VideoBlocks has always been ahead of the pack. Seven years ago, the membership-based stock video service was the first to introduce 4K video content to its users. Now, VideoBlocks is exploring a new territory by being the first service to provide virtual reality stock footage.
iDigitalTimes spoke to Joel Holland, founder and executive chairman of VideoBlocks, about the company’s latest venture. The launch of virtual reality headsets like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive is exciting for the entertainment industry. VR headsets provide a new medium to create engaging content and VideoBlocks recognized the need for interactive stock footage.
“We’ve been looking at virtual reality for the last year kind of skeptically at first because we weren’t sure it was going to go the way that 3D went, which was kind of a fad and a total waste of time,” Holland said. “But virtual reality is taking on a life of its own. A lot of camera manufacturers are getting into this space. Distributors like YouTube and Netflix are starting to get into [virtual reality]...we saw this happening and customers began to reach out and ask us, ‘Do you have virtual reality content?’ It’s the Wild West now with no real standard what [VR] means.”
VideoBlocks members will be provider 360 degree videos for VR to be used in different ways. Holland explained the VR stock videos are mostly to “carry along an experience” the creator is trying to portray, like showing the viewer what it’s like to be amongst African wildlife to providing a breathtaking view from outer space.
The company also partnered with filmmakers from Ovrture, OFFHOLLYWOOD, Atmosphaeres, DeepVR, Subvrsive and 360Labs to create a variety of content for its users. The cost is $399 per clip for 360 degree monoscopic footage and $499 per clip for 360 3D stereoscopic content. Gretta Pittard, vice president of content acquisition and contributor engagement for VideoBlocks, told iDigitalTimes the company wants to provide videos to for its users no matter what their budget may be.
“Our user base is pretty varied. We have everyone from editors who work at networks using our [stock footage] to new creators posting new content on YouTube,” Pittard said. “One of our missions is to kind of democratize that footage from that creative class. There’s so many creators out there now, but not all of them have massive budgets. For [VideoBlocks], being able to supply reasonably priced [footage] to people who are not backed by ad revenue is really important to us, especially in this new field [of virtual reality].”
VideoBlocks provides contributors with a platform to upload 360 degree video to sell on its website as well. Contributors to VideoBlocks’ VR stock footage will receive 100 percent commission on all of the footage sold through its service. Learn more about VideoBlocks’ transition to VR stock footage on its official website here .
