Reality in Bytes

Dawn Westlake is president of Ron de Caña Productions, Inc. in Los Angeles. She’s made 17 short films in the US, Portugal, Spain and France which have played on all seven continents (yes, even Antarctica!) and won 47 awards, including honors from Canon USA, Inc. and JVC-Tokyo.

She is also an actress/writer/producer and has judged film festivals in Italy, France, and Chicago. Dawn is currently on the selection committee for the Big Sur Film Series at the Henry Miller Library in Big Sur, CA. She just spent her birthday hurtling down a hill at 7100 feet in the Los Angeles National Forest on a bright orange sled, with a GoPro strapped to her forehead and a white knuckle grip on a monopod holding the Ricoh Theta S.

Dawn is one of the first 360˚ creators on Metta (mettavr.com), and you can view her Metta profile here.

What does virtual reality mean to you?

I hope it can be a way to experience greater truth in media gathering and narrative fiction. There seems to be a big problem with people living in alternative realities…ignoring journalistic and scientific FACT. Maybe if the viewer was more engaged in content, by having to consider all angles, and encouraged to experience multiple viewings of presentations, they wouldn’t ignore the realities of our world, in favor of mere opinions that just support their comfort zone.

What inspired you to begin experimenting with 360˚ videography?

My husband (a retired deputy bureau chief from CBS News) and I were enjoying looking at reports on the NY Times website in the fall of 2015 that were broadcast on the web in 360˚. They were just mind-blowing, but we thought, well, you’d need a lot of money to rig together a bunch of GoPros…Then, we started researching and learned quickly that companies like Ricoh had cameras like the Theta S that were very affordable…and soon shipping to the general public! We bought one for ourselves as a Christmas present.

What was the first moment you captured in 360˚?

A 360˚ video of our exterior Christmas lights! Then, the next day, my husband and I made a film called “Fight Over a Camera” which was the first “choreographed” piece. I even dragged it into Adobe Premiere to edit and add music from my composer, Gregory Johnson of Acoustic Labs.

If you could capture one moment from your past in 360˚ or VR, what would it be?

I hope to be doing it soon! My 87-year-old father has been prolifically writing memoirs about his life, and he has one about me questioning the existence of God at age 5 that I’m looking into making as a legit film this year. The 360˚ camera should lend itself very well to the topic since it literally asks the viewer “How do you see the world?”.

Who do you make your videos for?

At this point, just for myself and family/friends, as I experiment. I started getting ideas the minute we unpacked the camera. I made a list. Most of the ideas are very experimental (like taking the camera to the dentist), but I also have ideas for legit films for the general public.

What is the best 360˚ or VR video you’ve seen?

I just saw “American Bison” and a film about Ebola (“Waves of Grace”) that played at Sundance 2016. They were outstanding! Both scared me to death in different ways. In the Ebola film, a team in Hazmat suits buried a man who’d recently died of the virus seemingly AT MY FEET!

What is the most difficult part of creating a 360˚ video?

The workflow for editing and sharing is still pretty wonky, if you’re just trying to deal with YouTube or Facebook, and you work on a Mac and/or use the Safari browser. That’s why I am so excited about Metta. It seems like they are streamlining things greatly in the delivery arena, plus creating a community where I might find future collaborators.

What do you love most about the process of creating 360˚ videos?

Thinking up concepts and seeing how they come out. Although it’s been frustrating that YouTube doesn’t consistently publish videos with their proper spherical stitching, sometimes it’s hilarious to watch the “failures” that go up equirectangularly. I’m reminded of the “Fishy Fish” bit in Monty Python’s “The Meaning of Life”.

Do you have a VR headset? If so, which one?

My husband JUST got me one for my birthday! It’s the Eight Ones VR kit. It’s just the cheapie for now, but we’ll upgrade as this catches on…

Do you use any nifty techniques to create awesome immersive stories? Care to share them?

Think about the full circular plane. Shoot in spaces that have beautiful ceilings or canopies or skies …an interesting floor or ground cover…Keep your “characters” close to the camera. Movements over the camera (like high kicks in fights) are really fun for the viewer to watch.