Lesson 09: 6DoF & Volumtric Video
In this lesson students will engage with 6 degrees-of-freedom (6DoF) virtual reality and volumetric video. These mediums allow for the viewer to not only change their point of view, but to move through a virtual world. Recording and playing back these virtual reality experiences tends to require more high-powered hardware, but the payoff is the potential for an experience that is highly immersive and that closely matches the way we move through the world. The bright side is that these tools are evolving quickly to become more affordable and easier to use.
Learning Outcomes
- Compare 3 and 6 degrees of Freedom
- Define volumetric video
- Propose stories that would make effective Volumetric Video
Lesson Outline
What is volumetric video?
Example: Xbox and the Kinect (announcement video from 2013)
RGB+D cameras
Volumetric Studios: David Attenborough
But this is from a single point of view… better to see in a headset
Ferenji: A graphic Memoir in VR, dreamy USA, Ethiopia
Ferenji is a visual dialogue between memory, reality, and the digital in an immersive memoir about Ethiopian-American mixed-race identity. Playing in Cinema360: Kinfolk. Director: Ainslee A. Robson
1st step …about Apollo 11, very realistic, very powerful:
1st Step is equal parts documentary and fairy tale, telling the magical story of a dream come true: the Apollo missions. Follow the missions from launch all the way through to return, and find yourself gazing at lunar panoramas re-created from NASA’s archival photos. Germany. Project Creator: Joerg Courtial, Maria Courtial
In-class Exercise/Activity for Small Groups
If a headset that supports 6DoF is available, let students try some examples of 6DoF storytelling.
Otherwise, have students watch this volumetric augmented reality piece from the New York Times.
NYT Ashley Graham https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/09/04/style/ashley-graham-body-positive-movement-ar-ul.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/05/insider/ashley-graham-hologram-augmented-reality-video.html
Readings
Six degrees of freedom | Wikipedia
A working ethics code for volumetric storytelling | McClatchy New Ventures Lab – Medium
Voices of VR Podcast #298: Nonny de la Pena on Empathy in VR
Volumetric video is so much more than VR
TED TALK: How volumetric video brings a new dimension to filmmaking | Diego Prilusky
The Brief History of Volumetric Filmmaking -| Volumetric Filmmaking – Medium
Almost Human: Goodbye Uncanny Valley | Immerse
#573: Capturing Holocaust Testimony in VR: A Behind the Scenes Look at ‘The Last Goodbye’ | Voices of VR Podcast
Could Holograms Let Our Experiences Live On? | Op-Docs [Great short doc that shows a high-end volumetric capture]
CREATING VIRTUAL REALITY JOURNALISM A Guide for Best Practices
DOES MEDIUM MATTER? Exploring the Role of Virtual Reality in Journalism
Discussion Prompts
What are 3DoF and 6DoF?
What’s unique about 6DoF virtual reality?
When would you use 3DoF vs 6DoF?
End of lesson feedback
3-2-1 (3 takeaways, 2 questions, 1 thing they enjoyed)