Linear to Spherical: 360 and VR Video Production

Overview

This module introduces students to the creative, technical, and theoretical foundations of 360° filmmaking and virtual reality (VR) practice. Through a combination of lectures, workshops, and project-based learning, students will explore immersive storytelling techniques, spatial composition, and interactive media production within virtual environments, all contextualised within the larger critical framework of seminal and emerging academic debate around linear and spherical storytelling and media space.

Students will gain hands-on experience with 360° cameras, spatial audio, and VR post-production workflows, developing skills in planning, capturing, and editing immersive content. The module also engages with – and locates the practice within - critical and ethical dimensions of VR media, examining issues such as presence, embodiment, audience perception, and the cultural implications of immersive technologies.

By the end of the module, students will have conceptualised, developed and produced an original 360° or VR-based project demonstrating their understanding of – and aptitude for - immersive narrative design, technical proficiency, and critically reflective practice. This module prepares students for exciting, emerging roles in digital media production, creative technology, and experimental filmmaking.

Learning Objectives

- Understand the principles and aesthetics of 360° video and VR storytelling.
- Develop practical skills in immersive media production and post-production.
- Critically evaluate the cultural, ethical, and experiential aspects of VR media.
- Produce a portfolio-ready immersive media project.

Skills

Students will be able to understand:
- Recording audio with binaural microphones.
- How to effectively use Ambisonic microphones.
- Filming in 360 cameras for Virtual Reality experiences.
- Editing and Post-Production skills for 360 Video.
- How to conceptually and formally design experiences around presence, participation in immersive video production.

Assessment