So then, Google Expeditions is a learning tool for teachers, schools and students with over 800 VR and AR tours and experiences.  You need something like a Vive or Oculus Rift to get the richest experience, although Samsung Gear, or even a Google Cardboard viewer will do the job.

Strap on your goggles and you’re good to go.  All this stuff was shot and rendered in stereo 3D, which meant double the fun/pain when it comes to compositing and grading.  I had done just the one stereo 3D job back in 2011 and it was stressful at best.  But this was different.  Tech has vastly improved since, but the process for all this stereo 3D stuff is still a pain in the ass as that itself is still totally new.

We had several shoots across the country, in utterly intrepid locations like Swords Castle, Glendalough and a studio/warehouse in Kerry, with a condescension of actors and a troop of medieval/Viking re-enactors.  We dotted these guys around the scenes and using the Jump camera, shot some jaw-dropping photos and then had some software mash all the clips together into an up-down stereo 3D 360 shot.  They all usually look pretty ludicrous when flattened out for PS or AE, but viewed through an Oculus Rift or similar, it’s something totally different.

What I did:
A large amount of PS compositing of stills to build crowds from 3-4 actors, masking and painting out items in such a manner as not to cause problems with the stereo 3D images, composite Element 3D models into the scenes, add mist, fog, replacement skies, cows, smoke, fire, general death, all that sort of thing.