Anyone who’s ever passed through the Fraser Valley has likely laid eyes upon Mt. Cheam and possibly wondered about the view from atop the mountain’s 6,903 ft. peak. Now, through the efforts of an immersive media firm in the Lower Mainland, anyone can enjoy hiking the impressive mountain.
Boris Maganic, owner of Metro Vancouver’s 360Pros Virtual Media Inc., recently brought out his equipment for a friendly hike up Cheam with his wife and some friends.
“We wanted to hike four or five hours and Cheam (seemed) like it had a good view by looking at some of the photos on Google,” explained Maganic during a telephone interview.
Maganic says although he lives in Coquitlam and was raised in North Vancouver, he’d known about the mountain as it has always on his list of local attractions to see.
Cheam didn’t disappoint.
“It was a good workout, but it’s what you see that’s really amazing,” continued the videographer. And now he’s made those sights available for anyone to experience.
“As far as views go, it’s in my top two (and) it was one of my favourite videos (to) put together.”
With a focus on creating videos that make “viewers feel like they’re there,” Maganic used a special camera with back-to-back lenses to capture images and create a video that places the viewer directly on the slopes of Cheam.
And with the help of his cellphone, Maganic was able to create a 3D image of a burned-out truck they found just past the start of the trail head, which he says is just a small example of what can be done with the sort of technology he employs.
“It’s pretty amazing. Just imagine using an (expensive) digital camera, or a drone to survey acres of land. Not only do you get realistic 3D models, but you can take accurate measurements. A 100 different people in a 100 different offices can use and extract information from the same (document).”
At the end of the day, though, Maganic is glad his video is giving locals and foreigners alike the chance to experience Cheam from wherever they may be.
“Who knows, maybe this kind of immersive media can inspire others to live an active and healthy lifestyle while exploring their own backyard,” added Maganic.
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