree music videos are becoming more-and-more common, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. With artists from all kinds of entertainment industries paying attention to the progression of virtual reality (VR) it’s likely to draw in fans from different audiences. Titmouse however, have gone one further; creating Night Club’s entire music video in Google’s Tilt Brush.

Show it 2 Me screenshot

Show It 2 Me is a music video created using Tilt Brush‘s audio reactive brushes featuring Night Club’s single, “Show It 2 Me.” Show It 2 Me first debuted at SXSW’s Virtual Cinema 2017 and features art created by Titmouse president and owner, Chris Prynoski, and Antonio Canobbio, Titmouse creative director.

The viewer will go on a ride through a retro-futuristic landscape, with demons, space cars, crazy head things, disembodied tongue-mouths and pulsating brains. Named after the song by Night Club, an electronic music duo from Los Angeles that features Emily Kavanaugh and Mark Brooks, Show it 2 Me is co-directed by Mark Brooks and Dylan Carter.

Titmouse president and owner, Chris Prynoski says, “Show It 2 Me is the perfect way to leave the meat world and enjoy three minutes of electrosonic VR dream stabbing.”

The 360 degree video Show It 2 Me has been published directly by Google VR, and was previously teased by Oculus VR. Garnering much attention from the leaders in the VR industry is enviable, and also likely to draw more fans to the band Night Club. Activities such as these are circular, with each party from different industries attracting viewers from a wide demographic of audiences.

Show it 2 Me screenshot

Previous bands to have experimented with 360 degree music videos include Mind Enterprises, Duende Musica, Clever Fox and L’Arc-en-Ciel, who created music content based in Racoon City from the Resident Evil franchise for the PlayStation VR. Of course, Bjork has also been involved in 360 degree video content creation for some time.

Show It 2 Me is live now on YouTube 360 and is free for all to view, compatible with HTC Vive, Oculus Rift and Gear VR. VRFocus will keep you entertained with more 360 degree content throughout this holiday season.

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Life in 360°: One Small Step for Vuze

It’s Friday so you’re expecting VRFocus’ regular weekly dose of 360-degree video goodness to start the day. Alas, as today is somewhat different. It’s only on rare occasions that Life in 360° doesn’t actually include some sort of immersive video, with today’s article looking towards the future in preparation of a 360 video that’s yet to come. Recently the Vuze VR Camera was selected by National Geographic and NASA to film a 3D, 360-degree cinematic virtual reality (VR) experience as part of National Geographic’s upcoming series One Strange Rock.

Due to premiere next year and directed by Darren Aronofsky (director of Requiem for a Dream), the Vuze VR Camera will be used by European Space Agency astronaut Paolo Nespoli to document a day in the life on the space station.

European Space Agency astronaut Paolo Nespoli
At the International Space Station, European Space Agency astronaut Paolo Nespoli films the Earth through the windows of the Cupola observatory. Credit: ESA/NASA/Twitter

“One Strange Rock explores how intricate, interwoven and fragile life as we know it is on Earth and how rare it may be in the universe,” Aronofsky said in a statement. “The more we appreciate how awe-inspiring the development of life on this planet has been, the more likely we are to become inspired stewards of the home that sustains it.”

“We’re thrilled to once again partner with National Geographic to tell an incredible story about our strange planet,” said producer Jane Root. “We’re going to combine dramatic visual storytelling and real science to tell the story of our planet Earth and focus on the unbelievable ‘coincidences,’ and the complex, unlikely connections that all had to happen to create complex life.”

One Strange Rock will premiere on the National Geographic Channel in 2018, with Nespoli’s videos distributed via platforms like Facebook, Oculus, YouTube and PlayStation VR, and of course Life in 360°.

Don’t forget to come back on Monday when Life in 360° resumes its regular programming.

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Life in 360°: Spot the Difference

It’s fairly common knowledge that the idea of copyright protection isn’t exactly adhered to over in China, with plenty of brands seeing counterfeit copies of their products appear not only in the country but also across the world. The problem being that not only are these companies losing out on profits needed to continue R&D, but also these cheaper products generally tend to be inferior, in both materials and build quality. So what if the Chinese set their sights on something bigger, say a whole town for example? Well they’ve done just that.

In a New York Times (NYT) 360-degree video, the news network went to the picturesque town of Hallstatt in Austria, which has been inhabited since pre-historic times and is a UNESCO world heritage site. Whilst deemed unique due to the way it has retained its authenticity, that uniqueness has been taken by the Chinese and replicated in a southern province in 2012.

As with most Chinese reproductions the original town wasn’t consulted on the construction, it turns out they only found out when the project was at an advanced stage.

In the 360 video, NYT split the visuals so you can see both side to side, showing a fairly accurate copy of Hallstatt. Some things were altered however to suit the needs of the developers, like the replica of the church which now features a grand hall for banquets rather than somewhere people worship.

VRFocus will be back on Wednesday with another Life in 360º.

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Life in 360º: MTV European Music Awards

The 2017 European Music Awards ceremony was held at London’s SSE Wembley on Sunday 12th November, with whole constellations of music stars performing on stage for the benefit of the audience. Not just the audience in attendance, either. With the power of 360-degree video music fans all over the world could watch.

Virtual reality (VR) and 360-degree video platform Mativision powered the MTV mobile app that allowed users who downloaded the app to view a 360-degree video livestream of the MTV European Music Awards, allowing smartphone users with the app to view performances from the likes of Kesha, U2, The Killers, Liam Payne, Travis Scott and Demi Lovato, among several others.

The MTV EMA show also featured some augmented reality (AR) elements which were unlocked during the awards ceremony, exclusively for users who have the MTV EMA app. The MTV EMA app also gives users access to the newsfeed, 360-degree and VR videos, profiles of the nominees as well as stickers that can be downloaded and shared with friends.

Of course the full livestream is no longer available, but highlights including photos and some of the performances can still be found on the app for those who wish to relive the experience of the awards ceremony.

The MTV EMA app can be downloaded for free from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

VRFocus will be back next week with another Life in 360º.

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Life In 360°: Behind the Ambisonic Sound

Last year, Pollen Music Group and Google Spotlight Stories teamed up to create a virtual reality (VR) project called Pearl. Pearl was the first VR or 360-degree video to receive an Oscar nomination, and of the first to receive an Emmy award. Much praise was given to the music, particularly a song called No Wrong Way Home which featured prominently through the short. Pollen Music Group have now released a behind-the-scenes video detailing the process behind the immersive audio used in Pearl.

The feature song, No Wrong Way Home is subtly transformed through the short, beginning by being sung by the father, where it is performed by Kelley Stoltz before it is later changed and sung by the daughter through a performance by Nicki Bluhm. The song was produced by Scot Stafford and JJ Wiesler.

“In Pearl, there’s a continuous and seamless exchange between on- and off-screen sources of the song. Sometimes the actors perform it, sometimes they hear it on the radio, and sometimes we viewers just hear it in our heads, like a soundtrack.” says Stafford.

In the more technical areas, Wiesler speaks of the challenges of 3D audio: “Object audio, ambisonic audio and headlocked stereo audio were all used simultaneously. Given the high level of technical challenges, our main goal was to make the result feel very smooth and organic. We’ve had some viewers say, ‘I didn’t even notice the sound,’ and that in a way is the highest compliment.”

Pollen Music Group is a musical collective that consists of several songwriters, composers, producers and other musical professionals who together aim to make an impact on sound design in advertising, TV, film, videogames and VR. The group has since done other work in VR, working on projects such as Asteroids! From Baobab Studios.

The behind the scenes video is available to view below, as is the original Pearl 360-degree short film.

Keep an eye on VRFocus for more Life in 360°.

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Life in 360°: Explore The Edinburgh Festivals

The BBC has been dipping its toes into the virtual reality (VR) waters of later. The BBC Taster area of the BBC website employs the open-source WebVR technology that lets users view VR and 360-degree video content without needing to install another app. The BBC is now using that technology to let viewers explore the Edinburgh Festivals.

Though the Edinburgh Fringe Festival is probably the name most people are familiar with, the Edinburgh festivals actually cover a huge umbrella of events. Including the Edinburgh International Film Festival, the International Jazz and Blues Festival, the Art Festival, Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo and the famous Festival Fringe.

The BBC are offering a series of 360-degree videos that offer various interactive views of the Festivals. One such video covers the history of the Festivals for the 70th anniversary, while another explores the musical gems to be found during the Jazz and Blues Festival.

You can take a look at the Edinburgh Festivals 360 Explorer by heading to the BBC Taster website. Taster is still an area in Beta, so there may be occasional errors.

VRFocus will be back with another 360-degree video on Friday, so keep an eye out for it.

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Life In 360°: Don’t Look Down

So to start of the new week as we all think about holidays, sun soaked beaches, and crystal clear blue waters, here’s Red Bull with its usual slice of extreme sports. This time it’s cliff diving, where some fearless sports people hurl themselves off a – not exactly cliff edge – Red Bull sponsored platform, which is attached to a cliff.

This is the Polignano A Mare stop of the 2017 Cliff Diving World Series, where the world’s best spin, twist, pike, twirl (or any of that other diving lingo) to show how awesome they are at landing in the water, without hurting themselves.

For those that are afraid of heights or water then this video might not be for you, for everyone else, dive right in.

For your regular dose of all things 360, Life In 360° will be back on VRFocus on Wednesday.

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Life In 360°: Harmony, Stillness and Peace

When speaking about possible uses for virtual reality (VR) and 360-degree film, meditation is not the first thing that springs to mind. A new project called Living Insight aims to change that, by using technology to help take people away from the stresses of life and remind them to slow down once in a while.

The series of 360-degree videos by Ari Kuschnir, Ivan Cash, and Jeremy Lubman was produced by VR content company M ss ng P eces and features a series of meditation guides hosted by well-known Buddhist teacher Jack Kornfield. The experience is available to view at a 360-degree film on smartphones, tablet or desktop, or as a VR experience with Google Cardboard or Google Daydream.

VRFocus will bring you more Life in 360° on Monday.

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Life In 360°: Take Ride on a Ford Mustang Shelby GT350

Life in 360° has featured plenty of adrenaline filled videos, whether that’s been on the waves, in the sky, or on tarmac. Today is somewhat different on the car front. It may feature a Ford Mustang Shelby GT350, but not from the angle you may suspect. Instead of looking at the clean lines of the car it’s all about the sound.

This isn’t a standard Shelby GT350 singing its normal sweet tune, in fact its been modified by Future Motoring outfitted with the Ford Performance catalog aftermarket exhaust and intake. You still get to see the straight-line performance the car is known for, it’s just from the back.

VRFocus will be back on Friday for another Life in 360°.

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Life In 360°: Get Up Close to Elephant Seals with USA Today

It’s another Life In 360° without Kev so for today’s video VRFocus goes back to nature, as USA Today releases a short film looking at elephant seals.

The video tags along with two graduate student researchers studying the behavior of northern elephant seals at Año Nuevo State Park in California. Usually, visitors are only able to observe the elephant seal colony from a viewing area, but now viewers can get up close alongside the researchers.

These are massive animals that may look fat but can still be fast and agile, especially when in the water. The researchers are recording the calls of the male seals while they’re fighting, each one having its own unique sound that becomes their name.

Checkout the video below, and come back on Friday for the week’s final Life In 360°.