Chornobyl 360: The most popular 360 place in VR industry?
Interactive project (Documentary), dir. Kirill Pokutnyy, Ukraine (Available on Google Play)+ Review of different VR projects about Chernobyl/Chornobyl.
Within the last year and a half I’ve heard a lot about different VR projects about Chernobyl. However, I think that Ukrainian project “Chornobyl360” (http://www.chornobyl360.com/) is still the most balanced in terms of availability (App for Google Play and AppStore), use of medium (360 videos + interactivity) and storytelling. Plus a successful story of crowdfunding at Kickstarter with over 34.000 euro backed.
Here is a trailer of the project:
Chornobyl360 — is the first virtual reality interactive documentary in Ukraine. It is created using latest technologies to record important historical process like decommissioning of Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant and building new safe confinement “The Ach”. This documentary project is made by the team of young creative Ukrainian specialists from IT and cinema areas.
I watched the longer version of the trailer and was impressed by the idea and realised, that there is some “mystery” in Chernobyl which makes everyone interested in it more than in “hotel 360 tours” or “Vacational 360 tours”. From one point of view you see the place you’d rarely have an occasion to visit. From another point, if they were able to shoot there – most likely you come there as well. So, this transition from virtual reality to reality gives you some additional buzz.
However, while searching the trailer of this project, I’ve found out that Youtube suggest several more works about Chernobyl in 360. So, I just wanted to mention some of them.
Chernobyl Project: http://www.chernobylvrproject.com
Poland, Platforms: Oculus Rift and HTC Vive“
Chernobyl VR Project is a unique project by The Farm 51, as it combines video games with educational and movie narrative software. It is the very first virtual tour around the Chernobyl and Pripyat area, compatible with multiple VR headsets, such as Oculus and PlayStation VR and HTC Vive. Visit Chernobyl without leaving home! Chernobyl VR project is scheduled for release in June on Oculus Rift”
German TV Channel WDR has made 9 minutes long VR Journalistic Film about Chernobyl and Pripyat as well:
Another Journalistic work comes from Radio Liberty — “Chernobyl 30 Years Later, In 360”:
Again, Journalistic video from “The Globe and Mail” — “360-degree video of Chernobyl disaster, 30 years later”
And the last but not the least in this review is Russian VR project about Chernobyl from CINEMACTIVE Lab (currently LenVR) — but at the moment, as far as I know, the project is frozen:
I still think that 360 need more just a chance to grab 360 camera and visit the places with restricted access. AS we can see from some of the Journalistic works, lack of quality and storytelling makes the video not as interesting, as even the trailer from LenVR.
If there is a mystery and “tragic energy” in the air of Chernobyl, this must be the first thing to capture, not just visuals. And from what I see “Chernobyl 360” is really close to give us this perspective.
