Hong Kong's 360-degree videomaking pioneers, and how the virtual-reality technology works
Tech that lets user choose viewing angle has been adopted by property agents, music stars such as Edison Chen and HKU's medical school
Long before YouTube started supporting 360-degree videos in March, Lai Kwok-chi had been experimenting with the technology for his property developer clients who wanted to present their show flats digitally online - albeit with varying degrees of success. The virtual reality environment, he knew even then, has an enormous appeal to users.
By stitching multiple video sources filmed simultaneously into a spherical video, viewers no longer have to follow the one-directional point of view of the videographer but can choose wherever and whatever they want to look at by simply dragging the video in any direction, or by tilting their portable device. More impressive still, wearing a VR headset can give viewers the illusion of being at the filmed location.
Application of this technology has proliferated in recent months, notably in the entertainment industry. Fatballslim Productions claims it recently released Hong Kong's first "360-degree virtual reality music video" for Charmaine Fong Ho-man's track Dry Tears.
"I'm sick of those cookie-cutter music videos that everyone is so bored of. I always try to find new ways to surprise my audience and I love trying new things," says Ball Li, founder and film director of the seven-year-old company.
Creative director TwoFive Yeung shares Li's ambition: "The idea is for Charmaine to run around a lot so viewers have to keep looking for her on the screen," he says. "We're aware of how short viewers' attention spans are nowadays, so we hope it can capture their interest and prolong the time they spend on the music video."