Kickstart VR at Warwick: Project Report
Kickstart VR at Warwick: Project Report
Kickstart VR at Warwick: Project Report
Project Report
Investigating the role of Virtual Reality in Higher Education.
Stimulating experimentation and design thinking with VR.
Discovering how to support VR for enhancing
learning, teaching and the student experience.
© Deposit Photos
2 Contents
Introduction ………………………………………………………………… 2
7
7 Online Course and How-To Guides …..……………
9 Findings …..……………………………….……………………………………. 10
10 Recommendations …………………………………………………… 11
14
13 Walk With a Rhomaleosaurus in VR …….…………
15
14 Tour the Monash Science Precinct in 360o……
………..……………
15
Walk With Elephants in 360o VR 16
1. Definitions
Virtual Reality (VR)
A combination of video and audio, filling a single person’s field of
sensation, that works with their perceptual process to give the illusion of
being in a computer generated, and yet believable, reality. As the
participant moves their head around the visuals (and sometimes the
audio) changes naturally to give the sense of being in a real world. VR
may also provide physical feedback through touch surfaces, tactile
interfaces allowing objects in the virtual world to be manipulated, and
haptic feedback between manipulated objects and the body of the
participant. VR experiences are usually undertaken individually, however
in the future social VR will be more common, with people able to interact Oculus Medium, tactile interactive VR
Binaural Sound
Audio recorded and played back in 3D, with responsiveness to the
movements of the participant. This achieves the deepest degrees of
immersion. Sound design is a key factor in the effectiveness of VR.
360o video
Special video cameras can record video as a near continuous 360o
image. This may then be viewed through a VR headset. With current
Microsoft HoloLens (@ Microsoft)
technologies very little interactivity is possible in such videos. Viewing is a
more passive experience.
that will track the movement of the participant around a space, and map
that onto their movement in the virtual world. Future versions of these
systems will be “untethered" allowing greater mobility and multi-person
VR. Microsoft's HoloLens is an untethered AR visor.
2
3. Project Aims
The project began with four aims:
1. Stimulate VR based activity and the formation of a network of practitioners at the University of
Warwick - an email-based discussion group has been created, with members from across the
University, however the VR community at Warwick is small, and further work will be needed to
sustain and expand the group;
2. Prompt discussions around the application and value of VR for enhancing learning, teaching
and the student experience - achieved through the workshops, the email list and presentations at
learning and teaching enhancement events - this is an ongoing process which will need
further support;
3. Identify the “threshold conditions” that must be passed in order to see VR (use and creation)
becoming commonplace amongst early adopters, and eventually ubiquitous as an extension of
our educational platform (not meaning that it becomes the main platform, but rather that it
becomes just an ordinary
tool within the wider
repertoire we commonly
use) - this was achieved
through the workshops
and through the
evaluation of VR
production techniques,
including 360 cameras,
and we can now
specify the conditions
necessary for more
widespread adoption,
see findings (page 10)
4. To understand how developments outside of education, especially in the entertainment
industry, might impact positively or negatively on VR in education - achieved through
tracking news via the 360 Rumours web site and other sources, this is as yet an uncertain and
fast evolving dimension of the project.
This diagram illustrates the core challenge we addressed (points 3 and 4 above).
With high levels of investment coming into VR from entertainment-oriented companies like Google,
Samsung and Facebook, education will most likely continue to be a low priority, being a more
complex domain from which profit may be extracted. Entertainments of various forms may well act to
push educational applications down below the horizon. There is also the possibility of a widespread
negative reaction to VR, if we see the entertainment (especially games) industry push hard for its
application in more aggressive genres. We could be seeing the beginnings of the kind of moral panic
that sometimes accompanies radical new technologies (Allen, 2017). We therefore want to do
something to counteract these tendencies before it is too late.
In addition, when we considered the influence of a gender and culture biased tech industry, a fifth aim
quickly emerged once we began the project:
5. To investigate and to actively promote VR as a tool for widening participation and promoting
diversity, both in higher education and in the technology industry - we ensured a gender balanced
group, including leadership by a female technologist, and we ensured that a disabled student
actively participated, allowing us to see the value of VR in widening access to educational
experiences and activities - we would like to follow this up by supporting the creation of 360
films to support disabled students and to address inclusivity and diversity challenges.
3
4. Academic and Professional Contexts
VR experiences, such as the BBC’s
We Wait (2016), can have a deep
emotional and intellectual impact on
participants. We are only just starting
to understand the nature of this new
reality. So how can we start to
understand its fit with learning and
teaching in the University?
“…a very time-consuming but also scholarly activity in that it requires sound knowledge of
one’s discipline as well as a good understanding of how to help students grow within, and
perhaps even beyond, the discipline. Also, excellent teachers are seen as those who know
how to motivate their students, how to convey concepts, and how to help students overcome
difficulty in their learning.” (Kerber, 2002: p.9)
Excellent teaching is, Kerber argues, a combination of tacit knowledges, evolved through observation
of others, much trial and error, reflection and (often ad-hoc) theorisation. If we try to translate that
tacit knowledge into formal academic knowledges (as does the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
approach), we would see that the teacher, indeed every teacher, requires a sophisticated
understanding of many different fields, including psychology and sociology (alien to many in HE).
The Technological Pedagogical Content (TPACK) model (Koehler and Mishra, 2009) seeks to
rationalise this into three domains: content (knowledge of the discipline), pedagogy (knowledge of
teaching and learning) and technology (knowledge of the tools through which we implement
teaching). This makes it deceptively simple. By decomposing the problem we might be better able to
deal with developing effective capability, and from an insitutional perspective, support, for each
aspect individually. Decomposition follows on from a scholarly analysis of practice, not the other way
around. The pedagogic patterns and practices encoded as pedagogic knowledge (and advice), the
curriculum designs and content (text, audio, video), and the technology systems (and support) are
engineered to serve teaching and learning, which emerges from what happens, what works best, for
real teachers and students in real classrooms. The choices we make for each domain (especially
technology) need to be critically informed by a scholarly study of their impacts. But that does not
have to be a strictly reactive process. Sometimes we must innovate actively so as to disrupt habits.
The designerly imaginations of teachers and students have always been fed by the availability of
new ways of learning, especially technologies. Occasionally, such innovations may offer radically
new possibilities, extending and transforming our cognitive, social, physical, emotional, political (etc)
capabilities. In such cases we cannot easily predict how they will work “in the mix” for all of the many
varied teaching activities in a university. In this project we have used an appropriate methodology:
“design anthropology” (Gunn et al. 2013), creating opportunities for people to experience new
technologies, observing what we make of them together, and theorising about their possible wider
impact, so as to prime and accelerate the supercomplex process of adopting and adapting.
4
5. Technical Workshops and Network
Members including:
Amber Thomas
Head of Academic Technologies, ITS Warwick.
Catherine Allen
Independent VR producer and consultant, BBC
producer, Warwick Alumnus.
Celine Martin
WMG
Chris Evans
WMG
Dr Clare Rowan
Classics and Ancient History.
Daniel Course
E-Learning Developer, WMG.
Daniel Harrison
Service Owner, ITS.
Darren Stobbs
Network Specialist, IT Services.
David Hopkins
WBS We began the project with a technical workshop hosted by
Devon Allcoat WMG, led by Catherine Allen. This brought together people with
PhD researcher, Psychology. a more technical orientation, to address the first step in our
Ian Mason
Learning Spaces & Collaborative Environments exploration - “VR is well-enough understood amongst HE
Karen Borrows techies”.
WBS
Leighton Joskey
Change Lead, Human Resources. Catherine explained the different types of VR experience, the
Mark Kirya options for experiencing them, and the tools and techniques
WMG required for producing VR. Participants contributed their own
Nicholas Riley
WBS
knowledge and experiences, and we discussed possible ways in
Philip Tutty which we could make VR available and supported at Warwick.
E-learning Technologist, WMG.
Ray Irving The workshop gave us the knowledge necessary to plan further
WBS
Rob Batterbee work, leading to us purchasing two 360 VR cameras (a
IT, Careers and Skills. Samsung Gear 360 and a Ricoh Theta). However, it was also
Dr Robert O'Toole clear that VR technology is diverse and developing fast, with no
Senior Academic Technologist ITS.
Ross Mackenzie clear single dominating platform or set of protocols.
Senior Academic Technologist, ITS.
Steve Ranford A table of VR headset systems (June 2017) is included on page
Digital Humanities, Warwick.
Tanny Kelley
13 of this report.
WBS.
Tim Hollies We went on to explore of of the possible models, creating 360
Digital Humanities. video tours, following a kind of VR digital storytelling approach.
Tim White
Theatre Studies.
This proved to be more difficult than
expected, as the workflows and
software for editing are not yet well
developed.
5
6. VR as an emerging creative industry
Having spent time observing the working practices within the Pervasive
Media Studio, I realised that it embodies the characteristics described
in the book Management and Creativity (2006) by Warwick’s Chris
Bilton, as well as classic accounts of design innovation practice (Tim Brown’s Change by Design,
2009; Tom Kelley’s Ten Faces of Innovation, 2005). The organisation of the Studio facilitates a
powerful but loose coalition of people and projects, co-locating in just the right kind of way to
encourage mutual support (emotional and practical). This makes creativity possible, not as a sporadic
activity, but as a sustained process leading to real products and development:
“Creativity requires diversity and contradiction as the raw material for unexpected lateral
connections and `bisociative' leaps of recognition between disconnected frames of
reference.” (Bilton, 2006: Kindle Location 934).
“Internal cultures in the creative industries are often modelled around aesthetic or social
values, or around shared enthusiasm for the company's products. This can result in a fluid,
informal style of communication which cuts across hierarchies…” (ibid. KL 900)
To the development of a community of intersecting people and projects, with just enough structure and
management support (especially when fundraising is required). It is as such, a perfect breeding ground
for innovative VR based projects - just the right kind of space and community in which all of the
possibilities can be explored, potential winners selected and nurtured, and small scale projects
developed into implented products with sustained impact. When we are exploring an unknown and
complex new set of technology-practices, like VR, this kind of space facilitates and accelerates
innovation.
6
7. Online Course and How-To Guides
To accompany the project
we established a simple
online self-study mini
course, to act as both a
repository for the materials
that we developed and as a
way in which members of
the University can get
quality information about
VR.
It was important for us to get people experiencing Virtual Reality at Warwick SIG
VR, including the simplest forms possible using only Swim with a rhomaleosaurus in virtual reality
a mobile phone and a £5 Google Cardboard viewer. Mobile Phone + YouTube app + Google Cardboard
Many amazing experiences are available using just an ordinary smart phone. The Natural History Museum, for
We bought a set of 10 viewers, and created three example, have created this brilliant immersive movie in which an ancient marine reptile comes back to life. Play it
on the YouTube app, with the phone placed into a Google Cardboard viewer (£5-£10), and move your head
“how-to” sheets illustrating how to access good around to follow the vast but graceful beast as it swims by. What other ancient sea creatures can you spot
swimming in its wake?
We also 2
reviewed a
selection of
other education
related VR
experiences, The movement sensors in your phone interact with the app to control your point of view in the experience. If you
don’t like the viewer, you can still follow the plesiosaur without activating the 360 mode. Move your phone around
compiled into a to change your viewpoint. You can also do this using YouTube 360 videos in the Google Chrome browser on
your computer. This movie is a great example of a photo realistic animation, combining 3D images of a real
location with computer generated imagery. Search for Natural History Museum in YouTube to find more
PDF available in examples.
Learn more about VR at: warwick.ac.uk/kickstart-vr
the Global Dr Robert O’Toole, March 2017
Examples
section of the
course.
7
8. VR-enhanced Seminars
Overview
Held over 2 days in May 2017, these workshops provided a diverse group of staff and students at the University
of Warwick with a valuable opportunity to experience and think about virtual reality. The VR phenomenon is at the
top of its hype cycle (again), with significant breakthroughs having been made in technology and in the design of
VR content. However, not many people in higher education have experienced what can be achieved with the
latest technologies and content design approaches, and yet fewer have been able to contribute to its
development in the context of learning and teaching.
For these workshops we brought an influential VR industry expert to Warwick (Catherine Allen, see the inset at
the bottom of this page), along with a range of VR kit (including high-end Oculus Rift headsets). The aim was to
observe its use in a real seminar-style situation, to listen to views from a broad range of people (covering arts,
science, technology and social science), and to capture their critical and imaginative responses to the seminar.
Catherine’s experience in designing and running VR activities for arts and entertainment formed the basis of our
initial seminar design. We were aware of the importance of six key factors:
room layout, providing just the right environment for effective and comfortable immersive experiences;
session design, so as to ensure everyone had enough time, without rushing, and that we could come back
together for a discussion at the end;
choice of VR experiences, aiming to give a good enough range of lo-fi and hi-fi examples;
reliability of the equipment, so as not to detract with glitches and interruptions;
clear guidelines and advice for participants;
refreshments and energy boosters (enough sweets to keep us all going!).
We used 3 Oculus Rift kits including the necessarily powerful PCs, two of which were hired from a conference
equipment company (£500 each for three days), and the third borrowed from the Visualisation Lab at WMG. Lo-fi
VR was demonstrated using Google Cardboard. A Samsung Gear VR headset was used to demonstrate the mid-
level, mid-cost option.
Participants
The 48 participants were carefully selected by the project team so as to achieve as broad a range of disciplines as
possible - including academics from Life Sciences, Warwick Manufacturing Group, Law, Chemistry, Philosophy,
Education, Theatre Studies, Medicine, Languages and History. We achieved a good male/female balance (22/26),
varying ages and physical abilities (including a wheel chair user). Students’ Union representatives and current
students were included, as well as professionals from the Arts Centre (as there are potential synergies with arts
events) and a small number of learning and teaching advisors and learning technologists. A questionnaire was sent
to all participants, with some questions to answer before the session, some during and some at the end.
Dr Robert O’Toole is a National Teaching Fellow and a Fellow of the Warwick International Higher Education Academy. Robert
has a PhD in Arts Education, having researched the potential and reality of design-led approaches to learning, teaching and the
student experience in Higher Education. He is a Senior Academic Technologist at Warwick, and graduated in Philosophy.
Format
Each seminar lasted for 1 hour and 15 minutes - a normal session stretched to give us a little extra time to deal
with any technical issues that might arise. We had six participants per session. We started with introductions and
a briefing, so as to give the participants some idea of what they were to experience and what we hoped to get out
of it. Catherine made sure that the comfort and safety of the participants was assured, and we set clear ground
rules - including saying that we should not watch other people when they are immersed in the experience, and we
should try to be quiet.
8
The six participants then split into two groups of three. One group moved to the Oculus area for 15 minutes and
did the Easter Rising Voice of a Rebel historical VR experience (BBC 2016, produced by Catherine, see inset
below for an overview). The other group explored a range of lower-fi VR including Google Cardboard and a
Samsung Gear VR. The lo-fi experiences were facilitated by either Catherine or Robert, and guided by a set of
3 how-to sheets. The Oculus group were watched over at all times by the other facilitator, so as to ensure that
assistance could be given as required. Following a short break, we came back together as a group for a plenary
discussion (audio recorded). Many of these discussions lasted longer than the 30 minutes we had planned for.
The room layout was carefully planned to ensure a degree of privacy for the participants, with a partition
between the VR areas. Noise from the road next to the building was a problem, windows open on a warm day.
Initial reflections
Contextualisation matters greatly (as predicted), setting the right atmosphere and environment is key. To begin
with, we were too enthusiastic when introducing VR. We decided that we needed to make it seem more normal
for the participants. This seemed to help with their ability to get into the Easter Rising VR and to play with the lo-
fi VR. More could also be done to set up a space that seems natural (technobiophilic) and less unusual, less
experimental and technical, perhaps with some plants and natural lighting.
The high quality immersive experience had a much greater impact than the lo-fi. It is certainly different in kind.
May of the participants reported that they were surprised by how they felt within the VR world, with some key
points at which they realised that they could move their perspectives and be part of the story. Science, medicine
and engineering participants were interested in a greater degree of interactivity than we had on offer (more akin
to the HTC Vive), but were still very positive about the Easter Rising.
However, two participants did struggle with the technology, including one with dizziness perhaps caused by
being a wearer of bifocal glasses. Some found that the novelty of the tech got in the way of true immersion to
begin with. We should give people a chance to redo the experience.
The VR enhanced seminar format works well, and could (with sufficient equipment) be enlarged up to 20
students at a time. However, the equipment is bulky, and for now would need to be installed semi-permanently
in a dedicated space. A flipped classroom model may also work well, with students able to book slots at a VR
centre to do experiences before coming to a seminar or lecture. There was much interest in creating 360 video
for different purposes, including giving viewers a chance to experience different perspectives (e.g. being in a
wheelchair on campus).
There was widespread agreement that we should expand the investigation, with the provision of a semi-
permanent VR seminar and drop-in space, with dedicated support and tools for making VR experiences.
9
9. Findings
VR replaces the lecture? An unlikely scenario.
There are many ways in which VR will usefully © Deposit Photos
augment and extend teaching across all of our
academic disciplines. Some of these uses will tend
towards the immersive “story-doing” kind of experience
(in the style of Easter Rising). Others will be more
interactive, using haptic interfaces (for example, the bio-
molecular systems being developed in Life Sciences).
VR technology is not like other familiar digtal technologies (television, laptops, tablets, smart
phones etc). It relates to the body, the brain, experience and identity in a much more radical way.
Adoption of VR technologies is more challenging, and will take longer and require more
experimentation and reflection. We may find that people do not use VR in everyday places - for
example at home or at public events. VR is valuable, but needs to occur in the right setting.
VR needs a physical home at Warwick, a space designed and supported specifically for good
quality VR experiences. This is equivalent to the need for dedicated theatre spaces - a specialised
space, not a generic space. When experienced in poorly designed spaces, VR can be worse than
disatisfactory, it can be emotionally and psychologically damaging.
This would be best accomplished as part of a wider programme to develop higher quality
specialised spaces and facilities for the “student as producer” of innovations (a maker
space approach).
There is a link between the VR space and other innovative spaces, including the proposed Nest
(student project building) and spaces dedicated to “restorative and meditative” practices.
10
10. Recommendations
Warwick does not have suitable spaces
for VR experiences or for VR production
(a maker space). It urgently needs such
spaces, around which a network of
expertise and ideas may develop.
11
11. Further Reading and Resources
4 key books used in this project
Computers as Theatre,
Brenda Laurell, 1993/2013. Technobiophilia, Sue Thomas,
Pioneering reframing of 2013. A call to reconsider the
technology design, including technology/nature dichotomy,
VR, with an emphasis on Tech experiences can and
user participation in should be aligned closely with
designed and emergent the natural world. This is
experiences. Key text for especially important for VR.
studying VR.
12
Virtual Reality at Warwick SIG
Google Cardboard £5 for the basic viewer, Variable. Of the many variants Low. Cardboard uses an Mostly used for viewing 360
requires a phone with a available, made of cardboard ingenious system. Most videos. There are many
screen larger than 6 inches. or plastic, some fit some headsets include a button, available for free (see
Good quality headphones people well. High quality noise often on the top right. This YouTube). They can be used
improve the experience. Most cancelling headphones can activates a lever which to give students experiences
experiences are free to add to the sense of immersion. simulated a finger touching the that they would not otherwise
download. Low screen resolutions result screen of the phone. Some have access to. The addition
in discomfort and experiences include the ability of a 360 camera, and editing
dissatisfaction. Most viewers to look at menus and hotspots, facilities (e.g. Adobe Premiere)
do not work well for people a cursor appears and clicking expands the educational
wearing spectacles. the button activates the potential. The Sketchfab VR
hotspot. This is often used to app contains many minimally
change the point of view. interactive 3d objects that can
be viewed in Cardboard.
Google Expeditions allows for
multi-person VR expeditions in
which participants follow a
leader on virtual field trips.
Virtual Reality at Warwick SIG
Google Daydream £80 for the viewer, but Medium. Beautifully designed Low. A small hand held Similar to Google Cardboard,
requires an expensive Google head set, light, soft, cool and controller acts as a kind of but with some Daydream
Pixel phone (£700+). comfortable. Fits most people laser-pointer/mouse, specific apps giving more
well. Combine with noise controlling a cursor in the view, interactivity.
Estimated minimum cost of cancelling headphones for and activating hotspots and
Immersivity Interactivity Educational applications
entry (June 2017) best results. menus.
Samsung Gear VR £50 for the viewer, £120 with Medium. If fitted well, with Low. The headset has a 360 video and many
motion controllers, but requires straps carefully adjusted, and difficult to use controller on the interactive apps - increasingly
a recent Samsung phone. high quality headphones, side. Recent versions come experiences designed for
Some free experiences, some provides a good experience, with a handheld controller. Oculus Rift are also available
at cost. especially when binaural (3d) Also includes the option to use for Gear VR. Many of these
audio is included in the for augmented reality (AR) Dr Robert
apps allow the O’Toole,
participant to March 2017
experience. with virtual objects explore and take action in
superimposed over a view of places that would otherwise be
the real world captured via a inaccessible - e.g. anatomy.
built in camera. The addition of a Gear 360
camera (£300) makes creating
VR experiences easy.
Sony Playstation VR £350 for the viewer plus £300 Medium. Lightweight and Medium. This is a games- Not yet evaluated. Likely to be
for the Sony Playstation, £45 comfortable, with good oriented VR system, so more games oriented.
for Playstation headphones, resolution and sound (with designed for seated VR
Playstation Camera (required) headphones). 1920x1080 full- interactivity from the outset.
£40. HD OLED, 120 Hz refresh. Optional Playstation Move
Fast response to movement, controllers cost an additional
said to be indistinguishable £40. Includes head position
from real life. tracking using the Playstation
Camera.
HTC Vive £800 for the viewer, controllers Medium to high. The head High. Room-scale VR, in The Vive’s precise controllers
and sensors, but also requires set is high resolution which the participant is tracked are the best choice for
a powerful PC (£1000+). (2160x1200, 90 Hz), with a moving around. Currently interactive simulations, such
Virtual Reality at Warwick SIG Some next generation Macs good refresh rate. However it limited by wired connection to as laboratory simulations.
will also work. Some free does not include integrated the PC, but in near future will Room scale VR will allow for
experiences, some at cost. audio. A “Deluxe Audio Strap” be wireless. Comes with two much more elaborate
is available for an additional handheld controllers, which simulations.
Estimated minimum cost of £235. allow for quite precise
Immersivity Interactivity Educational applications
entry (June 2017) manipulation of virtual objects.
Oculus Rift £600 for the viewer and Extremely immersive. High Medium. Seated VR, but with Especially good for short (10
controllers, but also requires a resolution and refresh rate. high precision tracking of head minute) deeply immersive
powerful PC (£1200+). No When fitted correctly, the position. This means that the experiences that make the
Mac compatibility. Some free visual field is completely participant can lean in all most of the Rift’s high quality
experiences, some at cost. enclosed. The built in directions to adjust point of 3d binaural sound. Can have a
headphones are excellent and view. Oculus Touch controllers dramatic emotional impact on
capable of 3d audio, easily can be used (one in each participants. Dr Robert O’Toole, March 2017
mimicking reality. hand) to manipulate virtual
objects. Also includes an Xbox
One controller for VR games.
Microsoft HoloLens £2700-£4500, no additional Low. Augmented Reality, the High. Turns the real world into New and not yet well
computer required. opposite of immersive a 3d computer interface, developed, but many
experience. Graphics are superimposing hotspots, possibilities, such as the ability
overplayed through a head up menus, manipulable virtual to provide novice practitioners
display as 3d objects in the objects onto the participant’s with immediate access to
normal field of view. However, view of the real world. context sensitive information,
the area of view that may be or advice from other users,
used for graphics is quite when working in complex
narrow. environments.
13
Virtual Reality at Warwick SIG
1
1. Load the phone into a Google
Cardboard viewer.
2. Search for Rhomaleosaurus:
Back to Life in Virtual Reality in
the YouTube app.
3. Activate 360 viewer mode.
4. Follow the plesiosaur through the
hall at the Natural History
Museum, move your head left,
right, up and down to explore.
3
4
2
The movement sensors in your phone interact with the app to control your point of view in the experience. If you
don’t like the viewer, you can still follow the plesiosaur without activating the 360 mode. Move your phone around
to change your viewpoint. You can also do this using YouTube 360 videos in the Google Chrome browser on
your computer. This movie is a great example of a photo realistic animation, combining 3D images of a real
location with computer generated imagery. Search for Natural History Museum in YouTube to find more
examples.
Learn more about VR at: warwick.ac.uk/kickstart-vr
Dr Robert O’Toole, March 2017
Virtual Reality at Warwick SIG
1 3
2
1. Install the YouTube app (if you
haven’t got it already).Search
for Monash Science Precinct
and access the video.
2. Activate 360 viewer mode using
the button at the bottom left of
the screen.
3. Quickly place the phone into
the Google Cardboard viewer.
4 You might also want to use
headphones, as this will
improve the sound quality.
4. Notice how floating images
have been added to the video
recording. This can be
achieved in Adobe Premiere.
We can also added text to the
video.
This VR experience illustrates how 360o is being used as a promotional tool. Does it do enough to give a sense
of what the place is really like? Or is the focus limited to just giving a glossy flavour? The use of voice over in this
way aligns it more with promotional uses. However, similar techniques might also be used to give a deeper
cultural exchange, perhaps with interviews with real people or short clips in which we get to see people in
locations in action, interacting with each other.
1 2
3
1. Install the Discover VR app
on your phone.
2. When the app starts, use the
Series menu to find Wildlife.
3. Find and start Elephants on the
Brink (or whatever takes your 4
interest).
4. Activate 360 viewer mode.
5. Quickly place the phone into
the Google Cardboard viewer.
6. Enjoy elephants in 360. Move
your head around to change
your point of view. For extra
realism, where headphones to
hear the sounds of the herd.
The 360O footage for this movie was filmed using a set of small cameras placed in a rig - for example it might
have used 6 Go Pro action cameras, each pointing in a separate direction. This is a relatively expensive set up.
Smaller cheaper single camera set ups are becoming available that can achieve the same results.
Try out the other VR experiences in the Discovery VR app. Consider which topics work best in 360O