Dust, heat and high G’s.
That’s what race car drivers feel as they whip around the 11 turns of the Laguna Seca Raceway. Rick Graves, a high-performance action filmmaker, likes his viewers to feel the intensity of the driver’s cockpit. “What I wanted to do with this Samsung 360 Round camera was to put it in a race car and give the viewer the experience of going around a racetrack, like a virtual ride-along with a race car driver,” he says.
360 video production is a new way to think about filmmaking. It can be a lot less forgiving. As Graves says, “There’s nowhere to hide. Everything is visible.” The Samsung 360 Round uses 17 lenses to capture and livestream 4K 3D video and spatial audio. The IP65 rated camera is designed to stand up to the abuse Graves finds at the race track. “What I look for in everything that I’m shooting in a racing environment is really solid equipment … Everything you’re dealing with has to be really top-notch.”
Besides its solid construction, Graves also appreciated the possibilities it opens up for livestreaming. “You can livestream a camera that’s got 17 lenses being stitched and pushing that out for people to view content in real-time. I think that’s mind-blowing,” he says.
Exploring 360 video production with the 360 Round has injected new life into Graves’ filmmaking pursuits. “I feel like I just started a new chapter … I’m actually really excited about getting another opportunity to get this camera in my hands and make another film with it.”
Interested in 360 video production? Download our ultimate guide for everything you’ll need to know to get started.
