Here and Now
A film about crossed paths in the heart of New York’s grandest of meeting places, Grand Central Station. Made to demonstrate Facebook’s 360 Surround camera and VR’s potential for narrative storytelling, encouraging the viewer to follow any of the multiple storylines as the action developed around them.
400+ extras, 40 principal cast members, and closing down Grand Central Station for three nights of filming – with a camera that was still in development at the time of filming. It was unlike any other production.
But the camera is pointless without good content. Which is why Grand Central Station felt like an authentic location for a film focused on people coming together with all their chaotic, everyday beauty. All of it taking place under the shining lights and beautiful ceiling of the station.
The film at the top of this page represents the best experience of Here and Now that you can explore without a VR headset. Move around, follow separate moments as they interweave and gaze at the station for as long as you like. In contrast, the recording above is a set view I recorded when Zuck shared the film on Facebook and you’ll see the direction change to focus on what I wanted the viewer to see — a more traditional experience. The full film pushed out a 360 3D image at 8K resolution, and a slightly downgraded version of the full film is available in the Oculus video store (the original was 100GB).