At Digital Promise Global, our global engagement programs support educators to empower young people as creators and changemakers, harnessing emerging technology to make a difference in the world.
In the 360 Filmmakers Challenge, along with our partner Oculus, we’ve offered 360-degree production equipment to high schools across the United States to help young people and their teachers produce original, immersive 360° stories that make an impact. The results include powerful student-produced films, inspiring behind-the-scenes stories, and encouraging indicators of impact.
A year and a half after first launching the 360 Filmmakers Challenge, we are excited to publicly share a collection of tools and resources for 360° production designed for educators and youth. We created the 360 Filmmakers Challenge Production Guide with a few principles in mind:
- The big picture is bigger than 360° film. The point isn’t just to learn to make a 360° video — it’s to use the video production process to develop important skills and mindsets, and build knowledge about the topic of the film.
- Everyone is a learner. As 360° film is still such a new medium, we’re all learning about it together. Guiding tools and resources should be available to everyone involved, both students and teachers. The guide is intended for both audiences.
- Media projects need an audience. The project isn’t done when you put the finishing touch on your video — that’s just the beginning! The last section of the guide focuses on how to put your film out there in the world, and reflect on the impact it makes.
Our hope is that youth and educators everywhere can benefit from this open resource to dive into immersive storytelling as one of many pathways to becoming creators and changemakers.
Explore the 360 Filmmakers Challenge Production Guide
When we launched the 360 Filmmakers Challenge in March 2016, we were new to 360° filmmaking. We are deeply grateful to our partners, advisors, and mentors who have contributed to the project:
- Oculus and the VR for Good initiative
- Shauna Heller, President of AiSolve North America and Founder of Clay Park VR
- Daniel Gregoire, Founder and Director at MatterVR
- Jessica Kantor, Director, VR Storyteller, and Interactive Producer
- Stephanie Riggs, Founder at Sunchaser Entertainment
- Vicki Huang, Virtual Reality Filmmakers and Audiovisual Artist/Engineer
- Andrew Kaluzynski, Video Editor & Post Production Specialist
- Lex Halaby, VR Director and Creative Director
- Celine Tricart, Director and Founder at Lucid Dreams Productions
- Justin Denton, Director and VR Supervisor
