360 Virtual Reality Storytelling

Audience

This studio is for students who want to learn how to tell stories using virtual + augmented reality.

Description

This studio aims to teach students how to tell stories interactively using 360-degree video and computer-generated scenes from conception to final edit,  that viewers experience through virtual reality (VR) headsets. The target platforms for this studio is the phone-based viewer Google Cardboard.

The studio's primary focus is on experiential storytelling and the techniques, apps, and software used to enhance the immersive VR story experience. Students will create unique perspectives and narratives; putting viewers behind the eyes of another person.

Students will form small filming teams that will contribute to the final video submission to be shown/experienced at the end of the studio. Based on what you learned in class and the examples you've seen, partners will come up with a concept for an immersive VR experience + put together a brief pitch, that the groups will then produce with the remainder of the studio.  All filming will be done with a 360 video camera and edited with Adobe Premier.

FINAL Project:

Students will create a virtual reality experience for Google Cardboard that tells a story or conveys information with a partner you will be assigned.

Studio Objectives

• Explore how VR headsets work/trick the brain into believing it’s somewhere
• Discover a new type of media distinct from all previous media forms
• Watch + critique VR experiences currently available
• Identifying stories + experiences that can be “shown” better through an experience, then building them.
• Gain experience creating stories for various types of communications
• Learn to use 360 cameras! 

Learning Outcomes

You will learn basic skills in the following areas:

• Conceptualizing + building your own 360 story.
• Creating interactive elements that pull a user through a story.
• Producing 360 video
• Incorporating 360-degree video into a story.
• 360 Image + Video manipulation.
• Learn how to share your creation across various media platforms.
• Ability to quickly edit + access footage via various phone apps.

Required Supplies

• 360 Camera
• MicroSD Card + adapter
• Micro USB cables
• Selfie Sticks
• VR Headsets
• Smartphone (with storage available)
• Portable USB chargers

Software We’ll Be Using

• Premier
• Photoshop
• After Effects
• Ricoh Theta
• Theta UVC Register
• Gear 360 Action Director (windows)

Apps We’ll Be Using

• Theta S
• Theta+ Video
• Rollworld
• Google Street View
• Samsung Gear 360 Manager (Samsung Galaxy Required)
• YouTube

Share your own finds

When you find something interesting that will make for a good class discussion or exploration, post a link on the Gallery (page?). You are required to share at least 4 finds (an average of two a week).

Online Readings + TED Talks

• How Virtual Reality Can Create the Ultimate Empathy Machine https://www.ted.com/talks/chris_milk_how_virtual_reality_can_create_the_ultimate_empathy_machine?utm_source=tedcomshare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=tedspread
• Road to VR: http://www.roadtovr.com/
• VR Focus: http://vrfocus.com/
• Chris Milk: http://milk.co/
• Articles by Re/code's Eric Johnson: http://recode.net/author/eric-johnson/
• The New York Times Business and Technology sections, and Bits blog: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/  (Note: you can register for a complimentary New York Times subscription by logging on to http://nytimes.com/passes, and using your school email address to set up a user name and password. See this tutorial for help.)
• The VR Geeks list: http://www.vrgeeks.org/vr-geeks/global
• Engadget: http://engadget.com