Marc Caro 360 film production was an unusual opportunity to explore immersive cinema alongside one of France’s most visually distinctive filmmakers.
In 2019, I worked as a 360° camera operator on Dans la Lune, an experimental science-fiction project written and directed by Marc Caro. I also directed the behind-the-scenes making-of film, documenting the challenges of creating a cinematic world in 360°.
From camera placement and immersive set design to managing a film environment without conventional off-screen space, the production offered a fascinating insight into VR filmmaking.
Marc Caro 360 Film Production: A New Perspective on Cinema
What happens when you take a filmmaker known for surreal worlds, strange machines and unmistakable visual storytelling, then give him a camera that sees everything?
In 2019, I had the opportunity to collaborate with French filmmaker Marc Caro, co-director of the cult films Delicatessen (1991) and The City of Lost Children (1995), on an experimental 360° film production.
The project, Dans la Lune, was a science-fiction pilot combining retro-futuristic aesthetics, theatrical set design and immersive cinema.
My contribution was as 360° camera operator, and I also directed the behind-the-scenes making-of film documenting this unusual production.
Looking back several years later, it remains a fascinating example of what happens when traditional filmmaking meets the very different rules of virtual reality.
Dans la Lune: A Journey into Immersive Science Fiction
Written and directed by Marc Caro, Dans la Lune was conceived as the pilot for a 360° science-fiction web series.
Inspired by the imaginary worlds of Georges Méliès and Jules Verne, the story follows three unusual characters on a journey to the Moon: a professor, a pilot and a robot.
The visual universe combines retro science fiction, theatrical machinery, humour and steampunk influences.
The project was produced by Les Docs du Nord and filmed in 2019 during the Festival Premiers Plans in Angers, France, in a studio open to the public.
The set brought together the work of production designer Jean Rabasse and students from ENSA Nantes, creating a distinctive environment specifically suited to immersive filming.
Unlike a conventional film set, however, there was one major complication: the camera could see in every direction.
360° Film Production: What Happens When There Is No Off-Screen Space?
In traditional cinema, the director decides what the audience sees through framing and editing.
A light stand can sit outside the shot. A technician can stand behind the camera. A microphone can be placed just beyond the edge of the frame.
In 360° filmmaking, those familiar hiding places disappear.
The camera captures its surroundings, making the position of equipment, crew members, lighting and scenery a fundamental part of production planning.
For a project as visually ambitious as Dans la Lune, this created several important challenges.
Camera Placement and Invisible Crew
As the 360° camera operator, my role was to work within the constraints of panoramic capture while supporting the visual intentions of the director and cinematographer.
In immersive filmmaking, camera position is not simply about finding an attractive angle. It determines the spectator’s point of view, their distance from the actors and the relationship between the audience and the fictional world.
Just as importantly, the crew and technical equipment must be positioned to avoid unwanted appearances in the panoramic image or be accounted for during post-production.
Directing Attention Without Traditional Framing
A conventional close-up can immediately tell the viewer where to look.
In a 360° film, the audience has much more freedom to explore the scene.
This means that movement, performance, lighting, sound and scenic design become essential tools for guiding attention.
The filmmaker must think not only about what happens in front of the viewer but also about what happens beside or behind them.
It is one of the most exciting creative challenges of immersive storytelling.
Sets, Lighting and Visual Effects in VR
360° production also requires a different approach to art direction and technical preparation.
The environment must remain visually convincing across a much wider field of view, while lighting equipment and other production elements need careful placement.
Depending on the production, stitching, image clean-up, compositing and visual effects may also be required to achieve the intended result.
For Dans la Lune, the combination of physical sets and 360° post-production techniques was central to creating its unusual science-fiction universe.
Behind the Scenes with Marc Caro — My Making-of Film
Alongside my work operating the 360° camera, I directed a making-of video to document the production.
It captures an interesting moment in immersive filmmaking: a team of experienced cinema professionals adapting their creative process to a medium with different technical and storytelling constraints.
From the set construction to the camera setup and the performances, the footage offers a glimpse into the collaborative work behind this experiment.
Watch the behind-the-scenes film:
Making of – Vers la Lune – 360° Film Directed by Marc Caro
The making-of video uses the title “Vers la Lune”; the project is credited as “Dans la Lune” in the production documentation.
Production Credits — Dans la Lune (2019)
- Written and directed by: Marc Caro
- Production: Les Docs du Nord
- Production director: Maud Clavier
- Director of photography: Jean Poisson
- 360° camera operator: Michael Kolchesky — Visual Solutions 360
- Making-of film director: Michael Kolchesky — Visual Solutions 360
- Assistant director: Pierre Friquet
- Production design: Jean Rabasse, with ENSA Nantes students led by Laurent Lescop
- 3D 360° environments: Vincent Campagna
- VFX, image clean-up and colour grading: ACFX
- Sound: Next Sound Lab
- Make-up: Marina Gandrey
- Digital imaging technician: Charly Marraud de Grottes
Cast:
- Jackie Berroyer — The Professor
- Aurélia Poiries — The Pilot
- Philippe Vieux — The Robot
Filming location: Festival Premiers Plans, Angers, France.
Behind-the-Scenes Photography
Keep the existing behind-the-scenes photo gallery here.
These photographs document the film set, the 360° camera setup, the cast and the technical and artistic collaboration involved in producing an immersive science-fiction film.
They also show something that is often invisible to the final audience: the practical realities of creating a fictional world around a panoramic camera.
Why This 360° Cinema Experiment Still Matters
Today, 360° video and VR filmmaking are established parts of the immersive media landscape, even if the technologies, headsets and production workflows continue to change.
What makes projects like Dans la Lune interesting is not simply the equipment used in 2019.
It is the creative problem-solving behind the production.
How do you direct a scene when the audience can look anywhere? How do you create cinematic tension without relying entirely on traditional framing? How do you design a film set when almost everything may appear in the image?
These are questions that continue to shape immersive storytelling.
For me, collaborating with Marc Caro was an opportunity to explore those questions alongside a filmmaker with a distinctive approach to visual worlds and cinematic imagination.
Looking for a 360° Camera Operator or VR Production Specialist?
Since 2009, I have specialised in 360° photography, immersive video production and VR imaging workflows, working on artistic, documentary, cultural and commercial projects.
Through Visual Solutions 360, I provide professional expertise in 360° filming, camera operation, technical preparation, immersive capture and post-production workflows.
Whether you are developing an experimental film, a documentary, a museum installation or a professional immersive experience, I can help bring the technical and creative sides of your production together.
Further Reading and Project References
