Omnidirectional
360 video
Omnidirectional capture uses a 360 camera to record spherical space, so the viewer can look any way and there is no behind the camera. Off-screen ceases to exist as a hiding place.
Narrative function
There is no behind the camera. Staging has to work in a sphere: crew, lights, and unfinished walls cannot hide at the operator's back.
The rectangle of cinema is a later crop, or the piece is truly VR. It is the wrong tool for classical coverage.
If you need off-screen as a threat, you need a directed frame with edges. A 360 file that is only ever viewed as a locked wide is a waste of the sphere.
How it works
A spherical rig or a pair of fisheyes stitched into an equirectangular world. Nodal point is a point in the room, not a rectangle.
Hide stands above or in set dressing; light has to live in the space. Prompt: Omnidirectional capture of [Subject], a world that can look every way, spherical space, no off-screen.
When to use it
Use it when the audience must be able to look anywhere: VR cinema, a room that is a trap in every direction. Do not use it as a fancy synonym for an orbit.
Compared with similar shots
360-Degree Orbit is a directed camera walking a circle; there is still off-screen. First-Person is a character's bodily view, usually a rectangle with hands.
Omnidirectional is a sphere. A Pan only yaws a limited angle from sticks.
In film
VR cinema is the native grammar. Hardcore Henry is first-person, a cousin in subjectivity, not a sphere.
Do not cite it as 360 capture.
Prompt it
Name the sphere and the lack of off-screen. Still: Omnidirectional capture of [Subject], a world that can look every way, spherical space, no off-screen.
Video: A 360-degree world around [Subject], camera able to look anywhere. Forbid a single directed pan as the whole idea.
What usually goes wrong
The usual wrong cousin is an orbit-360. The tell: a framed shot that travels around a person with a clear behind-camera.
The fix: spherical space, look-anywhere, no hidden crew, no off-screen.
Questions
What is Omnidirectional in film?
Omnidirectional capture records a sphere with a 360 camera, so the viewer can look any direction and nothing hides behind the operator.
Omnidirectional vs 360-Degree Orbit
An orbit-360 is a normal framed camera walking a circle. Omnidirectional is spherical capture with no off-screen.
When should I use Omnidirectional?
Use it for VR or any scene that must work in every direction. Do not use it when off-screen threat is the point.
How do I prompt Omnidirectional for AI image or video?
Write spherical space and look-anywhere. Example: Omnidirectional capture of [Subject], a world that can look every way, spherical space, no off-screen.