Hands-On Virtual Reality Workshop

VR is the hot new buzzword in film.

Unless you have been living in a cave without internet access you will know that VR [virtual reality] is the biggest innovation in filmmaking since the advent of online film distribution that started on 15th February 2005 with the launch of Youtube.com.

Long considered the dream of geeks and techno dreamers, Virtual Reality burst onto the scene in the late 1980s. Back then the technical capabilities did not match the aspirations of aficionados and it quickly died. In the intervening years Virtual Reality was kept alive by the USA military, the NASA project and Walt Disney - all of whom researched technical solutions and did exhaustive studies of the effect on Virtual Reality on viewers.

Now it's back: companies like the Facebook-owned Occulus Rift and their Story Lab, Nokia, Microsoft, Samsung and a host of others are pouring big bucks into Virtual Reality. They are developing the technology, and more importantly for independent filmmakers, the content this new advance is screaming for.

Not since the introduction of sound to movies has their been such a major advance in filmmaking technology.

Virtual Reality has crossed into the mainstream blindingly fast. The Oculus Rift is a head-mounted display for immersive technology virtual reality (VR). In March 2014, Facebook agreed to acquire Oculus VR for US$2 billion in cash and Facebook stock. Their new $600 headset is scheduled for release in 2016. To compete Google launched an open source viewer called Google Cardboard in 2014. This headset costs next to nothing.

Now at Raindance you can learn how to make your own 360/Virtual Reality movie.

With technology moving so tremendously fast, and with commercial opportunites lining up in their dozens, filmmakers need to be aware of the possibilities and potential offered by Virtual Reality. The hardware manufacturers are painfully aware that there is precious little 360/VR content.

This weekend practical workshop will introduce you to the basics of 360/VR: how it looks and feels, how it works and how it is shot and edited. You'll get a feel for this new medium and start to understand how drama can be created.

You'll be able to participate in a hands on workshop and ask our technicians about the equipment used for production and post-production, and work with our story consultants on how to write, direct and produce a VR short.

Until 2015 VR was only accessible to those with access to expensive equipment. Our tutors will demonstrate current equipment and show you how to make a low budget 360/VR film. Participants should bring a wifi enabled smartphone in order to experience VR themselves.

By the end of this day participants will be aware of the possibilities and limitations of shooting 360/VR films. The object of the day is to allow participants to understand the technology and to learn how to develop stories for this new medium.

A brief history of VR, plus a 360/VR and demonstration of current work. Google cardboard will be provided to all participants

Our technicians will set up and shoot a short scene demonstrating the equipment and illustrating common pitfalls and opportunities offered by VR. You will see a simple scene shot. You will start to get an idea of how VR is directed. More importantly you will see the results.

You admission will include a 'film craft services lunch' during which you will be broken into teams of five. At lunch you will write a scenario for a short scene to be filmed in the afternoon.

Join a small group. Each will shoot their short. Watch your colleagues shoot. See how they handle the practical issues of shooting on Virtual Reality. Then take your turn to shoot and direct a 360/VR short.

View and critique the days work.

The film industry is a people industry. Having just had a shared experience why not take an hour to socialise and see if you can find a like-minded soul you can collaborate with.

Participants will gather and discuss their rushes from the day before. They will be encouraged to further workshop their ideas and develop dramatic story ideas and engage our technical experts about the possibilities and limitations of this new medium.