Nokia announced a partnership with Sony Pictures to “explore the creative potential of Virtual Reality production and distribution”, through its VR capable 360 degree OZO camera.

The partnership will see Sony Pictures use OZO kit to capture, create, edit and distribute VR content, and the companies will further collaborate on supporting development of the VR experience.

In a statement, Sony said it will leverage OZO’s live broadcast feature “to transport fans to Sony Pictures events that they couldn’t otherwise attend”, allowing content creators to produce fully immersive live experiences through 3D 360 degree video and audio playback technologies.

The camera, which costs $45,000, was largely down to the work of Ramzi Haidamus, Nokia Technologies’ former president, who left the company in August.

“Partnerships with cutting edge technology companies like Nokia are critical as we develop the market for VR experiences and build scale in our production and distribution efforts,” said Pete Wood, SVP, digital sales at Sony Pictures.

Sony added the OZO player SDK will be integrated into a Sony app, bringing content to users, and will extend to allow professional developers to create VR apps and experiences on any major platform.