Shooting 360° videos has never been so easy. Nowadays, anyone with a small budget can buy a technically high-quality camera and then use the necessary know-how to create an exciting 360° video and present it to their target audience on a wide variety of customer platforms. But you have to acquire the necessary know-how first. In this article we give an overview of the development and origins of 360° videos.
The surprisingly early story
The first 360° film was shot around the 1960s. But it took a long time for the ball to get rolling. On the one hand it was because the filmmakers didn’t have the necessary money and on the other hand because there were only two 360° cameras at the time. The first cameras of that time weighed more than half a ton.
Today that is unimaginable. But how will the 360° videos be received by the target group in the future? As so often, the same applies here: “You never know what the future will bring.” But the fact is that, just like with conventional films, the goal is to keep your finger on the pulse and keep growing. But it is important that you can entertain the viewer in the long term and not bore them. No matter how good and far the technology can develop, it is of no use if the content shown is boring and uninteresting.
Nevertheless, one must not forget that this medium is not yet as widespread as conventional film and therefore there is a chance that this medium will develop further on its own. The conditions for this have been created. There is a large selection of different platforms that support you in publishing the 360° video and address different target audiences. In addition, almost everyone has the opportunity to take on the new challenge and gain a foothold in it.
Creation of the 360 degree videos
The new technology originally came from 360° photography and was then transferred to videography. Six different cameras, which are arranged in all directions and record everything happening horizontally and vertically, enable you to experience a 360° view. As already mentioned, the idea of 360° videos has existed since the 1960s. But the real breakthrough came with 360° videos in 2016.
Various platforms have adopted the 360° videos and anyone could publish them there. Pioneers of the usage platforms are Facebook and YouTube as well as various of our own websites. 360° videos have been used and produced for marketing and entertainment purposes.
What is the use?
An important area of use that has been developing very rapidly in recent times is the education sector. Nowadays, the user can already immerse themselves in the digital world with their smartphone and thus experience the digital world by looking around by moving their heads. But how is that supposed to make sense for the education sector? It is well known that people learn better and more effectively through personal experience or by witnessing an event. Everyone learns in their own way, but some studies show that active learning, i.e. learning in connection with virtual reality or 360° videos, is on average much more effective and meaningful than classic passive learning.
With the new technology, students or trainees can experience education and training in particular. Roughly speaking, there are three different areas of use in education. The first area is the so-called “immersion”. Immersion describes the immersion of the viewer with VR glasses in the digital world. Basically, the immersion shows a simple static film recording with 3D images, which already with relatively easy means ensures a higher and better recording range for the viewer. The second area is the spatial effect video. The room effect videos show the experience in the room. Here the user can move freely in space, i.e. in the space of virtual reality.
Compared to immersion, the spatial environment plays a much greater role here, because not only entire rooms, but also houses, floors or even cities can be viewed. The last major area of educational utility is with 3D animation videos. This is no longer about the 360° videos, but about a digital environment that has been created artificially. Useful areas of application are in the scientific sectors, such as medicine, astronomy or biology. Check for more on DZOFilm’s blog.
Another area of use for 360° videos is online marketing. Today, there are various ways to use this technology and take advantage of it as a company. It is possible to record 360° images, 360° videos or entire tours. In this way, you not only create an exciting experience for the viewer, but also a recognition value for the company, because such an experience sticks in your head. The viewer is right in the middle instead of just there.
Difference between 360° videos and virtual reality
In many cases, 360° videos are lumped together with virtual reality, but 360° videos and virtual reality are two different things. While there are individual points where they overlap, they are not the same. With a 360° video, the user can view a real place and look around from one location in all directions, i.e. in 360°.
In virtual reality, the viewer can actively walk around in the fictional world and interact with the objects on site. Virtual reality is increasingly being used in the areas of video games and therapy, as it is based on fictional and computer-generated content. One of the most noticeable differences is that the virtual reality, as the name suggests, shows a fictitious virtual world, whereas the 360° videos show real buildings, cities or other scenarios.
Both virtual reality and 360° videos have their advantages and disadvantages. As is well known, everyone has to decide for themselves what to choose, but it makes sense to use 360° videos in some areas and less so in other areas.
An advantage of the 360° videos are the low production costs on the one hand and the broad target group on the other. In addition, it is very easy to establish your 360° videos on the market and to address a large audience.
