Casey, Samsung + V(r)logging in 360°
Ceci Mourkogiannis is one of the co-founders of Pie: the VR & 360° vlogging platform. Join the waitlist for Pie here.
On Friday super-vlogger Casey Neistat announced that he’s going to be vlogging from the Oscars in 360° using Samsung’s soon to be released Gear 360 camera.
It’s awesome for all those who have ever dreamed of walking down the red carpet. Viewed with the Samsung Gear VR headset, Casey’s videos will allow viewers to feel like they’re really there alongside the world’s brightest (and whitest, ahem) stars.
Even without a headset, 360° videos offer an unprecedented opportunity for viewers to immerse themselves in the glamor and glitz of the Oscars.
But Casey’s “HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT” is also big news for the VR world.
While most people still associate VR with gaming and high-end cinematic productions, at Pie we’re strong believers that 360° & VR video is the future of vlogging (vrlogging?).
That’s why we’re building a platform specifically for user-generated content — that’s why we’re 100% focused on making Pie the best place for 360 makers to share their personal vrlogs with the world.
Casey’s Oscar coverage represents one of the best use cases for VR video out there: the opportunity for millions to feel like they’re present somewhere they’ll never get a chance to go.
But our experience over the last few weeks at Pie has taught us that those without access to A-list events can also create awe-inspiring content that really makes you wish you could be there with them.
Since letting a select group of 360° video creators onto the private beta version of Metta a few weeks ago, we’ve seen hundreds of vlogs uploaded to the site that showcase just how compelling user-generated 360° videos are. Creators everywhere from Tokyo to Berlin have been uploading and sharing vlog-style 360° content on Pie that lets viewers experience their world in 360 degrees.
People matter
Samsung didn’t just choose to send Casey to the Oscars with the Gear360 because they know it’ll rack up millions of views from his followers (although of course that may have been a consideration…). They chose Casey rather than a professional videographer because 360° video isn’t just about capturing an awesome scene — it’s also about building a relationship with the person filming the scene.
360° videos capture the creator/presenter and the scene around them, so the presenter is just as (or maybe even more) important as the scene being captured. It’s not dissimilar to how Twitch works: sure, the games are awesome but the most watched streams on Twitch feature gamers with great personalities who viewers love to watch and support.
Vrlogging is no different. In the end, successful vrloggers will build an audience and following by showing their viewers who they really are. For all those who were waiting to see how VR was going to be “humanized” and made approachable & “social” — it’s already happening.
At Pie we’re already seeing people all around the world get to know each other and each other’s lives through their Pie vrlogs and we couldn’t be more excited about what it will mean for the way we see our world.
Good luck Casey!
