360° Video Production

Here is the short of it. 360-degree video production in China combines Shenzhen-engineered camera technology with some of the world's most photogenic immersive backdrops. Insta360 — the Shenzhen-headquartered manufacturer that dominates the global 360 camera market — sits at the heart of the local production pipeline, alongside DJI imaging support and Z CAM arrays sourced through the Pearl River Delta supply chain. We set up 360 shoots with VR-skilled crews working out of Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen. This includes pro studios like Sandman Studios, Pico Interactive and the XR teams at Tencent Animation and iQiyi VR.

Here is how this works in practice. Heritage 360 content for Chinese tourism platforms — virtual tours of the Forbidden City, the Great Wall sections at Mutianyu and Jinshanling, the Terracotta Warriors at Xi'an and the Bund waterfront in Shanghai — runs alongside corporate immersive work for Tmall, JD and the Alibaba product launch calendar. Stereoscopic 360 capture for VR headset delivery uses multi-camera rigs balanced for the Quest, Pico and HTC Vive ecosystems, with ambisonic audio captured for spatial playback. Productions filming inside cultural heritage sites set up with the Cultural Relics Bureau alongside the standard NRTA filming approvals.

Here is the breakdown. Our process pairs the 360 pro crew with a Chinese business entity partner — needed for foreign shoots filming in the mainland — and routes the shoot through the NRTA. The Chinese Federation of Cultural Companies for approval. Camera selection runs from Insta360 Pro 2 and Titan rigs for efficient single-operator shoots through to RED 360 multi-camera arrays for premium streaming work, with custom builds ready where the brief calls for ultra-high resolution or specific stereo configurations.

Here is what that looks like on the ground. The picture on the ground is more specific. Lighting is hidden in the scene since the camera sees in each direction. Our gaffers work with battery-driven LED panels concealed behind set dressing, practical lamps and existing daylight rather than the traditional film-set rig. Post runs through Chinese stitching pipelines familiar with Insta360 firmware, with nadir cleanup, stabilisation, HDR grading and platform-specific delivery for YouTube VR, Meta Quest, Pico, the Tencent Video VR vertical and the China-specific Bilibili immersive feeds. Spatial audio mixing handles the ambisonic capture for headset playback, with deliverables aligned to client master specs and the 17% VAT processed through the Chinese partner entity invoicing.