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To capture 360 degree video footage, filmmakers usually need to set up a complex array of expensive cameras.
But one man has shown it is possible to achieve the same effect with little more than a mobile phone, a piece of string and a plastic bag.
In a video posted on YouTube, the amateur filmmaker, who is from Montreal, Canada, claims to achieve a 3D effect using the simple set up.
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The man, who is known on YouTube under the nickname Viva Frei, explains that any smartphone can be rigged with a rope and a plastic bag to shoot 360-degree videos. The man says that a thin rope should be wrapped in a noose-like 'eye-knot' around the handset. (Pictured, the knot)
First he ties the a length of string around his smartphone so he can swing it wildly around h is head.
Then by attaching a plastic bag to the phone he is able to increase the amount of drag it produces so the phone does not fly out of control.
Using his home-made bullet time set up, he then swings it round his head like a lasso, capturing footage himself and two young girls jumping around in a park.
HOW TO DO ITAll Viva Frei uses for his hack is a piece of string, scissors and a plastic bag.
He says that a thin rope or string should be wrapped in a noose-like 'eye-knot' around the handset.
The rope's loose ends are then further tied in a gift parcel fashion, forming a strong central knot where a longer piece of rope can be attached to swing the phone around.
To stabilise the phone during the rotating movement, the man also fastens an empty plastic bag on the phone end opposite to the camera.
The tinkerer also wears gloves to avoid having his hands burned by the moving rope's friction.
However, writing in the description for the video, he adds that he will 'accept no responsibility for broken phones.'
To secure the phone, the video recommends using a thin rope that should be wrapped in a noose-like 'eye-knot' around the handset.
The rope's loose ends are then further tied in a gift parcel fashion, forming a strong central knot where a longer piece of rope can be attached to swing the phone around.
To stabilise the phone during the rotating movement, the man also fastens an empty plastic bag on the phone end opposite to the camera.
This, according to what he says in the video, would add extra drag and make the phone move in one direction rather than tumble uncontrollably.
At the end of the tutorial, the man, together with two young girls are seen testing the camera set up in a park by 'spinning the phone like a lasso' around himself.
He recommends wearing a pair of gloves to avoid rope burns.
At the end of the tutorial, the man (pictured), together with two young girls is seen testing his set up in a park, by 'spinning the phone like a lasso' around himself.
However, the approach is not without danger and at one point the man loses his grip on the string and his phone is stent spinning into the grass. Fortunately it survives unscathed.
In the end he is able to use the contraption to achieve a slow-mo 360 degree video that until recently could be seen only in expensive Hollywood productions.
The wraparound visual effect, also called 'bullet time' was first seen in dystopian movie The Matrix in 1999, well before the start of smartphone era.
The movie's hero Neo, played by Keanu Reeves, was shown dodging bullets as the camera followed his movements from a 360-degree perspective.
The technique was haile d as revolutionary and contributed to transforming The Matrix into a classic.
Now, however, small-time enthusiasts are replicating the stunt with their handsets.
The wraparound visual effect, also called "bullet time" was first seen in 1999 dystopian movie The Matrix in. The movie's hero Neo (Keanu Reeves, pictured in a scene of the film) was showed dodging bullets as the camera followed his movements from a 360-degree perspective.
Last month, a professional free skier captured incredible 360-degree footage of himself on the slopes with nothing more than an iPhone 6 and a piece of string.
Nicolas Vuignier, from Crans-Montana, Switzerland, used a customised 3D printed rig to swing his phone around for his visual project 'Centriphone.'
Attached to the iPhone was a wide-angle lens, to help capture Nicolas in his enti rety, and the video was set up to shoot footage 10 percent slower than normal.
Nicolas admitted that the hardest part of the job was keeping the phone stable while he was skiing at a reasonable spe
Source: Turn your phone into a '3D' camera: Hack lets your mobile take 360 degree video using a piece of string and a PLASTIC BAG
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