Over the weekend, Casey Neistat made the announcement that he would be ending his prolific career as a daily vlogger — it was heartbreaking. The YouTuber who commands close to 6 million subscribers is moving on to more creative endeavors. Exactly what is still unknown, but if we had it our way, we hope he takes a serious look at 360° video and VR storytelling.
And maybe that’s not out of the question. Neistat shared one of the first 360 videos shot with the Gear 360 back in March from the Oscar’s and kicked off the U.S. launch of the 360 camera at VidCon. Now only a day before Neistat called it quits on vlogging, Samsung has shared a promo video for the Gear 360 camera that has Neistat showing American supermodel Karlie Kloss the ropes when shooting 360° video with the consumer camera.
Filmed back in September, the duo chats about the different features of the Gear 360 in-between fashion shoots. In no way is the promo a comprehensive look at 360° video techniques, but is instead meant to be a more accessible and easier to understand overview of the camera that can often be complicated for mass market consumers. This might be something you would send to a friend who has no idea what a 360 camera is.
We know this all part of a larger marketing deal with Nesitat, Kloss, and Samsung’s line of products, but it’s great to see Samsung working hard to make their Gear VR and Gear 360 camera understandable to a larger consumer audience. With broadcast commercials and event activations like we’ve seen at Lollapalooza or the Rock in Rio festival, Samsung is introducing millions of consumers to VR with a more lifestyle approach. Considering the nightmare Samsung is dealing with their recalled Note 7 phones, maybe Samsung will continue to lean in on their VR product line.
In case you’re wondering why Kloss, the supermodel most recently made headlines when she unveiled her mission to increase access to computer science education and inspire women to learn code through her initiative, Kode With Klossy. Her partnership with Samsung to explore new technology like 360° and VR content creation with the Samsung Gear 360 is a welcome addition in inspiring a younger generation.
Earlier this month, The New York Times announced they would be publishing daily 360° videos from journalists around the world who will be armed with the Samsung Gear 360 camera. The Daily 360 kicked off on November 1st and is being published to NYTimes.com and its mobile and VR apps, as well as to Samsung VR, the company’s VR content service. The project will likely usher in a new era in journalism, showing that a major national publication can successfully produce immersive video content daily.
The Samsung Gear 360, is an affordable consumer 360-degree camera that retails for $349.99 and can be picked from major in-store retailers including AT&T, Best Buy, Sprint, U.S. Cellular, and Verizon Wireless stores, in addition to its continued sale online.
Image Credit: Samsung YouTube
