{"id":75640,"date":"2025-08-25T00:00:56","date_gmt":"2025-08-24T22:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/?post_type=magazin&p=75640"},"modified":"2026-11-01T00:18:31","modified_gmt":"2026-10-31T22:18:31","slug":"360-degree-video-in-journalism","status":"publish","type":"magazin","link":"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/en\/magazine\/advice\/360-degree-video-in-journalism\/","title":{"rendered":"360-degree video in journalism: how to produce immersive reportage"},"content":{"rendered":"\n \n\n
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360-degree video in journalism: how to produce immersive reportage.<\/strong> 360-degree video puts the audience right in the middle of the action. We show you how to produce immersive reportage \u2013 from the technology to the edit \u2013 and tell stories from every angle.<\/p>\n

\r\n Emil Eichinger<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/div>\r\n <\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\n \"In\n \n In our workrooms in the basement of the Design Center, students can produce 360\u00b0 films. Photo: Rafael Heygster<\/span>\n <\/div>\n\n \n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n

Virtual reality opens up new ways of visual storytelling.<\/strong> Instead of watching, the audience immerses itself in a world of its own. 360-degree video production in particular offers journalism new opportunities. This article shows what VR expert Felix Gaedtke pays attention to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What is a 360-degree video?<\/h2>\n\n \n <\/div>\n\n \n\n\n\n\n

Virtual reality (VR) replaces real space with computer-generated environments or 360-degree videos. An omnidirectional camera records a spherical panorama that covers horizontal and vertical perspectives. Viewers have \u2018three degrees of freedom\u2019 (3DoF): they can look around in every direction. In volumetric productions they even have \u2018six degrees of freedom\u2019 (6DoF) \u2013 they can move freely through the virtual environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Immersive storytelling as a calling<\/h2>\n\n \n <\/div>\n\n \n\n\n\n\n
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Felix Gaedtke is an Emmy\u00ae-nominated<\/strong> and Peabody Award-winning director and producer. Known for his work in immersive storytelling, he is regarded as a pioneer of 360\u00b0 video production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He is co-founder of the studio NowHere Media<\/a>, which gives a hearing to voices under-represented in mainstream discourse. The team develops immersive experiences, mainly in non-fiction \u2013 including virtual and augmented reality, 360\u00b0 films, audio workshops and installations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the 2024\/25 winter semester, Felix Gaedtke has taught the seminar \u2018Immersive Journalism\u2019 at Hochschule Hannover as a visiting lecturer<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Borrow, don\u2019t buy: omnidirectional cameras and spatial audio<\/h2>\n\n \n <\/div>\n\n \n\n\n\n\n

360-degree videos are usually recorded with omnidirectional cameras. They have several lenses and capture different angles at the same time, which are then combined into a complete panorama in a process called \u2018stitching\u2019. Felix Gaedtke recommends borrowing the equipment rather than buying it \u2013 it goes out of date quickly. Sound should also be recorded in 360 degrees so that the experience feels immersive. This spatial sound is called spatial audio. Two common formats are Ambisonics, which captures sound from all directions and responds dynamically to head movements, and binaural audio, which uses two microphones to create a realistic sense of space through headphones.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\n \"\"\n \n Photos: Carsten Seidler, Thomas M\u00fcller-Vahl<\/span>\n <\/div>\n\n \n <\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n
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Strengths and weaknesses of VR<\/h2>\n\n \n <\/div>\n\n \n\n\n\n\n

Felix Gaedtke stresses that VR is a format in its own right and fundamentally different from conventional film. It creates a fully immersive experience that holds users\u2019 attention without distraction. Producers can deliberately transport the audience into situations or places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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