ABOUT JONNY
I'm Jonny, a freelance 360° filmmaker and D.O.P based between London and Brighton. I've been working in 360° video production since 2013 and exclusively so since going independent in 2014.
I came into 360° filmmaking from an unusual direction. After years working as a professional 3D animator and environment builder, with credits including Virgin Interactive, Universal Studios' Wizarding World of Harry Potter Super Bowl campaign, American Airlines and the military, I transitioned into underwater photography before being approached by a former colleague who wanted to explore this exciting new medium of 360° filmmaking. There were no tutorials, no rulebooks and no real dedicated cameras. We figured it out ourselves, starting with clusters of GoPros in rigs we'd bought in from a small company in America. We filmed everything we could that offered real challenges, from Mercedes Benz race cars to filming underwater in the Red Sea.
In 2014 I made the decision to go it alone. I borrowed money from my mum, bought my own kit and established Pro360VR as an independent 360° filmmaking business. Within months I'd been found by a media agency in Soho who needed a 360° specialist for a project for the National Citizen Service. That was my first paid job and the beginning of everything that followed.
Since then I've had the privilege of working on some genuinely extraordinary projects. Filming footballers at the Real Madrid football campus for Adidas. Travelling to South Africa to film great white sharks underwater, becoming the first person ever to capture breaching great white sharks from below the surface in 360°. Creating 360° films for global brands including the BBC, Honda, Land Rover, Pepsi, Adidas, Tesco Mobile, Oculus, Silverstone and Network Rail, among many others. The work has taken me to Peru, South Africa, Rome, the Canary Islands and many other locations across the globe. Along the way I've been recognised with a Lovie Gold Award for Virtual Reality, a VR Film Innovation Award and several other industry nominations.
What I love most about this work is the variety. Every 360° filming project is different. Every location brings new challenges. Every client brings a new story to tell. But the thing that genuinely drives me is the reaction I get from clients when they see the finished film for the first time. That moment never gets old.
Every project I take on gets the same level of care and dedication, whether I'm working directly with a brand from initial concept through to delivery, or joining an existing production crew as a specialist 360° camera operator. It's worth being clear that my role is always as a filmmaker and DOP rather than a producer. Logistics, budgeting and crew management fall outside my remit. For projects that need that level of support I'm happy to point you in the right direction.
This is my craft and I take it seriously.
If you have a 360° film project in mind, I'd love to hear about it.