The Virtual Road to Tomorrow's Films Begins in Earnest posted: 20/03/2016
by Andy Marken
Dammit, Spartan.Youre *not* supposed to come down here, youre *not* supposed to apprehend Simon Phoenix single-handedly, and youre *not* supposed to blow anything up! - Captain Healy
O.K., I admit it VR (virtual reality) is going to be big in a few years.
After experiencing The Martian at SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture & Television Engineers) and hearing from friends at Sundance about the lines of folks waiting patiently to put on the gear for the dozen or so films.
Then there was the drill-down VR session at HPA (Hollywood Post Alliance) Tech Retreat.
It's safe to say that the industry is taking VR film work seriously.
VR isn't really new, although my kid swears it was because he wanted to be in the thick of the battle with his newest games.
It wasn't until he saw some pictures of the ViewMaster his grandfather had as a kid that he acknowledged that maybe, just maybe, VR has been around longer than he has.
We just needed tech advances to really bring it to life.
View Master
Still View - For more than 75 years, kids have been transported to faraway places and enjoyed adventures. We had stereoscopic, 3D and new VR images to enjoy. With each generation, they've gotten better and stayed up with trends but they were still still photos.
He also forgot about the failed Nintendo Virtual Boy that I didn't buy for him.
We finally gave in and got him the HDM for his game console. I don't care what he says; he still looks like the one-eyed Illumination Entertainment Minion.
Films like 13th Floor, Tron and Matrix set the stage for accepting existence in VR, even though unlike those movies we do have to put on the headsets and isolate ourselves from the real world.
Most experts estimate it'll be a good 10-15 years before the headsets disappear.
VR is often confused with its sister, AR, which is dropping some virtual reality into your real life. You know, Google Glass that lets you access virtual stuff into your hear-and-now.
VR on the other hand is so immersive that when it's done well, you can't tell what's real or not, except you're viewing the world through your HDM.
Not that it matters, but AR is probably going to be bigger than VR because you still have your feet firmly in the real world rather than a fabricated world.
Mind Games - When a VR film is shot, edited, colorized and all of the other post work is done just right, the mind can actually put you in the center of the action. Still better than any manmade computer, it lets you feel, experience the action. Add things like Dolby Atmos and its total immersion.
The big difference I've found is that while the HMD is cumbersome and awkward (O.K., dumb), it's amazing how quickly you forget about the display as your mind is absorbing your new surroundings.
VR has a long way to go before it will be mainstream (3-5 years), but there's a helluva' lot of hardware being thrown out there to make it interesting.
More importantly, every major studio is spending heavily to refine the technology and learning all of the tricks required to make compelling VR movies.
Thanks to folks and their games, we already have affordably priced headsets from Samsung, Sony, HTC, Facebook (Oculus VR) and all the rest promised at CES (Consumer Electronics Show).
3D Video Glassses with HDMI Port Virtual HDM Goggles Great for Game Console and Smart Phones
I'm a little partial to the ones that incorporate a smartphone because well, you've already sorta' used it for this when you do a 180 - 360 degree pan; so why not use the power and hi-res screen you already have?
The only problem in our commitment was the first thing we had to do was get a new computer. VR requires a lot of power and it turns out very few of the systems in use today can run the stuff without getting you a little queasy.
The standard PC game runs at 30fps but you need natural, fluid motion for the brain to be convinced the image is real, which is why VR films are done at 90fps.
Disney, Comcast, Fox, Time Warner, Legendary and others are testing the waters to develop content for us. They're just small projects right now, like Fox's The Martian, X-Man, How to Train Your Dragon and Warner's Batman vs. Superman.
While entertainment is the goal of the studios and filmmakers, there are real world apps for VR right now such as the old standards - military, flight training, industrial, scientific - but also new areas like healthcare and real estate.
Filmmakers like Fred Beahm, Spliced VR's founder, are at the leading edge of 360 workflows. Spliced VR recently won Samsungs There in 60 Seconds VR Content Contest where filmmakers were challenged to tell a story using 360 video in 60 seconds.
It's still an industry niche, but its gaining momentum and its great to see all of the major players getting involved, Beahm noted
While every camera manufacturer is working on a VR solution, most of the initial units are what I would call cludges - a bunch of cameras mounted on a 360 degree shooting frame grabbing all the content they can. Then, as has been the common phrase in the film industry, We'll fix it in post.
One of the best VR video cameras (so far) was introduced by Jaunt, which has the backing of Disney and many in the M&E arena.
Jaunt
Virtual Design - While it is a long way from being consumer affordable, the Jaunt camera was one of the first professional-looking VR cameras. Samsung has announced their Gear 360 and every major cinematography supplier is working to deliver camera solutions for today's and tomorrow's filmmakers.
It's definitely not cheap, but was clearly designed to be a professional-grade VR camera capable of filming high-quality movies.
The Jaunt cam
Most recent headlines
09/11/2025
Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...
22/10/2025
Prime Video Inks Deal To Present NFL Black Friday Game Worldwide By SVG Staff
Wednesday, October 22, 2025 - 10:06 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story ...
22/10/2025
NBA Tip-Off: ESPN Goes 1080p HDR End-to-End, Flipping HDR Switch on REMI and REM...
22/10/2025
FloSports Empowers Division II, III Athletic Departments With Turnkey Production...
22/10/2025
Wall Street Video Summit Debuts, Bringing Together 200 Financial Enterprise Vide...
22/10/2025
Dueling Pianos: International Chopin Piano Competition Is as Competitive as a Ba...
22/10/2025
In 1995, a young Colombian artist released an album that would change Latin pop ...
22/10/2025
Over the past few months, a photovoltaic system has been installed on a three-he...
22/10/2025
The Orion spacecraft for NASA's Artemis II mission is stacked on the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket in High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kenn...
22/10/2025
L3Harris' Hybrid SATCOM is resilient by design, offering path diversity that eliminates vulnerabilities by routing data across the best available networks i...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. Organizers of NAB Show New York said they are expecting more than 12,000 registered attendees from about 100 countries along with 260 exhibitor...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON, D.C The organizers of The 2025 NAB Show New York have announced that they are expecting more than 12,000 registered attendees from about 100 countr...
22/10/2025
Masque Sound, a leading theatrical sound reinforcement, installation and design company, supplied an extensive gear package of professional-grade equipment for ...
22/10/2025
Lightware, a global leader in signal management and AV connectivity solutions, is seeing strong market momentum for the UCX-3x3-TPX-RX20, a compact transmitter-...
22/10/2025
MELVILLE, N.Y. Chyron has released PAINT 10.2, the latest update for its telestration platform, adding support for SMPTE ST 2110 IP workflows, expanding brandin...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON Run3TV today said NBCUniversal is joining as an investor in the ATSC 3.0 Framework Authority, which develops the Run3TV NextGen TV application platfo...
22/10/2025
ATLANTA swXtch.io will feature two new networking solutions extending the company's reach across more cloud and on-prem workflows at NAB Show New York, set ...
22/10/2025
The Warner Bros. Discoverys HBO Max streaming services has increased prices for all its streaming tiers effectively immediately for new customers. Existing cust...
22/10/2025
LOS ANGELES OpenDrives has signed a new distribution partnership deal with Versatile Distribution Services (VDS) to strengthen its channel and streamline how it...
22/10/2025
WASHINGTON, D.C The organizers of The 2025 NAB Show New York have announced that they are expecting more than 12,000 registered attendees from about 100 countr...
22/10/2025
Samora Pinderhughes Brings Immersive Sound to Berklee's Signature Series The artist and composer, who's worked with Herbie Hancock, Robert Glasper, Co...
22/10/2025
BMI Day at Berklee Celebrates Composer Fil Eisler and Awards Scholarship to Stud...
22/10/2025
Rohde & Schwarz and TRUMPF cooperate in drone defense Rohde & Schwarz and TRUMPF partner to deliver a comprehensive drone defense solution combining Rohde & S...
22/10/2025
European Broadcaster Upgrades To Grass Valley's NativeIP LDX 135 Cameras And...
22/10/2025
Everyone Gets a Better Deal on Verizon with New FOX One Perk The $15 FOX One streaming service perk is yet another way Verizon continues to add savings for cu...
22/10/2025
First Look Hidden Assets Series 3
Premieres on 9th November 9:30pm on RT One & RT Player
WATCH HERE Promo Link: Hidden Assets Series 3 | RT
The Crimin...
21/10/2025
NAB New York 2025: Although AES Show Is on Its Own, Audio Will Be a Major Part o...
21/10/2025
NAB New York 2025: Business of Broadcast and Media,' Future of Content'...
21/10/2025
SVG All-Stars: Ethan Folz, Senior Director, Digital Operations and Quality of Ex...
21/10/2025
NBA on NBC/Peacock: Livestream Offers Graphic Overlays, Predictive Gaming, Ancil...
21/10/2025
NBA on NBC/Peacock: At the Front Bench With Producer Frank DiGraci and Director ...
21/10/2025
NBA on NBC/Peacock: NBC Sports, NEP Build Ultra-Flexible Production Plan That Se...
21/10/2025
Indigenous storytelling has been at the heart of the work of the Sundance Instit...
21/10/2025
Top L-R: Mysterious Skin, American Dream Second Row L-R: Little Miss Sunshine, D...
21/10/2025
Last week, Spotify and Columbia Records transformed Pier 4 at the Brooklyn Army ...
21/10/2025
SBS Learn's Dharug Ngurra resource empowers classrooms to meaningfully celeb...
21/10/2025
As global operators simplify and evolve their digital platforms, NPS improvement...
21/10/2025
Critical Design Review completion is a key milestone on the path toward Wideband Global Satellite Communications certification for the network in 2026, opening ...
21/10/2025
New Australian undersea training range to implement and improve warfighting tactics, proficiency and safety; enable joint/allied training that contributes to pr...
21/10/2025
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({...
21/10/2025
September, the beginning of autumn, brought an expected revival to the TV market, largely due to the new fall TV schedules. The time spent in front of the TV sc...
21/10/2025
Broadcast Booms with 20% Uptick vs. August, Achieving Largest Monthly
Increase ...
21/10/2025
During September, streaming's share of TV viewing in Mexico settled at 24.5%, a marginal shift of -0.5 share points from the previous month.
Disclaimer: YU...
21/10/2025
RENNES, France BBright and GlobalM have conducted a technical trial validating Ultra HD interoperability across the entire contribution chain in the cloud, achi...
21/10/2025
Kokusai Denki Electric America will mark the U.S. debut of a new 4K camera at the 2025 NAB New York, Oct. 22-23. Now available, the Z-HD6500-S1 UHD/HD productio...
21/10/2025
Triveni Digital, a trusted leader in ATSC 1.0 and 3.0 service delivery, data broadcasting, and quality assurance solutions, will showcase its entire NEXTGEN TV ...
21/10/2025
Radio Azzurra FM, longest-running radio station in the province of Novara, northwest Italy, has invested in an DHD SX2 audio routing and mixing console for inte...
21/10/2025
Globecast, the leading provider of broadcast, media and entertainment managed services, has announced the appointment of G Morgan as Executive Vice President of...
21/10/2025
Visual Data announces the appointment of Maz Al-Jumaili as Senior Vice President, Worldwide Localization, to advance client engagement, strategic partnerships, ...
The Virtual Road to Tomorrow's Films Begins in Earnest posted: 20/03/2016 
