360 Documentaries
The possibilities for 360 video cameras are endless. After watching a couple of 360 documentaries on Within, Cinematic VR streaming platform, I realized how film makers could create compelling stories with the technology.
First, I watched the mini 360 documentary, CNN: Enter North Korea. It was so interesting because the 360 view helped tell the story better. For example, as the reporter was describing how the central value of North Korea is that the “individual is just a small part of the collective,” the video was showing a full view of thousands of North Koreans dancing in sync at a festival.
This technology opens the door for new forms of storytelling. The mini documentary, Send Me Home, is an interview with Rickey Jackson, a man wrongly convicted of murder. After spending decades of his life behind bars, he was released from prison and the documentary highlights his life post-jail. It’s really powerful because it feels like I’m seeing the world through his eyes. It feels easier to empathize and understand his emotions and thoughts.
360 VR documentaries offer a close-up perspective to a topic, person, or issue. It’s a tool that helps the viewer see through the eyes of others. Also, the experience can help an individual to have a global perspective and realize other cultures and perspectives. On the downside, the transitions between frames could be distracting. Also, the style doesn’t work for every film project. The video’s purpose must be to help the viewer understand the world around the subject, otherwise it can be distracting.
Overall, I like the idea of 360 documentaries. I think it would be even cooler if I had a VR headset to watch the documentaries with.
VR at Facebook
Facebook understands the future of VR and is thinking ahead about how to keep their company relevant. I really see growth in their ventures with VR exercise. So far there is popularity among Facebook users to upload their VR workout videos with their exercise community.
Also, according to Zuckerberg, smart glasses, with a virtual reality overlap assistant, would take about 10-15 years to be developed.
I think that the future of VR technology is combining virtual reality further with the human body. For example, they are attempting to create a wrist band that reads the electrical signals in your body to direct the technology without you “doing” anything.
“It’s an electromyography (EMG) neural interface wrist device, meaning it translates the electrical signals your muscles make as you move. The hope is that it unlocks the ability to manipulate the interfaces of your decade-hence AR world with tiny movements of your fingers—or none at all. The FRL briefing also included footage of an employee playing a simple video game without moving his hands; the EMG device read the nearly imperceptible signals his brain sent when he thought about pressing the spacebar.”
Peter Rubin, 2021
Would I be a willing participant?
I don’t know. I like trying new things and I think technology is cool, however, I understand the possible dangers. For instance, there’s the issue of data abuse, privacy, and decreasing human interaction. While the future of VR looks fairly positive, it’s easy to see the negative implications for this rising technology.
MC 336 
I agree with your last statement. New technology is so exciting to me but also kind of scary. I dont want to be stuck in my ways like some boomers, but people will abuse any kind of power they can.
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With good comes with bad. I also believe it can be fairly used in a positive manner but again, there can be other problems arising such as data privacy and viruses. I would still participate!
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I really enjoy your response but the one that sticked with was your last response about you like to try new things and think technology is cool because I feel that same way but on the other hand it is scary on what technology can do now but as well as in the future. With the VR in the future it can bring positive things to the world. Overall, great response.
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