So, what do you get when you combine the biggest swell to hit Teahupoo in years with space-age video technology? Easy. You get the best view, or should we say views, of the famed Tahitian lefthander…and you get to control the view. It works like this: Thanks to Immersive Media’s 360-degree spherical video camera, a technology that uses a specially designed camera housing to capture eleven separate video streams, as well as their production and post-production platforms, all of the streams are arranged according to geodesic geometry to create a complete spherical image; in other words, a high-resolution, 360-degree view of Teahupoo’s innards. By putting viewers in the director's seat and giving them the ability to look in all directions, the technology creates a first-of-its-kind video experience that gives viewers the feeling of actually being part of the action.
"I think we've made a small bit of history with this project," tells test-pilot Jamie O'Brien, who, along with Jamie Sterling, Raimana Van Bastolaer, and Ian Walsh, had the audacity to strap 25 pounds of electrical equipment to his back and huck himself into the pit. "The video experience that we've captured is a first. The view that someone gets by controlling the footage is a perspective that even I've never had until now."
With a simple manipulation of the computer mouse, you can look to the left or right, up or down, front or back. Since you control the camera angle, each viewing of the video can be a completely different and unique experience. So, next time you put on a surf video you may not be sprinting out the door to hit up your 2-foot beachbreaks. After all, why grovel in the slop when you can virtually stand tall in the biggest tube of the year? Read more >>
