Volumetric Video: Preservation and Curation Challenges of an Emerging Medium

Volumetric video is an emerging media format that uses multiple cameras to record live-action subjects and produce three-dimensional, time-based digital media. The resulting digital objects encode visual and spatial information, colour, textures, and sound in a format that allows for users to view the subject from any angle and use the assets in video games, virtual reality, augmented reality, or films. The technology has been pioneered by Hollywood production companies but is now being experimented with by digital humanities scholars. As it becomes more popular, information institutions, particularly academic libraries and others that support researchers, will likely need to support this new format throughout its lifecycle, which may draw on research data management, digital preservation, and repository services. This article introduces volumetric video capture, discusses some of its current applications outside of the commercial film industry, and outlines the curation and preservation challenges that this new media format presents. The paper compares two different production workflows that result in different output qualities: professional and prosumer studio-based workflows. The analysis explores the digital curation challenges that volumetric video raises within these workflows, with considerations for selection and appraisal criteria, file format sustainability, metadata requirements, legal/ethical considerations, and directions forward for future research in digital curation.