Seven Common Mistakes When Shooting in 360.

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As an agency that specializes in creating world-class virtual reality 360 content, here are seven common mistakes beginners make when shooting in 360.

1. Lighting. Lighting is probably the single most challenging element of shooting VR if shooting anywhere other than the great outdoors.  Car interiors, inside homes and inside businesses can present lighting issues.  Make sure to light up subjects’ faces by hiding lights out of sight of the camera.​
2. Lens. This one is kind of a no-brainer, but clean the lenses often.  Because 360 cameras have lenses that bulge out, the lenses aren’t protected as well as a traditional camera lens.  And because there are lenses on all sides, the odds of smudging a lens increases exponentially.
3. Measure. If shooting multiple scenes that need to seamlessly cut together, make sure to measure a couple of things…height of the camera off the ground and the distance of the camera to the subject.
4. Seams. Be aware of how the 360 video will stitch together. Be cognizant of people falling on a stitch line and avoid it when possible.
5. Proximity. While this goes along the lines of measure, the proximity of a subject will drastically change how an audience engages with the 360 video.  Too close, it’s intrusive and could be seen as poor production.  Too far and the focus might shift from the subject to the environment.  So be aware of what is being shot, why and where the subjects are placed.
6. Look around. Starbucks on Game of Thrones. It is so easy to leave something in view of the camera when shooting 360.  Look around and then look around again to make sure that scripts are out of sight, people are hidden and Starbucks hasn’t been left on a medieval table in plain sight.
7. Audio. Don’t rely solely on the on-board camera audio. Sometimes it’s sufficient, but oftentimes, it’s just not good enough.  Mic the actors. Hide Zoom recorders where possible.  Capture audio in multiple ways so there is a backup for the backup.

Hopefully this list helps avoid some of the pitfalls of shooting in 360.  Tantrum Lab has developed proprietary lighting systems and standard procedures to avoid these mistakes.  And remember, there’s a difference between Virtual Reality and 360.  To learn more, check out the article on the differences between Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and 360.
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