Tech in Motion Orange County recently had the opportunity to have Total Cinema 360 founders, Adrian Vasquez de Velasco and Craig Gilbert demo their innovative 360 video software at a March Demo and Drinks event!
Before they jumped on a flight back to New York, we were able to get a deeper look into their innovative technology.
Tech in Motion: What inspired you to found Total Cinema 360?
My partner and I were working in New York as independent filmmakers in late 2012 when the current tidal wave of enthusiasm for the latest in virtual reality technology, epitomized by the highly anticipated Oculus Rift virtual reality headset, was first building in the gaming community. In this technology we, like many professions in every imaginable field, saw the possibility for something truly revolutionary. This is how the idea for live-action movies that an audience could experience and control in virtual reality came about and we have been working to make it possible ever since.
Tech in Motion: How does 360 degree video technology work?
360 video cameras are made up of multiple wide-angle lenses and sensors arranged in an outward-facing bundle, all recording separate video streams that cover the entire 360-degree space around it, with slight overlap so they can be stitched together seamlessly into a single all-encompassing image. Our Total Cinema VR Player for web and desktop then takes the input from the user’s VR headset, mouse, or even a device’s internal gyroscope to display the correct area of the sphere. This means that even before the Oculus or other VR headsets are commercially available, you can already move your iPad around you and essentially use it like a window into another world
Tech in Motion: Total Cinema 360 has been working on a full length feature film utilizing 360 degree video technology, would you mind telling us more about it?
Sure. Our ultimate goal right now is to make a full length feature designed for VR headsets. We have some smaller narrative projects coming out in the next several weeks that will help introduce the public to this type of content and hopefully generate a lot of excitement around the potential for this new medium. Think of them as a guide to 360/VR film concepts. While we don’t want to disclose any story information or technical concepts about the feature just yet, we should be in production later this year. It’s a little difficult to time out because none of the VR headsets have a release date yet, but we’ve already done a bit of casting and have a majority of the shots planned out.
Tech in Motion: Total Cinema 360 also creates 360 degree sound for the videos, what do you do to provide that added effect?
Controlling what you see is only half the experience, so we realized early on that creating rich audio environments that change realistically depending on the direction you’re facing is essential. Just like the lenses in our cameras, 360 sound is captured by using multiple outward-facing microphones to record audio from all possible directions from the camera position. This, along with hidden microphones and additional sound elements are engineered into a series of tracks that change and blend into each other based on the input from the VR headset or other device used to control it.
Tech in Motion: What is your favorite way to view 360 videos?
VR headsets such as the Oculus Rift and Sony’s Project Morpheus are far and away the best way to view 360 degree video content. It is the closest we can get to authentically reliving or sharing an experience. Elements such as head tracking and full vision screens create the closest parallels we know of to our everyday interactions with the world. It’s not just an illusion. We’re providing dimensions to cinema that have never existed before.
Tech in Motion: Where can we go to check out some of Total Cinema’s videos?
All of our videos are available to view or download at TotalCinema360.com. You can watch them on your computer, smartphone, tablet, or VR headset.
Tech in Motion: How do you see 360 Degree video production evolving with the increased interest in virtual reality headsets like the Oculus Rift?
We believe that anything shot with traditional cameras will eventually be recorded in 360 degrees. It is only a matter of time, awareness, and investment. Right now the cameras are not exactly where we would like them to be and we are confident that you will see tremendous growth on the hardware side in the next few years. There are also a lot of unique aspects to a 360 degree shoot that haven’t been accounted for yet by modern production standards (i.e. how do you hide the filmmaking equipment and crew when everything in sight is in the shot?), so right now we’re doing our best to establish a common language for 360 degree content and help develop a lot of the tools that we think will be necessary for more ambitious productions such as blockbuster films.
Tech in Motion: What are your favorite projects to shoot in 360 degree video?
We’re filmmakers first and foremost. Movies are our passion. We just wrapped production on the first fictional narrative designed for VR headsets and it is definitely our favorite thing we have seen in 360 to date.