25.04.2016

Lake Baikal Appears in Virtual Reality for the First Time

What happens when an international team of American and Russian specialists gather in Siberia for a unique project to shoot 360° footage of the Baikal Biosphere Reserve? The result is a series of immersive 3D-scenes for virtual reality headsets and 360° panoramic stills, enriched with commentaries about the unique nature of Lake Baikal. These deeply engaging images will become one of Google Expeditions’ virtual school trips, which are being distributed to educational institutions around the world.

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THE VR EXPERIENCE FOSTERS EMPATHY
3D 360° technology used to shoot photo and video panoramas allows viewers to truly immerse themselves in what is happening around them, and allows them to experience their surroundings from all sides. This is the first time the technology is being used in Lake Baikal. Now, anyone can stand on the shores of the Lake in winter, cross its icy surface, spend time with local people, ride the Trans Siberian Railroad, and attend a hypnotic/fascinating ceremony at the main Buddhist center of Russia—Ivolginsky Datsan, among other experiences. 

“Being immersed in these scenes fosters a sense of appreciation and empathy. We will tell students about the remarkable ecosystem in and around Lake Baikal, the environmental dangers, and the prospects for preserving its purity. The lake is the basis of life for all those who live on its banks, and all those species who live in it,” said the Developer of the project, MediaCombo Productions Principal, Michael Owen.  

NEW CINEMATIC LANGUAGE
Recently, virtual reality has become a medium of great interest to filmmakers and media observers. Steven Spielberg and Doug Liman are shooting their own projects in VR. The most influential global film festivals, such as “Sundance,” “Tribeca,” and the “SXSW” have been promoting projects created in the format of virtual reality for quite some time now.
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 “Spherical movie making is a new format of cinematic language. It requires a new way of thinking about the relationship between audience and author. It gives the opportunity to be an empathetic observer without interfering into the process of what is happening in the picture. Thanks to the unwavering efforts of MediaCombo, we were finally able to capture one of the most beautiful places on the planet in one of the most advanced recording formats.” said Project Co-Director George Molodstov, Creative Director of VRability, Vice President of the Russian Guild of Documentary Film and TV. 

He went on to say; “We are very pleased that the Google Expeditions Pioneer Program will introduce Lake Baikal to new audiences worldwide. We hope that the audience’s experience will be unforgettable and that they will want to visit these places in real life.”
Shooting #360 #3D #VR at Baikal lake for MEDIACOMBO - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA

ORIGINAL VR CAMERA DEVELOPMENT
“3D-Printing technology was required to facilitate the production,” commented co-author and CTO of VRability, Stanislav Kolesnik. “Every new technology has its own challenges. For this project, we designed our own stereo camera housing to achieve minimal parallax compared with other camera systems. For the spherical video filming, we used eleven multidirectional cameras at once. We also developed our own battery packs for low temperatures; otherwise the camera would be discharged in a few minutes. In addition, we also developed a way to keep the camera lenses from fogging. Another trick was to adapt an anti-glare system for barrel lenses to 360° shooting.” In the end, all of this equipment weighed less than three pounds and was the size of a soccer ball.
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THE TEAM
Michael Owen, head of MediaCombo Productions in New York, who has collaborated with National Geographic Television, the National Wildlife Conservation Society and the American Museum of Natural History is the first to do a complete expedition of Russia in virtual reality. Owen worked with VRability, who has produced a VR-project to motivate handicapped persons, and Gigapano, who specialize in VR-technology.

GOOGLE EXPEDITIONS PIONEER PROGRAM
The 360˚ panorama photos of this project will become part of a collection of over a hundred virtual journeys in the Google Expeditions Pioneer Program, and will be the first photographs representing Russia. This is a completely new approach to education in schools as it directly immerses students in the scope of their study, without having to physically travel or spend money. Google will send Expeditions teams to train teachers in schools all over the world to work with the technology, thus giving children the opportunity to experience life and places that they previously could only read about in textbooks.
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VR IS BECOMING MORE AFFORDABLE
Virtual reality has become increasingly popular since last year, when it became available for almost everyone. The technology used to require expensive headgear, with wires connected to a PC, is now available for a wide range of viewers. Now, it is enough to have a modern smartphone with built-in Gyro and special magnifying glasses to view VR-videos. Movies demonstrated in stereo are much more impressive than usual and the ability to rotate one’s head around in 360° allows viewers to really feel the effect of total immersion. 
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