in the wild
Aug 1, 2016
Picture yourself in a packed church in Austin, Texas, watching Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros serenade you with a never-before-heard song, surrounded by 100 or more equally hypnotized fans. This magic can only be conjured up when talent, creativity and technology join forces to capture greatness-cue the 28th annual South by Southwest event.
Better known as South By, or simply SXSW, the conference and festival brings interactive, film and music industries together for two weeks in the Music Capital of the World. During SXSW 2015, GoPro teamed up with filmmaker Taylor Steele to capture one of the most innovative music moments to hit Austin that year. Taylor used a total of eight HERO4 Black GoPro cameras to capture Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros' intimate performance, all in virtually reality.
VR is so immersive, Taylor explains about his decision to shoot VR. For a filmmaker to engage the audience 100 percent is super rewarding.
Taylor first met lead singer Alex Ebert in New Orleans and had a vision to collaborate on an upcoming shoot. After watching several VR pieces together, the idea of capturing an immersive VR performance was brought to life. The result was this SXSW opening at Central Presbyterian Church.
Seeing Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros play in an old church in Texas was amazing, Taylor recalls. It was the perfect place to shoot VR and capture that once-in-a-lifetime moment.
There's something about the stained glass, hardwood pews and vaulted church ceilings that screamed history-in-the-making. And on the day of, as fans began filling the venue, spilling out of the pews and onto the floor, Alex says everything coming together became a bit of a miracle.
Wed never played any of this stuff live and there we were making a big deal of it in front of a packed church-documenting it in virtual reality. Thank goodness we did, he says. This song was one of those bursts of song, much of it written in just a minute or two. It's about the time I drove straight through from LA to New Orleans, rushing to get to my daughters birth in time. So much time to reflect on the past and envision the future on that endless road.
The resulting 360-degree video allows fans who couldn't make it inside the walls, let alone SXSW, to experience the performance, time and time again, without ever seeing it the same way twice.
To Taylor Steele and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, thank you for helping show fans virtually everywhere how to keep Austin weird.
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in the wild 
