After seeing a few 360 videos for films and TV shows such as "Zoolander" and "The Walking Dead," I was interested in learning how these traditional media companies are using emerging technology such as VR to captivate their audience. I noticed these videos were promotional material for the actual TV series or movie, giving the fans a behind-the-scenes look at their favorite shows and films. The ability to immerse yourself into the world of a show, especially one very different from your own, is a unique experience that brings you closer to story.

Each semester there is a Advanced TV Production capstone course for Television/Radio/Film majors that requires them to develop and shoot a six-episode TV series from scratch. The group decided to create a sci-fi series that revolved around humans struggling to survive on an alien planet 100 years in the future after Earth has been destroyed by nuclear warfare and climate change. I felt this premise would make for a good virtual reality experience, so I teamed up with the class to create their promotional material. The 360 video "Planet of Kepler" was designed to give viewers a closer look at the alien planet landscape, as well as the human camp where the remaining settlers stayed as they struggled for survival.

I originally set out to shoot more than just the two settings I have in my final video, but the series was cancelled unexpectedly the week after I filmed the scenes I have. I planned on getting more interactions with the alien species, as well as humans scavenging for food, but this was impossible with the cancellation of the series because I was unable to gain access to the actors, makeup, or set pieces in a feasible manner. Luckily, the scenes I did shoot were enough for me to create the immersive experience and still accomplish my goals of creating a promotional video for the series. I was going to put a title with the TV screening date and display it on the Newhouse interactive wall to inform potential audience members, but was unable to do this due to the sudden end to the capstone project.

While on set, I had an issue using the remote control to have all six GoPros simultaneously record. It would display that all six cameras were connected, but as soon as I clicked record the number then dropped down to four cameras. I decided to put aside the remote and click record on the cameras myself. This made it harder to synchronize the videos in post, but I was still able to accomplish this task. The video quality was consistent on all cameras, which made it easy to color correct using the Lynda.com course I took. I also had access to a sample soundtrack created for the TV series that I looped in the 360 video to add to the tone of the piece. I included titles that gave more background information on the series, which were slightly warped when stitched but are acceptable.

I am pleased with the turnout of my final project, and enjoyed experimenting with VR for promotional use.

https://littlstar.com/videos/1234b9ff