Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2019 - 56

Baylor mailed foldable
headsets out to prospective
students to enable them to
watch VR videos as part of a
recruitment campaign. Photo
by Ryan Swift Joyner.

missions contributed the funds needed
for the purchase of the Odyssey, while
Theatre Arts purchased the rest of the
gear and agreed to produce several VR
recruitment pieces for the university at
large. Though Theatre Arts has been
extremely happy with this camera, it
was purchased in 2016. Newer products
now provide a range of options and price
points to suit the needs of a more mature
market. Additionally, the JUMP platform
was recently discontinued due to the

popularization of more robust stitching
softwares such as Mistika VR.
VR production costs will depend
on many factors, but the first decision
to be made is choosing a format for the
immersive content. A primary consideration is determining who will view the
content, as well as how they will view it.
The project design process should have
provided these answers, enabling teams
to move on to equipment research within
budget limitations. If a company intends
to present a theatre piece for 2D viewing
without a VR headset of any type, then
monoscopic capture will be the way to
go. This saves time, money, and essentially doubles the resolution compared
to stereoscopic footage. As an example,
the Hamilton 360 marketing video (www.
youtube.com/watch?v=k9AyO8h2I0k)
is monoscopic, omits spatial audio, and
could conceivably be produced using
gear totaling less than $500.
However, if audiences will be participating in a 3D experience, perhaps
through a branded cardboard viewer (see
image), then stereoscopic reproduction
of depth would be required. The combination of 3D imagery with the isolation

a headset provides can be quite compelling, even with a cardboard viewer. This
adds a level of immersion that many see
as a prerequisite in earning the title of
true "Virtual Reality."
For further sensory immersion, spatial audio may be added so that sounds
react to head movement, remaining
appropriately localized within the experience. In the author's opinion, this
combination of high-quality 360-degree
plus 3D visuals paired with spatial audio
is foundational for audience immersion.
Within, and beyond, these elements are
an array of options that can affect and
augment the quality of the user's experience. Resolution, frame rate, and spatial
audio accuracy, as well as the ability to
move around within the experience are
all variables worth exploring.
While limited budgets may prevent
purchasing state-of-the-art equipment,
theatres can take advantage of current
VR technology market trends. Because
the industry has expanded and contracted so rapidly, good deals are available for
"old" VR gear from two years ago that
pairs very well with new software tools
aimed at streamlining the editing and

BUILDING THE BUSINESS OF SHOW BUSINESS

www.esta.org
56 |

THEATRE DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY

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FALL 2019
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9AyO8h2I0k http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9AyO8h2I0k http://www.esta.org
Theatre Design & Technology - Fall 2019

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