Workflow Production

preparation

Filming location
Special attention must be paid to setting up the filming location. A much larger area needs to be prepared because the entire 360° space is visible in the picture. In classical film, each shot "only" shows a section. In 360° film, the entire space becomes the recorded surface.

When scouting for locations, possible retreats/hiding areas for the entire film team must be considered. Because the technicians cannot be visible in the 360° filming, they must be provided with places where they can monitor the filming without being seen in the frame. 

It is unusual for the director not to have a direct view of the set. Depending on the location, 'camouflaging' nets can be installed so that a view of the action is possible. Additional cameras can also be hidden on the set to provide a live feed of the important areas of the action, enabling a certain degree of control by the director.

When determining the retreat locations for the technician's staff, you must take into account that all cables, especially for the sound, need to be routed from this location. With spatial sound, there are more numerous cables than with conventional film sound recordings. 

Likewise, the infrastructure for catering and for preparations (e.g. for costumes and make-up) must be placed as close to the set as possible, but out of the camera's field of vision.

Technology
Basically, the professionals have little insight on what is happening on the set during the shoot. In addition, the technicians not only need a place to work but extra infrastructure is often required to enable "remote control."

The light must either be placed "invisibly" or skilfully visibly set up so that it blends into the scenery and becomes a part of the image design. The set-up time for these elements needs to be included in the planning.

We recommend that sketches and plans should be used for both to record the courses of action as well as the placement of technical components.

Actors
Since 360° film often involves relatively long takes, a larger time window must be planned for rehearsing the actions similar to documentary formats where a staging with protagonists is planned.

Shooting

The shooting procedure is comparable to the conventional film procedure. Since most camera systems have only very modest image-sound synchronisation capabilities or none at all, the traditional clapperboard is commonly used. 

Furthermore, great attention must be paid to data backup.

Preparing retouching
Costly retouchings in post-production can be avoided with clever placement of the elements and actions that are important for production. Some details are unavoidable. For example, in most cases the camera is on a tripod, which has to be retouched in post. If the camera is positioned in the light so few shadows from the tripod are cast, the effort in post-production can be significantly reduced. Larger image sections can be replaced in post-production by surfaces, objects or structures. It is often helpful to mask these with green screen areas during the shoot. Early planning of these kinds of details can be of great benefit.