Virtual Cinematography

Before you enroll

Student must provide their own Virtual Reality system and be able to connect, usually via cable, to a VR capable PC. We will be using the VR platform SteamVR for this class and to the best of my knowledge, it is not possible to natively run SteamVR on Mac.

Students should be sufficiently computer literate to support, monitor and trouble shoot their own systems for course access. Because of the variety of options out there, the instructor will not be able to provide technical support related to the operation of your VR or Computer systems.

For this course, we will be using “Open Brush” software to paint the scenes and capture the video of the scene. Open Brush is free software that evolved from Tilt Brush after Google discontinued support and made the software open source. While Open Brush is available on multiple VR Platforms, participants in this course will be using the version that is available on Steam and run through SteamVR.

This version is used because it allows the course to be VR system agnostic, and because it supports all functions of Open Brush. Namely, the option to use the “Camera Paths” tool for designing and recording your cinematography is not supported in standalone headsets because the headsets do not have the processing power to manage cinematography without the support of a VR capable PC/Laptop. If your standalone headset can connect to a PC via a cable connection, it should work for this course, but you will need to use the Steam Version of Open Brush that runs on the PC rather than running on your headset.

Students with UW-Stout issued computers will not be able to use your Stout laptop because they do not have sufficient processing power to run VR.

Before enrolling, students should test their computer to see if it will support running SteamVR.

Test your system before you enroll by:

Create a Steam Account (free): Welcome to Steam (steampowered.com)
From within your Steam Account, download and run the SteamVR performance test (free): SteamVR Performance Test on Steam (steampowered.com)
- This performance test runs an animation that will push your system to see if it is capable of supporting Virtual Reality. It takes a few minutes to run and looks like this while it is running:
Check the results of the SteamVR Performance test to ensure your system can handle VR. If the result is “not ready”, then you will need to find a different PC to use for this course. Think “gaming PC” if you have to look for an alternative.

Download and Install SteamVR (free) through your steam account if you have not already done so.
Download and Install Open Brush on Steam (free)
Use your virtual reality system to make sure it works, and that you do not experience virtual reality sickness. I highly recommend that if you are new to VR, that you do not spend more than 30 minutes the first time you go “In World”. If it is your first time in VR, set a timer for 20 minutes, then take off the headset and see how you feel. In my research into users’ first exposure to VR, I found that there is usually some disorientation the first time, but this generally gets better with use of VR.
There are two main kinds of malaise that can come from time spent in VR.
- The first is similar to motion sickness and results from your body and your brain getting mixed signals. This is usually a result of software and/or hardware that is not performing as it should. It is sometimes called Virtual Reality Sickness or Cybersickness.
- The second is a result of your brain processing this new reality without the advantage of Heuristic shortcuts. Think of it as something like a “runner’s high” but for your brain instead of your body.
  There will be a section on Virtual Reality Sickness in the course.

“In World” is the term used here to talk about time spent in Virtual Reality
Kevin W. Tharp

You are going to have to spend significant time in Virtual Reality for this course. “In World” is the term that will be used when talking about time spent in virtual reality and applies to any time you spend with the Virtual Reality Headset on. Most people cannot go from having never spent time in VR to spending hours at a time in world without a period of increasing levels of exposure.

When people first start doing Virtual Reality it takes time for your brain to adjust to this new reality (see Heuristics). For many, it presents as a phenomenon I compare to a runner’s high. This course is designed to allow you to increase the amount of time you spend in world each week so that you can “build up your stamina” or “develop your VR legs” and spend more time in world at a time. Virtual Reality sickness is real, and there has been a lot of research done on it. If you are new to virtual reality and will be taking this course, you should start immediately to get familiar with using virtual reality by spending time in virtual reality. This will prepare you by ramping up your VR immersion exposure time before we begin the class.

Required Software / Platforms:

Steam: Free Welcome to Steam (steampowered.com)

The platform we will be using for this class is Steam. We will be using SteamVR to support the virtual reality experience, and the Steam version of Open Brush for creating scenes and recording videos of those scenes. Open brush is available for some standalone headsets, but the version of Open Brush available for those systems does not include the camera paths function because the standalone headsets do not have sufficient processing power to create videos in VR. Thus, the need to have a cable (or fast wireless) connection to a PC capable of supporting Virtual Reality.

SteamVR: Free SteamVR on Steam (steampowered.com)

Steam version of Open Brush: Free Open Brush on Steam (steampowered.com)

YouTube Account: Free YouTube

You will be publishing your videos to YouTube for distribution and analytical evaluation of user interaction data. You may choose to publish and distribute on other platforms, but YouTube will be used for learning about the user analytics of online video. You can use an existing YouTube Account, or you can create a new channel.

Primary emphasis on scene based Virtual Reality video capture as a marketing technology with emphasis on video production techniques that do not involve animation or logic-based operations.

Course Description – UW-Stout

Leverage Virtual Reality to develop video marketing content. Primary emphasis on scene based Virtual Reality video capture as a marketing technology with emphasis on video production techniques that do not involve animation or logic-based operations. Secondary emphasis on life cycle processes from planning to distribution and evaluation via user analytics.

Registration

Stout Degree seeking student

This course is being offered for the first time during the Summer 2023 session. It is being offered as an online course in the Customized Instruction category. On campus students will have to enroll through the Customized Instruction process. Talk to your advisor to see if this course can be used toward your degree.

Non-Degree seeking student

If you are not currently enrolled in a degree program at Stout, this is for you.

How to Apply: Non-Degree Students | University of Wisconsin – Stout (uwstout.edu)

Course Objectives

Learning Objectives (UG/GR)

Develop scene in virtual reality environment (UG)
Experiment with Virtual Reality content development through the use of non-animation and non-programming techniques. (UG)
Execute a plan for creating, recording, and publishing a video project. (UG)
Distribute content through channels that leverage video content. (UG)
Establish multi-channel distribution goals and a plan for achieving those goals. (UG)
Measure the success of distribution goals through examination of analytic data. (UG)
Leverage Virtual Reality as a content creation platform in a way that supports use of content in non Virtual Reality distribution channels. (UG)
Graduate Learning Objectives:
Analyze emerging trends that are likely to impact this field of study. (GR)

Course Outline

Undergraduate / Graduate Content

The Nature of Reality and Perceptive Realities (Obj. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8)
- Tangible reality
- Virtual reality
- Augmented reality
- Mixed reality
- Computer Generated Imagery
Virtual Reality Constructs (Obj. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8)
- Sense of Presence
- Spatiality
- Movement within space, 6 degrees of freedom
- Virtual Reality Sickness
Virtual Reality Systems (Obj. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8)
- Military, Medical, etc.
- Consumer level including software platforms
Software (Obj. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8)
- Virtual Reality
- Support Software: Production, Post Production
Planning (Obj. 3,4,5,6,7)
- Producer Goals / Message
- User Goals / Need
- Distribution Systems and goals
- User analytics for tracking goals
- Production Systems
- Post Production Systems
Scene Creation (Obj. 1,2,3,4)
- Object Oriented
- Light / Stroke Oriented
- Audio Oriented
- Audio responsive strokes
Camera paths (Obj. 1,2,3,4)
- Path
- Camera direction
- Camera zoom
- Camera speed
- Video Monitoring
- Video Capture / production
Post Production (Obj. 3,4,5)
- What level of Post production can you afford?
Distribution (Obj. 4,5,6, 7)
- Distribution Systems
- Common Platforms and requirements
User Analytics (Obj. 4,5,6,7,8)
- Metrics, dimensions, and Key Performance Indicators
- Using analytics to track goals

Evaluation

Undergraduate / Graduate

As a workshop course, this is an applied project based course building upon theoretical constructs. Students will be evaluated using activities such as assignments, lab activity, projects, and successful completion of processes.

Graduate Evalution

Graduate students will be evaluated based on successfully publishing* a research article related to emerging trends associated with the course content. *Publishing here is intended in a broad sense, including self-publication.