Hands-On Virtual Reality Weekend

VR is the hot new buzzword in film.

Unless you have been living in a cave without internet access you will know that VR [virtual reality] is the biggest innovation in filmmaking since the advent of online film distribution that started on 15th February 2005 with the launch of Youtube.com.

Long considered the dream of geeks and techno dreamers, Virtual Reality burst onto the scene in the late 1980s. Back then the technical capabilities did not match the aspirations of aficionados and it quickly died. In the intervening years, Virtual Reality was kept alive by the USA military, the NASA project and Walt Disney – all of whom researched technical solutions and did exhaustive studies of the effect on Virtual Reality on viewers.

Now it’s back: companies like the Facebook-owned Oculus Rift and their Story Lab, Nokia, Microsoft, Samsung and a host of others are pouring big bucks into Virtual Reality. They are developing the technology, and more importantly for independent filmmakers, the content this new advance is screaming for.

Not since the introduction of sound to movies has there been such a major advance in filmmaking technology.

Virtual Reality has crossed into the mainstream blindingly fast. The Oculus Rift is a head-mounted display for immersive technology virtual reality (VR). In March 2014, Facebook agreed to acquire Oculus VR for US$2 billion in cash and Facebook stock. Their new $600 headset started shipping in March 2016. To compete Samsung and Sony PlayStation have developed headsets as well. Google launched an open source viewer called Google Cardboard in 2014. This headset costs next to nothing.

In 2015 GoPro cameras and Google teamed up to create Jump – an innovative ecosystem of cameras and editing which allows viewers to experience 360/VR. In June 2015 Bjork published a music video and in January 2016 Raindance Film Festival launched a VR strand soliciting new VR shorts to be screened in London’s autumn event.

At Raindance, you can learn how to make your own 360/Virtual Reality movie.

With technology moving so tremendously fast, and with commercial opportunities lining up in their dozens, filmmakers need to be aware of the possibilities and potential offered by Virtual Reality. The hardware manufacturers are painfully aware that there is precious little 360/VR content.

An audit in January 2016 found that there are only 6,000 360/VR professionals worldwide. This number is increasing dramatically. Could the next VR professional be you?

This weekend practical workshop will introduce you to the basics of 360/VR: how it looks and feels, how it works and how it is shot and edited. You’ll get a feel for this new medium and start to understand how drama and story can be created.

You’ll be able to participate in a hands on workshop and ask our technicians about the equipment used for production and post-production, and work with our story consultants on how to write, direct and produce a VR short.

What you will learn

Until 2015 VR was only accessible to those with access to expensive equipment. Our tutors will demonstrate current equipment and show you how to make a low budget 360/VR film. Participants should bring a wifi enabled smartphone in order to experience VR themselves.

Who should attend

The hardware manufacturers are crying out for content. Can you create content for 360/VR? This weekend introduction is designed for independent filmmakers, film producers and visual storytellers eager to access the new story-telling possibilities offered by this exciting new medium.

About the tutor

Johnny Johnson is a VR evangelist who embraced the world of 360° filmmaking at the very start of its current incarnation in 2014. Having initiated his career by studying at Westminster Film School, he went on to become a freelance camera assistant on a wide range of commercials, movies and TV dramas. In 2007 he formed a facilities rental company and has continued to work in production facilities and media business development for a range of broadcast and media organisations since. Alongside this work, he has produced a number of shorts, commercials and a horror feature. He currently operates SpeedVR as a resource for the 360° VR filmmaking community, whilst working as a VR producer.