Blog

For the past three years we’ve been working on a VR documentary film about the Grand Canyon and the many ecological threats posed by commercial overdevelopment. After already taking two trips down the Colorado River by raft and one trip to Grand Canyon National Park to interview the superintendent, we still weren’t satisfied with the shots we got at the confluence where the Little Colorado River (or LCR) meets the Greater Colorado River. So we decided to take an 18 mile round trip trek through a treacherous desert canyon to one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Garmin has recently entered the 360 camera game with their own GPS enabled 5.7k camera with back to back lenses. As a waterproof full 360x180 camera in a very compact package, this intrigued us at 360 Labs. With GoPro Fusion taking a while to become a reality, we jumped at the chance to order the Garmin VIRB 360 and put it through the paces. We’re in dire need of a camera system that is ultra compact and durable to use in the elements.

We get a lot of requests from clients for walking tours moving through houses, facilities, offices or buildings. The biggest challenge to do this in 360 video is to hide from your own camera. If you hold the camera, not only are you in your own shot but you are also undoubtedly making things unstable with your own motion. We decided to build our own rover dolly system for smooth motion at walking speeds.

Sometimes the hardest thing to explain about VR is how to get it to the audience. For most, this is where VR aspirations end. Projects can become cost prohibitive. If you truly want to reach a wide audience, there’s simply not one single platform that will do that for you. That’s not to say they aren’t coming, but for now, what can we do to reach the biggest audience?