360 animation is a great way to create a high level of immersion for viewers. Currently, 14% of video marketers say they use it, and 74% of those say that it’s been successful for them. This is because it places the viewer in the center of the action and allows them to experience what’s going on from a first-person perspective.

For the success of such a video, it’s crucial that that immersion is not broken. Discussed below are some mistakes to avoid if you want to keep the viewer’s immersion level at an all-time high.

1. No Directional Cues in Your 360 Animation

While it is important to keep the viewer in control while they’re watching your 360 animation video, you also don’t want them missing out on important moments. As such, it is necessary for you to put small, subtle visual cues in your animation.

These cues could be as simple as “look left” or “look right” if the viewer is not looking in the right direction and is about to miss something crucial to the experience.

Not including directional cues also means missing out on ways to add to the viewer experience. For example, if you want to scare or shock the user, you could include a flashing “turn around” cue to prompt them into turning around and experiencing what’s behind them.

2. Quick and Unnecessary Camera Movement

Unnecessary and janky camera movement makes for uncomfortable viewing. This is true regardless of the medium you’re watching it on. In a 360 animation, it can completely ruin the experience and make your viewer feel sick. A good tip is to keep the camera movement slow and smooth.

If you have to include quick camera movements, make it make sense in the context of the scene. For example, fast camera movement could be used when moving in a car or traveling from one point to another.

3. Not Keeping the Viewer in Control

A good tip for making immersive 360 animation videos is to avoid anything that can take the viewer out of the experience. For the most part, it’s pretty easy to do this. However, there are some things that directors do unknowingly that can ruin a viewer’s experience by taking control away from them. They are as follows.

1. Panning and tilting the camera – The camera should only pan and tilt when the user moves their head.
2. Horizon lines that aren’t level – A level shot is crucial to maintaining a proper viewing experience. Viewers don’t watch videos with their heads tilted to one side, so your video shouldn’t be tilted either. Any tilts and unevenness should be fixed post-production.

Conclusion

360 animation is a great way to tell stories and improve the viewer experience but it is also very easy to make mistakes when producing them. By keeping these common mistakes in mind and avoiding them in your animation, you will go a long way towards creating some great 360 animation videos.