Journalism college partners with NET on 360 video project

University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Journalism and Mass Communications professor of practice Matt Waite and student Tony Papousek partnered with NET to take viewers into a Nebraska sale barn.

Waite and Papousek, a senior journalism major from Clarkson, created a 360 video of the Beatrice 77 sale barn during a live auction. The interactive video gives viewers a look into the experience from every angle.

For more than a year, the partnership and others allowed NET and the college to work on digital journalism projects.

Waite and Papousek worked with NET Harvest Public Media’s Brian Seifferlein and Grant Gerlock on the project.

“The ability to immerse somebody in a story – take them to that place – it’s a whole new way of telling stories,” Waite said.

The video is an interactive experience, especially when viewed on a mobile device. As the viewer moves the device in different directions, the video moves as if the viewer is there looking around the scene. On a desktop, the viewer can use the cursor to scroll around in all directions.

“A 360 video is a completely different experience than anything else our viewers and followers would experience,” said NET news director Dennis Kellogg. “This really brought together the strengths of NET and the College of Journalism and Mass Communications, both bringing different things to the table.”

Papousek worked on this project as an independent study with Waite, and it was a long process to get to the end result. They had to first learn the hardware needed to create the video. Then, they had to figure out the complex software required to piece the video together.

“Three-sixty video is a new and exciting field,” Papousek said. “Working with technology can be frustrating at times, but the end results are amazing.”

They used a six-lens camera rig to get the scene from every angle and then stitched the videos together.

“We had a lot to learn, and they had a lot to learn,” Waite said.

Waite said he hopes this is the first of many projects the college and its students work on with NET.

To view the video, click here. On a phone, move the device in all directions to take a better look around. On a desktop, use the cursor to scroll around in all directions.

NET operates the statewide public service network, which includes NET Television, NET Radio, NET Learning Services and NET Technology Services. To learn more, click here.