What the Associated Press has learned from a year of VR
AP said one of the big lessons is understanding when VR and 360 video won’t work. For example, a reporter went to New York’s recent fashion week to try to shoot a piece of VR, when they realized it wouldn’t work for the medium because the viewer, positioned as a member in the audience, is focused on one point: straight ahead. When the viewer would turn around, they’d see other cameras towering over them.
“Most events are not designed for VR,” said Marconi. A similar situation occurred at the Oscar’s for which AP did a 360 video. “If you look at the front you see red carpet but if you look back you see cameras and journalists towering over you. You have to ask how do you create an experience to immerse the user,” he said.
“The rule of thumb is ‘would you look around you in a certain situation?’ if the answer is yes, then maybe there is an opportunity to create a VR experience,” echoed Cheung.
“The key will be to compliment coverage and not inundate consumers with too much information. It’ll be a fine balance and we as an industry need to be careful and focused when it’s right to use technology.”
See the full story here: http://digiday.com/publishers/aps-learned-vr-360-videos/