Felix and Paul Studios, a Montreal-based company, is an industry-leading technology platform for virtual reality filming. Together with Facebook, Felix and Paul Studios are releasing a five episode series, “Striving for Greatness,” staring LeBron James. The first video, published on September 23, takes fans into a 360-degree representation of James’ training. It puts you right into the action of the session.
Posted by LeBron James on Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Facebook 360 has also partnered with Saturday Night Live and Star Wars. The collaboration with James is through Bleacher Report’s “Uninterrupted”, which is a series of athlete video testimonials. The 360-degree Facebook video can be viewed on Androids and computers, but it is not yet available for iPhones. Users can drag their fingers or computer mouse around the screen to get a full 360-degree view of the court.
LeBron James is beginning his 13th season in the NBA with a different approach. “I’m kind of breaking my game down, all the way to the basics and starting over,” James stated. “Just trying to hone my skills, getting back to the basics, back to the fundamentals of the game. If I can do that, I believe that not only will I get better, my team will improve.”
Fans will be able to watch him courtside training with the Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Phil Handy or see him performing strength and conditioning exercises with Mike Mancias. You can look up at the basket as James practices his shooting and slam dunks, or watch other people working out nearby. It takes viewers from the court, to the gym and to yoga sessions.
“It’s a lot of fun to pan over to LeBron and have to pan up because he’s so huge,” jokes Felix and Paul’s Paul Raphaël. “I think he enjoyed it quite a bit because the way we shoot is we position the camera and leave. We got these really intimate moments where he’s just being himself.”
It is important to show fans that it takes work to become one the best basketball players in the world. “I never take the game for granted. I was born with some God-given talents and I understand that, but I work my ass off, I work my tail off every single day, and not when you guys see it. Not when the lights are on or the cameras are on or when the anchors are talking about it, things of that nature. I’m in the gym actually putting in the work, trying to improve,” James said.
The 360-degree videos of James will create possibilities for other sports teams to engage fans to their favorite players. It is another opportunity for social media to connect fans and athletes on a closer level.