02
Getting prepared before shooting
Preparation is quite important for shooting 360-degree videos. Most of the 360-degree video cameras do not support in-camera live viewing like conventional video cameras do, so it will be difficult to notice if there is something wrong until the footage is exported and viewed on a computer after the shooting.
Know your shooting location well
Carefully evaluate the shooting location before you start, because the viewer will be fully immersed and free to look around, rather than only looking at what you want to show them. If you are new to 360-degree video production, we recommend you start by shooting at only one location at a time. Inspect the shooting site, and be aware of the following elements:
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Landscape: Is it indoors or outdoors? What’s around the shooting spot, in the near and far distance?
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Interesting locations: Where are the potential locations for the camera and the presenter in order to see the content well?
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Crowd control: Will there be people passing by and looking at you and the camera out of curiosity?
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Ambient noise: Can ambient noise (e.g., wind, people talking, machine noises, etc.) be controlled?
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Lighting: Is natural lighting enough? Is artificial lighting needed? If it is, remember the lighting equipment will be captured in the 360-degree video footage.
Make shooting plans
Answering these questions can help you quickly plan your shooting;
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Where will the camera be?
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Where will the presenter be?
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What will the presenter talk about? A short script for a more manageable 5 - 7 minute video could ease the shooting stress a lot.
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Where will other people (e.g., members of the production team) be in the scene? Do they need to somehow hide from the camera?
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Where will the important things (your Regions of Interest, or ROIs) be relative to the camera? This will affect how the presenter talks about them. If they are small, the presenter can go and pick them up for showing in front of the camera. If they are large and stationary, the presenter will need to be mobile. Moreover, how are they physically located? If they are scattered, the camera might need to be moved to cover all of them.
Get familiar with your equipment
First things first, you should get familiar with your particular camera before shooting. Look at this detailed camera instruction if you are using the Insta360 ONE X. Other guides will be provided here once they are created.
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Prepare a tripod, a monopod, or a selfie stick to properly mount the camera, so that the camera can be kept steady at the eye level of the main presenter.
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Understand how audio will be recorded. All 360-degree video cameras come with built-in microphones. These will be sufficient for most cases. The audio will be recorded along with the video and will not require any special post-processing. In some cases when there is a lot of ambient noise (e.g., wind, people talking, machine noise, etc.), additional audio-capture devices may be necessary. Please see the section on Advanced Audio for more information.