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360° is first of all for... the web
The 360° image is a ball, a sphere or a planisphere. And a planisphere, when unfolded, gives a world map: a rectangular, flat and deformed image.A 2/1 format... Nothing to do with the good 16/9 of the television in our living room.
With the 360°, we propose an immersion and we leave the spectator free of his movements in the image, in the report. As in real life, when you naturally look to the right or left.
But as nothing stops us, we made TV with 360°.
360° for TV
First, the immersive subject
Even if we know that our 360° subject will be transformed into a classic 16/9 report, we shoot it first and foremost for a 360° webcast. The goal is always immersion, and the content viewed in a virtual reality headset must plunge you completely into the heart of the image, as in a parallel reality. You may be sitting somewhere... and see something completely different: an eclipse you couldn't see, a balloon that takes you into the stratosphere...
The National Geographic stratospheric balloon :
This summer's American eclipse in The Daily 360°, by the New York Times :
We edit the subject " 360° style " and we often add computer graphics to guide the viewer through the video. Then we broadcast it on web channels equipped with a player that changes the format 360°. This is the case of some social networks such as YouTube, Facebook, or Vimeo. More and more sites also have their own 360° player.
Then, cropping for TV
In order to be aired on a traditional television set, the 360° report must be cropped using a plug-in on the editing bench or dedicated software. There are many possibilities. I found a free one that does the job very easily.
I upload the subject in the software and I choose my frame, which can be more or less wide. This gives incredible images, up to a total but aesthetic distortion.
And that's what makes this mode of writing so attractive. I can also make completely new movements like looping, or just panning around someone's shoulder. A movement that I would never have been able to do with a classic camera, but which in 360° gives a fluid and technically impeccable rendering!
To obtain a satisfactory image quality, it is better to shoot with a 360° camera 8K minimum, which will give a rendering on a large screen that is pleasing to the eye. And above all... have fun! Because the 360° format is still in its beginnings, it is changing our habits and it is the moment to invent new writings.
