In December the Swiss resort Laax created an interactive, 360-degree viral marketing video. As you follow along with the skiers and snowboarders through parks and open powder fields, you're able to use the arrow keys on your keyboard to pan around the scene. It's a bit difficult to explain, so we'll let you go ahead and experiment on your own.
The only question is, how on Earth did it take so long for us to discover this?
Use the left/right/up/down keys to control the video.
How do they do it? After probing around on the Web, it seems they're using a similar technique to that which is used by French photographer Tristan Lebeschu. Lebeschu is known for his 360-degree still photos of skiing and snowboarding. The final compositions are created with multiple shots of the surrounding landscape, and shots of the action, too; the images are then stitched together in post-production. The new SLR cameras with HD video capabilities must have some mega-special function to allow for this to come together.
Then again, the above statement is based purely on other people's hypothesis. Truth is, I have no flippin' idea how this all works. For now, I'll just continue to have fun "watching" the video. If you have any insight, feel free to post in the comments section below.
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