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Although VR is not necessarily new, how filmmakers and documentarians work is drastically changing with the latest of what VR can offer. When contemplating what’s possible in this context, it helps to learn about some of the best content that’s been created in this way. We’ve put together a list of some of the best VR videos you can find. These are shining examples of well made media that both move the viewer and make the most of the immersive sensorial experience that VR offers.
What Can We Learn About the Best VR Videos Available?
There are many benefits to consuming media in this way. But what are they and how does the process of making a VR video play a part in how the intended audience reacts? Before we dive into the titles themselves, we’ve answered some common questions about VR and how the technology is applied to visual storytelling.
What Is VR?
VR is a digital interface that immerses the user in a 3D environment instead of having them view content on a traditional flat surface. Imagery stimulates the user to feel a sense of immediacy. It is to walk within the world that’s been created. The best VR videos do this.
What Are Some Examples of VR Equipment?
What Makes Incredible VR Videos?
The best VR videos are similar to the best videos you’ve seen. There’s a clear story being told: one that allows the viewer to connect the dots of the ideas/themes that are being portrayed. Also in the case of VR, the media is shot in a way that allows the user to feel like they are in the environment or setting that the story emerges from.
Who’s Been Pioneering the Medium?
Palmer Luckey designed the first prototype for the Oculus Rift in 2010. Since then, companies like Valve and Sony have been actively developing products for VR devices. Today, most of the major tech/media companies have begun creating in this space.
What’s Next In VR’s Story?
How We Reviewed
Overall Price Range
Most of these experiences are free to view on your own within a web-browser or tablet. However, in order to view the VR version, you must purchase the proper hardware and in some cases subscribe to a service and download an app.
What We Reviewed
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The Protectors
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Kinoscope
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The Click Effect
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The Displaced
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Waves of Grace
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Valen’s Reef
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Colosse
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Google Earth
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Ocean Rift
The Protectors
About
This film is about those tasked with protecting the elephants of Garamba National Park in Africa. The piece comes from National Geographic Documentary Films. The story takes you alongside some of the rangers during their daily activities, patrols, and targeted missions. There’s a visceral edge to the cinema that puts you there with the danger and a front seat to the terrible deeds that the poachers are perpetrating. The rangers are the last line of defense in a dwindling elephant population. Their story will compel you.
Price: Free
Where to Watch
https://www.with.in/watch/the-protectors/
Platforms
WEB, WEBVR, PSVR, GEARVR, OCULUS RIFT, VIVE, DAYDREAM, ANDROID, IOS
Kinoscope
About
Kinoscope is a fun history of cinema. It requires a little bit more effort from the user, as parts of the story unfold in different intervals across different placements utilizing the full 360 degrees. It’s told from the perspective of Mr. Cinema. It’s as if the whole compendium of all motion pictures were a person and this person was a character talking about the many lifetimes they’ve lived travelling through the great film classics of all time. This is a great watch and made our list because it’s both a fun history lesson and a humorous, eye-popping journey. This is one of the more fanciful features of the best VR videos on our list.
Price: Free
Where to Watch
https://www.with.in/watch/kinoscope/
Platforms
WEB, WEBVR, PSVR, GEARVR, OCULUS RIFT, VIVE, DAYDREAM, ANDROID, IOS
The Click Effect
About
Created by James Nestor and Sandy Smolan The Click Effect explores how dolphins and sperm whales communicate. Take a deep plunge and explore the research that Fabrice Schnoller and Fred Buyle have been conducting. You might learn how much more there is to know about these underwater beings. They know far more than our earthbound perceptions are able to comprehend.
Price: Free
Where to Watch
https://www.with.in/watch/click-effect/
Platforms
The Displaced
About
A collaboration between the New York Times and Within, this film explores the viewpoints of three separate children who’ve been displaced from their homes and way of life for different reasons related to war and persecution. What’s even more striking than the stories themselves is how one connects to their daily struggles. VR here is being employed in its highest form because the raw experience of their lives is effectively communicated. This is a must watch for anyone interested in international affairs and the intersection of psychology and geopolitics. This is one of the most moving on our ‘best VR videos’ list.
Price: Free
Where to Watch
https://www.with.in/watch/the-displaced/
Platforms
WEB, WEBVR, PSVR, GEARVR, OCULUS RIFT, VIVE, DAYDREAM, ANDROID, IOS
Waves of Grace
About
Waves of Grace explores a topic that’s difficult to bear witness to: how the Ebola disease has been ravaging places like Liberia since 2013. This is the story of a survivor. Her story, in the form of a long form prayer, is told with touching honesty and hopeful intentions for the resurrection of many devastated communities. The stories of the people that populate them and what’s next for their families and children will have you re-examining the things you take for granted every day.
Price: Free
Where to Watch
https://www.with.in/watch/waves-of-grace/
Platforms
WEB, WEBVR, PSVR, GEARVR, OCULUS RIFT, VIVE, DAYDREAM, ANDROID, IOS
Valen’s Reef
About
Valen’s Reef tells the story of how The Birdshead Seascape became the model for coral reef conservation around the world. The narration is a love note from a father to son. In the words contained, the father encourages the son the story of how the reefs near their Indonesian island came under attack from illegal fishing enterprises. The way his community pulls together and fights them off is an incredible journey to go on. Throughout there are dramatic shots of the reefs themselves, destroyed reefs, and the community that values them so highly.
Price: Free
Where to Watch
https://www.with.in/watch/valens-reef/
Platforms
WEB, WEBVR, PSVR, GEARVR, OCULUS RIFT, VIVE, DAYDREAM, ANDROID, IOS
Colosse
About
A slightly Promethean story, Colosse is a minimalist tale of a small being that interacts with an elemental titan. It’s mythic style will have you wondering aloud as you explore the dreamlike landscape with the protagonist. There’s the stuff of legend here. And by the end, you’ll see how legend is not always set in stone.
Price: Free
Where to Watch
https://www.oculus.com/experiences/rift/1001270106613504/
Platforms
Google Earth
About
Ever wondered what it would be like to experience Google Earth as if you were walking down the ‘street view’ and taking in the different landscapes? Now you’re able to. This historic project appears in a slightly altered form to fit a VR headset’s platform. There are curated tours of famous sites you can take. If you’re interested in learning more about the places you see, it’s also a great companion to the Google Expeditions app.
Price: Free
Where to Watch
https://www.oculus.com/experiences/rift/1513995308673845/
Platforms
Ocean Rift
About
Take a CGI journey under the sea and interact with its many creatures. You’ll be able to learn in depth about the deep waters of the ocean and journey through many different underwater landscapes. The marine life itself is animated in a very lifelike way, making this experience very hands on and highly experiential.
Price: $
Where to watch
https://www.oculus.com/experiences/rift/1253785157981619/
Platforms
The Verdict
Though every title on our list was unique in some way, our favorite to see, digest, and understand was The Displaced. The reason is because the story itself was so compelling and connects the viewer to global humanity in a way that’s rare to achieve. Feel free to check out this: but don’t neglect all of the other incredible titles on our list.
