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Both Virtual Reality (VR) 360 and 3D have the power to engage audiences in the action and emotion of a film narrative or performance, but combine the two together and you can create a compelling and highly immersive experience that brings the audience directly into the “reality” of the scenes.  This is exactly what film producers and directors Fred Beahm (www.fredbeahm.com)  and Bogdan Darev (www.bogdandarev.com) have done in “The Cabiri: Anubis”, a 3D/360VR film, now showing at the Seattle International Film Festival’s (SIFF) VR Zone (www.siff.net) on May 18 through June 10.

The Cabiri, a Seattle-based performance-art group (http://www.cabiri.org, creates highly stylistic and athletic dance and entertainment routines that awe audiences at theater venues throughout North America. Now audiences around the world can enjoy their breathtaking performances by dancers, aerialists, and acrobats in an immersive 3D/360VR film that can easily be streamed from the Pixvana app (www.pixvana.com) to the new a  Oculus Go headset (www.oculus.com/oculusgo), which is specifically designed for 3D and 360 streaming and viewing.   

“Other than a live show, 3D/360VR is the ideal medium for viewers to experience The Cabiri’s highly creative and breathtaking performances. Because they have the feeling of being within the scene, the viewers become so engaged in the experience that they feel the emotional and dramatic impact,” said Beahm, who is also the cinematographer, editor, and post-production artist for the Cabiri film. “I’m driven by creativity every day, so for me it’s truly thrilling to see audiences actively respond to this medium of performance and entertainment.”

Beahm has a long list of credits to his name in the roles of editor, producer, director, and post-production artist. But he also has a strong affinity for the post-production process that requires a keen sense of the look and feel a director or producer is striving to achieve in a film. The digital post-production process is a series of artistic and technical functions that take a film from raw footage to a good film result, and with the right post artist and software tools, to a great film.

“I put a strong emphasis on the post-production process because along with a great story and cinematography, it’s a key component of a noteworthy film. VR and 3D require several complex steps and you want to use tools that simplify the process so that you can save time and stay within budget,” said Beahm.

“For The Cabiri film, I used the Kandao Obsidian S camera, filming in 6K 3D360, I then used SGO’s Mistika VR for their Stereo 3D optical-flow stitching; I edited in Adobe’s Premiere Pro CC 2018; and I finished in Assimilate’s SCRATCH VR (www.assimilateinc.com),  utilizing their powerful 3D/360 VR painting, tracking, and color grading tools. I then delivered in 4K 3D360 to Pixvana’s Spin Studio,” said Beahm.

The Cabiri group is very pleased to bring their live performances to a broader audience via a 3D/360 film. "Being part of a VR shoot I was very aware of how the cameras were part of the story, as if another character was present with us. It was also very interesting to get to connect with the camera and acknowledge its presence - something we have to work hard not to do in traditional film. VR is a wonderful tool for inviting the viewer into the otherworldly realms we create,” said Charly McCreary, performer and managing director of The Cabiri.

Learn more about the Seattle International Film Festival at www.siff.net.