Ok, I will be the first to admit that I do not sit down in front of a TV or computer on a Saturday evening to view BBC 1’s hugely popular show Strictly Come Dancing. I know people who do, I am just not one of them, but, when you place the technical filming innovation that is 360-degree video with the intention of creating something unique, well, even I want to know more.
The video below looks like a fairly standard YouTube flash video, I mean HTML 5 clip, but while playing the video, you now have the option of viewing the clip in a full 360 degrees. To do this simply hold the left click while moving the mouse or trackpad within the video, you will now experience a whole new immersive and interactive viewing experience.
Quick tip, if the video seems a lower definition than normal, don’t worry, eTeknix has not suddenly leapt back to the 90s, the video quality menu is located in the normal position which is within the black bar that incorporates the volume icon etc, for some reason the icon does not clearly show up when embedding; this video goes up to 1080p.
This project was a collaborative effort that incorporated the technical skills of Rewind, BBC Technology and the Strictly production team. The clip is choreographed to include the shows regular dancers who are dancing to a classical version of music star Rihanna’s hit “Only Girl In The World”
This project certainly pushes both the boundaries and also opens up a world of possibilities for future broadcasts which could, in theory, utilize the 360-degree technique. Hopefully, the BBC will remain a vibrant source of creative output which will in turn offer audiences greater interactivity with programmes in the future. Technology accomplishments such as this open the door for an exciting future where 360-degree online streaming could revolutionize TV habits.
