https://youtu.be/YjQcdx01LfA

Our group was working on a project to immerse viewers in the Crouse Bell tower and experience the bell ringing up close, revealing the hidden world of the Chime Masters (yes, that really is their title).  Our initial shoot was a simple outdoor scene, which showed the outer bell tower structure, while we waited to get clearance to enter the bell tower.  This was a straight-forward shoot, and an easy stitch.

Our next shoot was a lot more challenging for the videographers: the spaces inside the tower were narrow, it was dark, and the audio was deafening.  Intrepid camera-operators had to climb ladders with one hand while they balanced a 360 rig against their head get the perfect shot.

My contribution to the project was entirely in the post-production aspect.  I've spent a lot of time with Non-Linear Editing software, so I'm familiar with all the file-management and organization aspects of making software play nice with video files.  Although there are six cameras involved, 360 is no different in this respect: good organization really saves time and errors later down the line.

Stitching was fairly smooth in Auto-Pano, as Sharon and I were able to split the footage and stitch simultaneously on two machines.  The only issue we encountered was with extremely dark footage, which just did not have enough information to make the frames match up.  Ultimately the shots were not essential, and we headed into Premiere with a leaner shot-list.

Composition in Premiere was a fairly easy process, and the VR integration tools really helped - when they were adjusted correctly!  The viewer tool still feels a little clunky, and it could have a more user friendly interface, but overall it was functional.

The one thing I found a little disjointed was trying to mix audio for 360, without having an active preview to help me out.  A full 360 preview immersion mode would be helpful to get the "feel" of the scene, and then use audio to set the mood correctly, and set directionality etc.

The final product looked great on YouTube, but did suffer from ghosting during the ladder climbing scene, as the ladder was extremely close to the camera.  I can see how a smaller, 2 camera rig would have worked better for this shot in terms of portability as well as stitching.  The nadir spot also bothers me, so I’d like to investigate more creative ways of getting around that issue.

Ultimately it was exciting to be part of a project which really immerses the viewer in a hidden world which we often hear, but don't see.