The crew setting up the lights in the living room. Image: Nick Melillo/Badoink
Euclid Virtual Reality Systems' Sony a7RII rig in their DIY 3D printed case. Image: Nick Melillo/Badoink
They decided to shoot in 180 degrees because Melillo really wanted to control the lighting and be able to position me, and some other journalists, front and center at the shoot. Glider, Melillo and Burton all say that the shoot would have been less interesting had we been in another room while using the 360-degree rig.Euclid runs a real-time video feed through software called Video Stitch and into an Oculus Rift, a system Burton says allows them to create a temporary spatialization of the two cameras' footage to "tune the 3D effect." This is to ensure that cameras are properly creating the 180-degree arc or dome. Stitching, he explains, really only applies to 360-degree shoots, where footage from ten-plus cameras must be fused."Typically, 360 video requires a good deal of stitching before it looks clean," Burton says. "It's a process that is getting better and better as the space develops. We're hoping Adobe decides to add support for stitching in After Effects or Premiere someday.""I just stare into the camera like I would look at the end user if they were actually in the room"
Samuel Burton of Euclid talking about the VR camera rigs. Image: Nick Melillo/Badoink
Filming the sex sequences of Badoink's VR porn. Image: Nick Melillo/Badoink
Stevens also says the camera's fixed position is the biggest difference between a VR porn and regular porn shoot. In a typical shoot, Stevens and other adult actors do not look at the camera."Adult entertainment is married to tech now"
Christie Stevens in a VR point-of-view shot. Image: Nick Melillo/Badoink