Hearing is fundamental to our perception of the surrounding world.  Achieving this effect in virtual reality requires audio that sounds real and authentic.  Implementing spatial audio to create full immersion in 360° video or interactive VR requires capturing audio or a physical acoustic modeling of the space where the scene takes place.  An appropriate soundscape can provide the quickest path to immersion for just about any VR experience, and even removing the visual element, still enables us to sufficiently perceive the surrounding world - giving us a sense of space, time, and presence.  In contrast, the silent experiences, or the ones with incongruent sound would break the sense of presence and immersion, thus immediately removing the suspension of disbelief, and as a result substantially degrading the overall experience.

The OZO Introduction: Training With Nokia

At the beginning of this year, the Happy Finish VR team and I were excited to be introduced to the newly-released Nokia OZO 360 camera. After partaking in a training course from Nokia’s USA and Finnish team, we were eager to get an OZO back to our UK office to road test it and really see what made it tick. With new 360 shooting options arising every week, it’s necessary to test out every new set-up as hard as possible before trusting it on a commercial shoot, OZO being no exception. Upon arrival back to London, we were all set with an OZO of our own to see exactly what it was capable of.

Rio 2016 has just begun! Coverage is going to be everywhere and for those of us who just can’t get enough Olympic goodness this year we’re going to have a lot more platforms beyond just our TV to watch it, thanks to a massive shift in technology developments.

360 Degree Video: Creative Potential Waiting to Explode

Tate Modern recently released the 360 degree film we created to promote their latest Georgia O’Keeffe exhibition. So far, the video is their most watched piece of content ever, with over 3 million views. But it’s not all about views and return on investment, as a retoucher, the concept of working in 360 is something that really excited me when I first encountered VR several years ago. To me it had so much creative potential waiting to explode into the advertising and marketing world; I was hooked from the start.

The NYT VR project from The New York Times won not one, but two Grand Prix awards at Cannes Lions Festival last month, with the individual virtual reality film "The Displaced," earning the top prize in the revamped Lions Entertainment contest and the Grand Prix in Mobile that the NYT VR app itself won.

2016 was my 20th year in Cannes, and it sure has changed over the years! What was once, effectively, a celebration of the world’s best TV ad in a town full of ‘Mad Men’, now sees the arrival of technology companies. This is merely a natural response to the increased role and impact that technology has in our lives as well as the changing expectations of today’s consumers with how they want brands to interact with them.

Science and art are different manifestations of the same human urge to enquire, explore, and understand our place in the Universe. Recently I wrote a blog about the #fashtech movement, which charts and celebrates the convergence of fashion and technology.

Let’s now look at 5 examples of how #arttech is impacting the way that we experience, create and consume art. 

Just recently I’ve noticed the increased popularity of the #fashtech movement, which charts and celebrates the convergence of fashion and technology.  When you think about it, the two have much in common; both constantly reinventing themselves to stay relevant, desirable and innovative.

So you’ve heard all the hype about using Google Cardboards (GC) for watching virtual reality (VR) content, you’ve unwrapped your first one, but how do you use it?  Where do you start?  

Well it works with a mobile smartphone, so you will need one of those for sure, and fear not, they're not all plain brown, the branding options are endless.  

These 5 tips will help you make the best out of yours in no time, and soon you’ll be bringing it to all your parties (real parties).  

At Happy Finish we’ve worked on several innovative and immersive 360 degree Virtual Reality projects for some very high profile clients that include Asda, Becker Beer and Subway.

As a Colourist, working with the footage for these films presents some interesting challenges, and I’ve found that there are two different ways you can approach grading such a project.

To celebrate Halloween we’ve written this short blog to provide insight into how Virtual Reality can create a more immersive experience. 

As humans we've always been fascinated with our own existence, with a lifetime to focus on shaping ourselves in the way we see fit. There's something unique in our existence though. First we draw breath and only then do we shape ourselves in a truly tangible environment. 

A round-up of my experiences at Spikes Asia 2015

Having just returned from Spikes Asia with Jimi Gu, our Shanghai Studio General Manager, I wanted to share the buzz and creativity from the event.  Spikes Asia is where Asia Pacific’s creative community comes together for a spectacular three-day celebration of creativity in communications. From forward-thinking seminars by the industry's most influential figures to superb networking events, training and exhibitions of the region's best creative work, it's an opportunity not to be missed. 

 For more than 30,000 years human beings have adopted creative and artistic mediums with a goal to convey an experience or emotion, with the aim to evoke the feeling of empathy with a situation or location.