HACKASTORY #4 (VR Hackathon) – Breda (NL) (october 31st and November 1st 2015)

Get into the heart of Israël during the protests of – what some feare to be the third intifada. Documentary filmmaker Frederik ended up with his 16 camera’s on his VR rig between the protesters. Today, news is consumed hasty and distant. This team explores the possibilities to place the viewer back into the moment. Investigating whether these 360 3D story techniques increase our involvement.

Software
– Adobe Premiere Pro
– Autopano video Pro
– Unity (3D audio modelling)

Team
– Roelof Tijdens (Developer)
– Frederik Duerinck (Storyteller)

Sneak peak

Challenges

The avalanche of data. Federik filmed with 16 camera’s. That means a lot – more like a crazy amount – of footage. You are stichting 16 videotracks together. “It’s crucial that the administration during the shooting is perfect. Everything has to be in order to save you a ton of work while editing”, says Frederik.

Coolest moment

Roelof: “When I put the Oculus Rift and headphone on I was in Israel. I had no idea 360 3D footage, especially combined with audio were so powerful. We made one scene, but you can see the potential.”

Future plans

Explore new possibilities for first person experiences. Frederik: “War photographer James Nachtwey said: ‘when everybody would see what I’m seeing there wouldn’t be any wars’. With 360 3D techniques you can place the viewer in the moment. They can also choose their own position. “It will be interesting to see whether the viewer will get a deeper and more emotional understanding of the story.”

They are eager to finish the film. The scenes made during the hackathon are not online yet.