With Facebook and YouTube fully supporting 360° video on their platforms and consumer 360° cameras making their way into the hands of creators around the world, it comes as no surprise that music artists are experimenting with VR to create 360° music videos of their own.
Over the past year we’ve come across a variety of 360° music videos on YouTube ranging from simple static camera shoots to psychedelic space trips and dancing holograms. A few you may have already seen, but some maybe not. So we decided to round up some of the more engaging music videos we’ve stumbled across.
Here are 13 music artists that are are experimenting with immersive music videos that you can check out right now.
Fort Minor – Welcome
Mike Shinoda, the multi-instrumentalist and producer of the rock band Linkin Park, has taken on the stage name Fort Minor for his revamped hip-hop career. Produced by The Uprising Creative, the song “Welcome” is made into a 360° music video displaying scenes from Venice Beach, California. In the video, you will be introduced to the people that belong to the community of Venice and cut up sections of a timelapse featuring a striking graffiti mural.
Avicii – Waiting For Love
Released a year ago, “Waiting for Love” by the Swedish producer Avicii is still one of the most popular 360° music videos to date. In the video, there are doors outlining 270° and a group of TV screens taking up the remaining 90°. This gives you the chance to sit down and watch the video while comfortably turning your head. The skilled dancers grab your attention as they perform a choreographed dance coming in and out of the doors. Another appealing aspect of the music video is that it fades in and out of various hues and saturation color combinations. These effects are made to match the rhythm of the beat of the song.
Björk – Stonemilker
The Icelandic singer-songwriter Björk recorded a 360° music video for one of her most popular songs off her latest album Vulnicura called “Stonemilker”. The video was shot on a breathtakingly beautiful beach in Iceland. With the help of Vrse.works and the Truenorth production crew, the video makes for a peaceful and elegant experience. As Björk’s dress effortlessly blows in the wind, she sings around the camera and directs your attention around the scenic surroundings.
Run the Jewels – Crown
The New York based hip-hop group Run the Jewels came out with a 360° music video last May. The video stuck to an all black background with layered visual effects of lightning storms. The simplicity of the music video helps you focus on the lyrics and the meaning behind them. Rap member El-P dresses up as an executive and an American soldier to make the lyrics even more understandable.
FOALS – Mountain At My Gates
The music video begins by pulling you into a picture. The band is playing in every direction with multiple points of interest (POIs) to focus on. The lead singer and guitarist, Yannis Philippakis, are also dancing around 180 degrees of the space. The intentional monochrome coloring complements the birds flying across the environment. As the song fades away the mountains begin to crumble and special effects are used at the end to add to the intensity of the song.
#GoogleMissKoNa 360 Music Video for OFWs
The band surrounds you while TV screens are projecting videos from every direction, leaving you contemplating where they want you to focus your attention. The sweet melody of the song gives you a personal experience as if the band is singing to you.
Redfoo – Booty Man
The production crew behind “Booty Man” surely put a lot of thought behind this music video. In the video, there are clever visual tactics to keep the viewer engaged from every angle. An interesting trick used during the video was utilizing mirrors to create optical illusions of the dancers. By the middle of the video, Redfoo begins spinning on a large platform with props and dancers surrounding him. This gives the viewer the option to comfortably turn their head without feeling like they are missing any part of the video. The transitions in the video are also well thought out and work seamlessly with the subject matter.
School of Rock: The Musical – You’re in the Band
Anyone who was a School of Rock movie fan will appreciate this. School of Rock the Musical recreated a scene from the movie when the substitute teacher first jams out with his students. This is a great example of how to highlight points of interest in a video. The substitute has each student play an instrument and over the course of the entire music video, each band member is highlighted and shows off their talent. No matter which direction you from there is something attention worthy and engaging to see.
Moses Sumney
Like many 360° music videos to date, artists and bands have used self-replication to cover each direction of space. Moses Sumney has taken this approach but has added a little twist to this style. He replicates himself to the beat of the song as he claps his hands. Together with sounds made by the cars in the scene and his voice, Sumney is able to create a catchy melody and entertaining video.
Roomie – This Summer (Maroon 5 Cover)
Youtube star Roomie rides around and explores London in a carriage during the beginning scenes of his music video covering Maroon 5’s “This Summer”. The singer consistently stays front and center as he sings around the city, with smooth transitions that make it seem like the viewer is blinking. Sing-along lyrics are displayed around the clips and different events take place throughout the song.
Seven – No
This Swiss musician stitched together three different scenes, making them each unique points of interest. Each scene is different but sticks to an overall style of geometric platforms and soft lighting. The route that SEVEN took by stitching together three different scenes gives him the advantage and freedom to work and play around with lighting. Normally is difficult to film 360° and get the desired lighting an artist wants for the music video without showing the light fixtures. By stitching together the 3 different scenes, the traditional style of filming in for a 2D environment is not compromised and previous lighting techniques can be done.
Dawn Richard – Not Above That
Los Angeles-based VR Playhouse does an excellent job demonstrating the potential and endless possibilities for visual effects in 360° music videos. The video is a great example of how computer graphics, music, and filmmaking can overlap. Wrapped around space imagery, you have the option to watch singing hologram heads or dancers gyrate, as you encounter the wonders of black holes, wormholes, and nebulas.
Muse – Revolt
Shot on location in Prague, the story makes use of the themes contained within Muse’s latest album, Drones. Through the creative use of transitions and aerial drone POVs, the video takes you into a dystopian future where rebel women fight against cold cyborg riot police.
What were some of your favorite 360° music videos you’ve come across, let us know in the comments below.
