I’m at the Grand Central Station in New York, just a few feet away from the historic brass tower that marks the main concourse of the terminal. As I step aside, a young girl stands before me to take a selfie and a while later, I see a couple bid farewell to their daughter going off to college. In the distance, I spot the Apple Store to my right.
While train stations are a people watcher’s paradise, you must know that I am not really there. I am sitting in my home wearing a Gear VR device accessing the Oculus Video app (and via the Gear VR store). You can also watch this video as a 360 video on Facebook. Of course, watching it on VR is the ultimate thrill and the video just doesn’t compare.
This short film has been shot with the new professional-grade Facebook Surround 360 Camera as shown in the photo above. This live-action virtual reality experience goes by the name ‘Here and Now’ where you can watch these scenes play out right before your very eyes.
The short film was fully developed by Facebook’s own creative agency The Factory. This film aims at demonstrating the Surround 360 Camera which is available for a price tag of $20,000. The Factory has proved that the tech is really going to change the way we do video on social media. Imagine doing this for news coverage or shooting for reality TV.
Facebook orchestrated the whole sequence as the social media site wanted to highlight the human element. They did not simply want VR experiences that comprise of fireworks and other special effects. But the possibilities for filmmakers are endless. The very future of filmmaking can be placed in the virtual reality realm with truly hard-hitting blockbuster scenes that make you feel part of the experience.
