Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow has made a VR conservation short called the Protectors, about people who defend against poachers. Best viewed with something like Google Cardboard, but Chrome will do in a pinch. Via Short of the week:
360 documentaries suffer in that they are not able to replicate some of the features that have made modern short docs so good—the display limitations of mobile phone 360 dulls the cinematography, and the medium greatly restricts what one is able to accomplish through dynamic editing. From a technical perspective, the camera in The Protectors is often situated too high for my liking, giving a floating sensation I’ve encountered in other 360 documentaries like the similarly-themed experience, The Ark. Additionally, the camera is often placed on a boom pole and held out in front of groups as they patrol. Navigating the bush from a 1st person perspective is a transporting POV, but the camera shake this introduces is mildly nauseating, and Bigelow and Imraan Ismail (The Displaced, Valen’s Reef) are not always thoughtful in their cuts, which can be disorienting.
Still, the influence of Bigelow, a cinematic action filmmaker of the highest order, expresses itself on more than a few occasions. Rapid z-axis movement of the camera through grass is exhilarating, and a scene where a helicopter drop occurs directly overhead is a stunner, providing a sensation that no 2D film can recreate.The emotional climax of the film, a scene beside a dead and decaying elephant, tusks removed, is heartbreakingly composed, and accomplishes the project’s goal of imparting in the viewer a feeling of immense sadness and outrage. If the project’s mission strikes a chord with you, continue through to their website to see how you can help the cause.