This year more companies have jumped on the 360-degree camera bandwagon, including LG, Samsung, and even Facebook, but while the products offered by these companies are aimed at consumers, other tech giants have joined the 360-degree camera market in a quest to facilitate the movie industry. Such is the case with the Nokia Ozo 360-degree virtual reality camera unveiled last year, which will apparently be used by the Walt Disney Studios for “specially-created VR content”.
Chances are that you haven’t heard any news regarding the Nokia Ozo camera since last year, but this is largely due to the fact that the product is not intended for the consumer market. The Nokia Ozo was announced in July 2015 and pricing was revealed in December 2015, along with a tentative release date set for the second quarter of 2016. The Nokia Ozo costs a whopping $60,000, and apparently the Walt Disney Studios will be among the first filmmakers to use Nokia’s 360-degree camera for creating virtual reality content. The studio’s chief technology officer, Jamie Voris, announced that the studio will collaborate with Nokia Technologies “to help explore the creation of VR content for our theatrical releases”, adding that the studio aims to “bring extraordinary experiences to audiences around the world”. It’s interesting to note that the deal between Disney and Nokia covers other studios owned by the Walt Disney Studios, including Lucasfilm and Marvel. This could mean that Disney could use the Nokia Ozo to create 360-degree virtual reality content for Marvel superhero movies and even the Star Wars saga. In fact, according to Nokia Technologies president, Ramzi Haidamus, the Nokia Ozo is already being used by Disney for shooting behind-the-scenes footage for an upcoming (unspecified) title.
While it seems that the Walt Disney Studios will use the Nokia Ozo for creating more exciting virtual reality content, the company already used the 360-degree camera for promoting The Jungle Book 2016 movie released earlier this month. Two 360-degree clips have been already published; one inviting viewers to a 360-degree roundtable interview with the film’s director, Jon Favreau, and the second 360-degree video allowing viewers to experience the film’s premiere on the red carpet.