This article was first published in the November 2015 issue of WIRED magazine. Be the first to read WIRED's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
We may still be in the pre-dawn hours of the virtual reality age -- consumer headsets from Oculus, Sony and HTC are coming within months. But after more than two years in development, the Jaunt Neo camera is here to help film-makers create the virtual movies of their non-virtual dreams.
Until now, capturing 360° 3D video has meant rigging together an array of GoPro or Red cameras; the Neo packs 24 custom-built lenses. More importantly, it does away with the painstaking post-production that bogs down most virtual reality shoots.
Synchronised cameras and Jaunt's algorithm allow for an all-encompassing image with no visible stitching. Don't bother getting out your credit card, though.
The company is making the Neo available only to its "creative partners" -- which, once contracts dry, means some of Hollywood's top directors. It's clear that the revolution won't just be televised. It'll be fully immersive.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
