As we build and curate Blend Media’s library of 4k-8k 360˚ video content, we’re constantly assessing what content we have in our collection, where the potential gaps are and what our clients are asking for. Bearing in mind that it’s currently winter in the Northern Hemisphere and summer in the Southern Hemisphere, my team and I have been doing our research and have pulled together a list of content you should be shooting in 360˚ over the next few months:
Northern Hemisphere:
Snowy resorts, alpine scenes, Scandinavian winter
Canadian & US Rockies, National Parks
Winter city scenes
Drone shots over winter landscapes, frozen lakes, through snowy forests
Winter vistas and landscapes, real time & time-lapse, snowy or frosty landscapes, misty scenes
Deserted, snowy town squares with Christmas decorations, quaint European streets, silent nights
Model released skiing, snowboarding, langlaufen (cross country skiing), winter action sports
Model released winter hiking (Alpine, forests, rural landscapes)
Southern Hemisphere:
As well as all the wonderful locations in real time and timelapse, ground level and drone, remember that shooting during the summer months is great for capturing model released lifestyle using the locations as backdrops. So for example, scenes of people playing football or volleyball on the iconic Ipanema Beach, hiking in Patagonia, paragliding or kayaking in New Zealand, surfing or paddle boarding in Australia, game fishing off Cape Town, riding in a boat along the Amazon, picking grapes in the Hunter Valley. Use inventive ways of capturing the footage and try to use models, family, friends… Remember we are producing immersive content so use your skills and imagination to make the viewer feel as though they are immersed in the experience you are filming. This makes the content compelling and valuable. Please try and remove the rigs and tripods entirely. Our clients prefer it and they prefer it also if the rigs are not obscured by black tripod caps or logos.
Argentina: Buenos Aires, La Boca, Iguazu Falls & National Park, Perito Moreno Glacier, Nahuel Huapi National Park, Lake & Tronador Volcano, Lanin National Park, Patagonia, Punta Tombo
Brazil: Rio, Sao Paolo, Brasilia, Recife, Salvador, Iguazu Falls & National Park, Amazon River & Rainforest. Model released beach lifestyle, hiking, exploring
Shoot from a float at the Rio de Janeiro carnival or other carnival shots
Argentinian, Australian, New Zealand & South African wine regions
South Africa: Cape Town, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, Durban – no safari required
Australia: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Darwin, Perth, Adelaide, Alice Springs. The Blue Mountains, the Hunter Valley, scenes of the outback, cityscapes, sailing, exercising in the park, running along coastal paths, swimming in the beach pools
Namibia: Kolmanskop, Skeleton Coast, Sossusvlei. Haunting places that are crying out to be shot in 360
Model released BBQ’s and beach picnics in Australia
New Zealand: Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Queenstown, Milford Sound, Bay of Islands, Waiotapu, Huka Falls, Cathedral Cove, Mount Aspiring National Park, Doubtful Sound, Hot Water Beach, Mount Cook, Rotorua
New Zealand: Lake Taupo, Lake Wanaka, Lake Tekapo, Abel Tasman National Park, Tongariro National Park, Westland Tai Poutini National Park. Parachuting, paragliding, bungee jumping, canyoning, kayaking
Commercial and Editorial content
As much as we need beautiful and iconic locations shot both in real time and time lapse and at the right time of day, we urge you also to consider shooting model released and/or property released content. Commercial content can be used to commercialise, sell, promote or advertise a product, business or service. For commercial content, permission is required from property owners and any recognisable people in the clip, whereas editorial content does not because this content is not used to advertise or promote or commercialise anything. Commercial content requires:
Permission from each and every recognisable person in the image in the form of a signed MODEL RELEASE which gives that person’s permission for the filmmaker to license the content commercially.
Signed PROPERTY RELEASE if shot on recognisable private property or is taken on public property but features distinctive private property.
No visible trademarks, company names or logos visible in the clip.
That the image is free of any intellectual copyright infringements including artwork, graffiti and tattoos.
Editorial content is the opposite of commercial in that it can’t be used to sell, promote, or advertise a business, product or service. It can contain logos, business names and recognizable people without model releases. Editorial can be used for news, educational or editorial purposes like factual programming and documentaries.
Although filming editorial content does not generally require a property release there are many places around the world that have restrictions on them either in the way they can be filmed or how content that contains those locations can be used. It can be a bit of a minefield but creators should always check to see if there are image/copyright restrictions on certain locations or buildings or if special permits are required to film there.
All Brazilian National Parks and most US National Parks require special permits to film commercially within them.
All National Trust Properties in the UK have restrictions and permission is required to film on them.
The Eiffel Tower is fine to film during the day and license commercially but at night when lit, the lighting designs have copyright restrictions and those clips can’t be licensed.
A clip in which the Sydney Opera House is the most prominent building cannot be licensed commercially. Only Editorially.
It’s always worth checking before you film – Google usually has the answer… and we can help of course so feel free to ask. Our team at Blend can help with this if you ever need guidance or help with researching any possible restrictions or permits required to film on certain locations or to film certain buildings.
Finally, if you are planning to film at a festival, concert, sports game, fashion show, film premiere, you do not require model or property releases for your editorial content but you may require press accreditation to enable you to license your clips.
