Building a 360-degree toolkit

Journalists are routinely using virtual reality and 360 video to put viewers in places they wouldn’t otherwise be. But for smaller newsrooms with modest budgets, 360-degree video can seem out of reach.

Shaheryar Popalzai, a Knight International Journalism Fellow, says building a 360 video toolkit is easier and cheaper than you might think. He offers affordable recommendations for assembling a basic 360 toolkit.

Reporting by Ashton Day

For more information:

The gear mentioned in this story:

• 360 video rigs for GoPro cameras (one of the more expensive options)
   
• Ricoh Theta S camera ($350)
   
• LG 360 camera ($200)
   
• Kodak SP360 4K camera ($500)
   
• Zoom H2n audio recorder ($160)
   
• Zoom H6 audio recorder ($350)
   
• Selfie sticks ($10-$20, on average)
   
• Giroptic monopod ($40)

Shaheryar Popalzai wrote a piece for the International Center for Journalists about how Pakistan’s Express Tribune produced its first 360-degree video. Popalzai also made an infographic guide to making your first 360 project.

Ben Kreimer, a BuzzFeed Open Lab fellow, wrote about assembling a 360 kit, specifically using GoPro cameras and a drone. Kreimer was also featured in a previous Futures Lab update about how he captures 360-degree drone video for BuzzFeed.

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