As virtual reality (VR) continues to grow in popularity, a professional career in 360 videography can be rewarding. For example, this field of work can prove to be exciting, especially if you love to mingle travel with leisure. Have you not ever dream about traveling to exotic locations not visited by many people, while earning a living from it?
As the metaverse expands in the future, we can also thus expect the demand for immersive contents to increase. This presents many opportunities entrepreneurs to expand their career, particularly if you are skilled in creating 3D graphics and immersive contents such as 360 videos.
The market for 360 videography can be said to be still in infancy as compared to conventional video production. This means if you are thinking about venturing into the professional video industry, it is likely that you will find many opportunities to carve a rewarding career in this field. In addition, experienced videographers who are hitting a snag in their career could also inject some fresh ideas into their portfolio with 360 videography.
If a career in 360 videography appeals to you, here are some tips and ideas to help you kickstart your career:
Invest in Reliable 360 Videography Equipment
360 Videography Camera
It is a good idea to start off your new career with reliable equipment. Popular 360 cameras include those from the lines of Insta360, GoPro and the Ricoh Theta lines. These cameras are known to be user-friendly and offer excellent video quality. Experienced 360 videographers usually recommend to shoot at a minimum of 5K resolution but 8K will be better.
360 Videography Stabilization Tools
You’d notice that professional 360 videographers use their monopods a lot create steady and creative shots. In the hands of a skilled videographer, a 360 footage shot with a monopod looks like it was captured with a drone doing amazing stunts. These kind of shots mesmerize the viewers and it’s always a plus in professional videos. A gimbal can also be useful to create smoother moving shots. Once you get those creative juices flowing, you will surely begin to experiment with different types of camera mounts in order to get a variety of interesting views.
360 Videography Editing Software
You may certainly build-up your 360 video editing skills with the bundled software that comes with a new 360 camera. Thereafter, once you are ready to advance to a more serious level, consider investing in more advanced software. Some of the popular software for editing 360 videos include Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro or Pinnacle Studio.
Let’s a short break to watch a video about how to make better use of the Insta360 camera.
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360 Videography Career Starter Tips
Practice and Advance Your 360 Videography Skills
Develop Specific Skills Set
Not all videographers possess the same skills. For example, a professional drone videographer is skilled in controlling different types of drones even in challenging terrain or weather conditions. Likewise, a professional 360 videographer should also be skilled in operating a variety of 360 cameras to capture engaging and interesting views for immersive contents.
Master the Essentials of 360 Video Production
To be master in 360 videography, you must understand the unique challenges of shooting in 360. For example, think about how to manage light from all directions or skillfully avoid unwanted elements in your shots. You may certainly begin by taking online courses or watch tutorial videos.
However, nothing beats real practice in the field. So be prepared to spend time and resources on shooting in a wide variety of locations and environments. Unlike in some productions where you may reshoot a scene, 360 videos may not give you a second chance. For example, you cannot afford to make a mistake if you only have one chance to capture a virtual reality view of exhilarating action scenes.
Practice Stitching and Editing
As mentioned in my 360 video beginners guide, spherical videos require stitching multiple video streams together seamlessly. Thus, when you are out on the field, practice capturing footage that will ensure seamless stitching and high-quality output. One of the worst things that can spoil an immersion experience is a distorted video.
Learn how to add interactive elements like hotspots, annotations, or narrative guides that will enhance the immersive experience of your viewers. Remember that immersion is one of the strong advantages of 360 videos. So surely your audience will be more motivated to remain in immersion for an extended period of time if your content prove to be unique and interesting.
Create A Professional 360 Video Portfolio
Start with Small Projects
Begin by creating short, immersive videos to build your portfolio. You can start off with simple 360 captures of nature scenes, cityscapes or architectural views inside buildings. Do some research and think about what type of scenery or immersive experience that would captivate your audience. You can even consider specializing in a certain genre e.g. historical and religious locations, political protests, extreme sports, etc.
Show a Variety of Projects
Before you embark on being a specialist for a specific genre though, perhaps it is a better move to first begin shooting a variety of 360 videos. Let’s say you are very passionate to cover political protests but do you really have the means to travel to different countries and locations? So, instead of dreaming about undoable goals, it is thus more practical to focus on local projects.
Remember that immersive contents can be used to improve the attractiveness of products. You would find business sectors such as tourism, education or job training have had experimented with 360 videos before.
So why not start in a business sector and approach prospective clients there to promote your professional services? For example, 360 videos is particularly suited for capturing live events. Perhaps your 360 videos can then offer something new and refreshing for wedding shoots that could start a new trend.
Skilled Videographers Never Stop Learning
With Alison’s free education, you can easily enrol in a wide variety of video production online courses complete with graded assessments. You only pay if you need the certificate and I may get a commission as an affiliate.
360 Videography Career Starter Tips
Cultivate A Business Mindset
It is unlikely that you would find many job listings specifically looking for 360 videographers. Therefore, you must be prepared to take some proactive actions to build business connections.
As a start, you can build up your business network by engaging with 360 and VR content creators. As you venture more into the industry, you would surely come across diverse types of professionals working in production. E.g. videographers, drone operators, artists, app developers, editors, etc all collaborate to produce fantastic end products.
Therefore, networking will be key to landing a role in projects. Instead of waiting for someone to call you up for a job, try to seek opportunities to connect and meetup with project managers and fellow creators. Don’t neglect in practicing your pitch to sell your 360 videography skills.
As for business strategy, you can explore monetization options such as ad revenue from your online videos or sponsored contents. When you are not working on a big project, you can consider targeting small businesses. For example, tourism companies can take advantage of your 360 videos to make their tourism packages look more attractive. Similarly, real estate agents can also make use of your 360 videos to attract more property views from potential clients.
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More 360 Videography Ideas
Nature and Outdoor Adventures
For an easy start, you can capture the breathtaking landscapes of national parks. Nature views always stimulate a feel good sensation, so immersive videos of this genre usually attracts a broad range of audience.
So let’s pack your outdoor gear and go explore some trails, waterfalls or mountain peaks. While you are out there, look out for locations where you can shoot beautiful sunrise, sunset or unique natural formations.
If you are on an island, you can also consider recording snorkeling or diving experiences to immerse viewers in underwater environments. Underwater ocean footage may be especially appealing to people who are afraid of the sea.
Urban Exploration
When you are out on the streets, why not film scenic cityscapes such as busy streets, iconic landmarks or historical monuments? The hustle and bustle of markets, festivals, or parades can be sellable as high quality stock footage.
Tourists and even locals will also find this type of scenery interesting. So, if you freely publish lower quality 360 scenic videos on popular video platforms such as YouTube, it could help drive traffic to your profiles or other websites.
Events and Live Performances
Try to obtain permission from event organizers to find a ideal location to setup a record of live performances. Perhaps you can even charge an e-ticket price for giving viewers a virtual front-row seat to a popular event or concert. This works particularly well for music festivals, theater performances, or sports events. Outdoor events also present opportunities to capture interesting atmosphere with actions from street performances, artists, or flash mobs in busy urban areas.
Travel and Tourism
Your 360 videography career could also lead you to exotic and lesser-known destinations. This type of footage can be used to create travel guides or immersive documentaries.
Showcasing the local culture, food, or unique traditions can be particularly engaging to audience who love travel and history. As the world grapples with problems such as epidemics, wars and other social unrest, your 360 videos can also provide a virtual escapade to elevate some of the stress away.
Storytelling and Creative Projects
Have you ever play one of those horror theme virtual reality games that got your heart pumping? 360 videos with a spooky theme can inspire you to develop narratives that allow viewers to choose their path or explore different outcomes.
Add in appropriate visual special effects and background music during editing and your end product will shock, stun and entertain your audience. This can be particularly engaging for genres like horror, adventure, or mystery.
Conclusion
By combining your technical skills with creativity, you can establish a dynamic career as a 360 video content creator. As we have detailed in this article, your imagination is pretty much the limit in finding ways to captivate your audience with a wide variety of immersive media.
This unique field allows you to innovate in ways that traditional video cannot. With high quality immersive contents, you are giving your viewers a chance to dive into new worlds and perspectives.
Successful videographers would surely experiment with different techniques and pay heed to learning from experiences. As you venture deeper into 360 videography, your journey as a 360 video creator will be profoundly shaped by both your technical expertise and your passion for storytelling.
If you are all geared up and ready to embark on your new career, then start with simple concepts and gradually expand your toolkit and skillset. In time, you will surely hone your abilities to craft compelling narratives that fully utilize the 360-degree space.
