Students work with 360 video camera in Zmikly’s VR & 360 Video course at Texas State University

Instructor: Jon Zmikly
Week of April 15

Description
In this module, we will explore some exciting advances in the media industry today surrounding virtual, augmented and mixed reality.

Objectives

  • Understand the different types of immersive storytelling
  • Evaluate projects using immersive storytelling techniques
  • Comprehend social and ethical issues associated with immersive storytelling
  • Prepare for the in-person 360-video/VR segment

As we’ve learned so far throughout the PhDigital Bootcamp, the Internet and digital technology have had a tremendous effect upon legacy media companies, both in organizational structure and in content delivery. By and large, this provided many new opportunities for media companies to connect with their audiences and tell effective stories.

While immersive and 3D experiences have existed for years, they have only recently enjoyed success as viable storytelling options for journalists and media practitioners. Thanks to the rapidly growing mobile industry and advanced, affordable camera and software options, the barrier to entry into these spaces for media organizations is quickly eroding. Plus, as digital media titans like Google and Facebook invest in this new storytelling platform, immersive experiences are quickly becoming mainstream.

Virtual Reality

Virtual reality (VR) refers to any computer-aided technology that allows users to feel like they are in a different environment than their actual reality. The onset of digital and mobile technology has brought with it new apps and devices that can deliver much more believable and “real” immersive experiences than ever before. VR can be created using computer-generated programs such as Unity or 360º cameras. NASA, for example, built a physics-based virtual experience of Mars, consisting mostly of computer animation and digital renderings of the red planet. Other examples range from VR gaming to powerful character-driven narratives, each of which brings its own unique set of opportunities and challenges.

Watch the video below to learn more about virtual reality:

Experience VR:

  • Download the nytvr (New York Times VR) app. Find a story that looks interesting to you, and use your mobile device to experience the story (beware if you have an older phone it may freeze up on you!). Choose the 360 option if you don’t have a headset.
  • Check out The Displaced – a New York Times immersive story on the Syrian refugee crisis. From a browser, you can use your mouse to scrub around the environment.
  • Watch One Dark Night (as discussed in the video above). You can not scrub through this experience because it was pre-recorded from a tethered headset.

Augmented Reality (AR)

While virtual reality experiences are meant to bring the user into another world (walking around on Mars or “attending” a concert halfway around the world), augmented reality changes (or augments) the world a user is already in. One of the most popular examples of this is Pokemon Go, the smartphone app that allows users to find and “catch” Pokemon characters that exist in their physical space. The game was an immediate sensation because it had very few barriers to entry (almost everyone has a smartphone), and it allowed people to interact with their environment in a way they never had before. For another example of augmented reality, take a look at this experience that Pepsi Max created for people in a bus shelter, and imagine how you might react!

Experience AR:

Mixed Reality (MR)

Many experts believe the future of immersive content lies in “mixed reality”, a combination of augmented and virtual reality. In MR, a user can interact with virtual objects within their actual space. For example, the Apple AR Kit offers Swiftshot, an immersive game where users can play a slingshot game in a MR environment. Other new technologies such as Microsoft HoloLens and the Meta 2 are exciting platforms for these experiences, and this industry is seeing great potential for commercial applications.

Swiftshot is a new game available via the Apple AR Kit available for developers to download and customize

The Future of News

According to VR storyteller Nonny de la Peña, virtual reality is the future of news. Take a look at her TED Talk to learn why:

Discussion Assignment

This week, we’ll join a conversation on Slack with you in #immersivestorytelling about these questions:

  1. Between AR, VR, and MR, which do you think is more exciting, and why?
  2. After experiencing the VR examples provided in this module, how would you describe the experience? Was it good or bad? Did you truly feel immersed, forgetting about your actual reality, or were you still quite aware of your actual surroundings? What factors contributed to those feelings?
  3. After watching Nonny de la Peña’s TED Talk, do you agree with her that VR is the “future of news”? Why or why not?
  4. What are some potential challenges or ethical issues that might arise from these new forms of storytelling? 

Also, please take the Mid-Workshop Evaluation, so we can get your feedback as we prepare for the in-person session.