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After successfully demonstrating a surround videoÌýset-up to an impressed public at Maker FaireÌýin Newcastle the previous week, a contingent comprising of Max Leonard, Alice Whittle, Matt Shotton and me set off to Blackpool from the North Lab with the aim of filming a short piece in surround video with AmbisonicsÌýaudio with Inside Out North West presenter Jacey Normand. In addition to collecting some additional footage for demonstration purposes, our aim was to highlight some of the potential issues a production crew might face when implementing the technology in a complex location shoot.

The concept of surround video is to enhance a normal television experience by adding extra contextual visual information all around the television in a typical living room. Graham Thomas explains more about it in his video here. The capturing rig consists of two cameras mounted next to each other, one with a fish-eye lens with a viewing angle of almost 180 degrees.

Max and me setting up the surround video rig at Blackpool Tower Ballroom

One of the biggest issues faced by this prototype system its lengthy and exacting calibration procedure required before playback. The throw, orientation, keystone, size and position of the projected image relative to the television must be set before viewing can begin. Currently, there is no layer in the software which can re-factor the surrounding projection based on centre image source which means that zoom for both cameras must remain fixed for the duration of the entire shoot. The vast available space in our first location - the magnificent , afforded us quite a luxury in side stepping the above problem by framing our shots by varying the proximity of the subject to the lens, rather than by zooming. This worked up to a point, but some of our ideas for more distant shots (especially those on the upper balconies) were curbed by the reach of the lenses which had already been set at a compromise for all the shots we intended to take.

The lavish decoration and marvellous acoustic of the ball room provided us with the perfect footage to demonstrate the merits of being immersed in combined surround video and ambisonics, and after being treated to the sound of master organist Phil Kelsall on the hundred year old Wurlitzer, we moved outdoors for some exterior shots to finish Jacey's pieces to camera.Ìý

Bidding farewell to Jacey, we moved on down the front towards the Pleasure Beach to meet veteran NWT camera man, Andy Cooke. Surround video lends itself very well to point of view motion and it is for this reason that the initial test footage was shot on the Docklands Light Railway in London's east end. We decided to take this one step further: Standing at 72m above the water front, at Blackpool's Pleasure Beach dominates the southern facing skyline. Andy had previous experience in filming The Big One when it opened some 16 years ago, and between us, we hoped we could come up with a safe and practical way of mounting our camera system to the front of the roller-coaster and getting back some usable footage without it plummeting 200 feet to the ground below. I've never been nervous of roller-coasters but it would be fair to say the most nerve wracking roller-coaster experience was stood watching the cars go around the track hoping the surround video rig would stay attached to the front car. Thankfully Andy's experience of rigging cameras to Roller-coasters paid off; the equipment survived and we got enough footage include in the demonstration.