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The One Take 360° Music Video Experience of OneRepublic

The pop rock band teamed up with Here Be Dragons to challenge what we’ve seen in the past from music experiences.

The same VR studio that brought U2’s “Song for Someone” to life as a virtual reality music video with Apple Music has released a new immersive music experience — this time with a group of younger artists and completely void of cuts.

With over 100 perfectly choreographed actors and a VR camera on a cable rig, Chris Milk’s studio Here Be Dragons created a VR experience for fans that brings them closer than ever to the multi-platinum and Grammy-nominated band OneRepublic, who coincidentally enough has cited U2 as heavy influences on their music.

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The immersive 360° video experience is for OneRepublic’s newest single “Kids,” a song off their fourth studio album Oh My My, which is set for release October 7th.

The “Kids” VR experience premiered Tuesday at Advertising Week, New York, during the “VR is ‘Kids’ Play” lunch and panel presented by Universal Music and the Tribeca Film Festival. In partnership with Universal Music and Interscope Records, Here Be Dragons produced and shot the VR music experience with the Nokia OZO, the company’s $45,000 professional virtual reality camera system. MPC lead post-production.

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In a smooth and a quite beautiful way, the entire experience was captured in one take, making use of a cable camera system where the Nokia OZO shuttles back and forth between a girl and a boy living in opposite apartments. Directed by Here Be Dragons’ Hal Kirkland, the story follows the two teenagers as they witness each others’ lives through their windows. Their neighborly proximity pushes them to compete for dominance in a kind of romantic encounter, all while OneRepublic assembles for a jam session in the courtyard below.

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“Virtual reality is something that’s incredibly interesting to us because it gives us the opportunity to engage fans in a new way,” said OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder. “We’re excited to be able to give our fans a way to step inside our music and live in our latest single.”

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We are constantly told as VR creators how long 360° video cuts in VR should be to ensure a comfortable viewing experience. Although a no-cut approach is something that requires a ton of difficult choreographed planning, when it’s done correctly like in the case of “Kids,” you end up with a piece that is not only comfortable, but mirrors more closely to a natural human experience that actually heightens the immersion level and keeps you as the viewer engaged and wanting more.

For now, the VR music experience is only available exclusively on the Within app for you to download or stream on your smartphone or VR headset at home.

Here Be Dragons is responsible for a number of immersive video experiences that we have covered in the past, including diving into the mind of Mr. Robot that premiered at Comic-Con and the New York Times’ first virtual reality film Take Flight.

About the Scout

Jonathan Nafarrete

Jonathan Nafarrete is the co-founder of VRScout.

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