Dustin and I are always searching for opportunities to integrate our creative interests into our love of travel. Visiting new places inspires new ways to look at the world, and we're passionate about bringing those views to others. So when my family visited Acadia National Park this past May, I found the perfect opportunity to experiment with 360° video.
While touring the National Park, I searched out some of Acadia's best known landmarks. Utilizing the Insta360 Pro 2 (affiliate link), I was able to capture 8K 360° video footage of iconic views such as Cadillac Mountain and Jordan Pond. Simultaneously, I recording spacial audio through the Zoom H3-VR ambisonic microphone (affiliate link). Piecing the immersive video and audio together, viewers can feel the waves crashing against the rocks at Schoodic Point, and locate the distant buoy ringing out at Bass Harbor Lighthouse.
After editing the 360° footage together, Dustin and I experimented with new ways to connect the immersive clips to each other, and further inform viewers about the geography of the park. We drew an illustration of the park map, and projected it onto the 360° sphere as an animated chapter title between each landmark. We also added location text on top of the 360° video clips to further orient viewers to their surroundings.
Documenting my Acadia trip in virtual reality was an opportunity for me to connect past and future. It's given me a way to share and revisit family memories, while also experimenting with emerging technologies that are likely to paint the future of video production. We look forward to finding new inspiration in the journeys yet to come.
- Zach