Within’s Catalog of News Docs Aims to Find Out.
It’s no secret that news consumption has gone digital. Print newspapers and television outlets alike place premium importance on digital-first strategies, and recent statistics from the Pew Research Center show that 85 percent of U.S. adults now get news on a mobile device.
Like so many news outlets, our latest partner, CNN has paid attention to these trends, and in 2017 it announced the launch of a virtual reality unit called CNNVR, which produces 360-degree news stories.
This cutting-edge journalism unit has since covered major news events and stories in VR, lending an immediacy and enhanced sense of urgency to stories of crucial importance to our tumultuous times.
“There is a grand historical precedent for journalists seeking to bring viewers and readers closer to the stories they tell.”
In May, we began expanding our catalog of documentaries by rolling out a series of CNN’s most stunning VR documentaries. And, this month, that promise has continued with the release of “Extreme Rescues with the NYPD” (June 6) and “Iceland is Melting” (June 20).
For those used to viewing their news on a flatscreen TV, suddenly having it come to life in VR can be absolutely breathtaking. The emotional impact of each story surges in tandem with the immersive qualities of the filmmaking.
“Iceland is Melting,” for example, is a tour de force in shades of white. The 360-degree cameras swoop and soar over the snow-covered landscape of Iceland, which narrator and senior investigative reporter, John Sutter, informs us is melting at an alarming rate.
We have seen these vistas in 2D on calendars, on our computer screens and in the pages of glossy magazines, but very few of us have seen them in VR. The impact of being immersed in an otherworldly land that is shaping the future of life on earth is astounding.
Stories like these don’t just make people sit up and take notice, they make people actively work for change. A recent study by Stanford University found that VR can help people to become more compassionate. Researchers invited subjects to view a VR piece which put them inside the experience of losing their jobs and their homes, and found that these subjects showed more compassion toward the homeless than people who were exposed to the same experience through other forms of media.
“Experiences are what define us as humans, so it’s not surprising that an intense experience in VR is more impactful than imagining something,” the co-author of the paper, Jeremy Bailenson, told the Stanford News.
With that in mind, it’s not surprising that VR is reshaping the news. There is a grand historical precedent for journalists seeking to bring viewers and readers closer to the stories they tell. When newspapers were first printed, the available technology only allowed for the written word, but when it became possible to include engraved illustrations and diagrams, journalists jumped at the chance. Similarly, when photography entered the scene in the late 1800s, newspapers were among the earliest adapters, and photographs became crucial to how we consume the news.
Radios, newsreels, television, and finally, the advent of the internet, all drastically changed how journalists told news stories, and how the public consumed them. These days, the idea of immersive journalism is gaining currency, and scholars and journalists alike are seeking to understand the effect this daring new medium will have on our modern media landscape.
In 2015 Within co-founder Chris Milk and award-winning filmmaker Gabo Arora continued to drive the conversation about VR and empathy with their doc, “Clouds Over Sidra.” It was the first film ever shot in VR for the UN and it was initially created to help call attention to the need for international partnerships in support of vulnerable communities like the one shown in the film as a 12-year-old Syrian girl guides viewers through a refugee camp in Jordan.
Soon after, consumer VR began its monumental rise to widespread accessibility, and virtual reality became a powerful new tool employed by journalists seeking to add immediacy, impact and clickability to their stories.
When U.S. relations with North Korea dominated the news last year, CNNVR created two of its most impactful documentaries: “Enter North Korea,” and “An Ordinary Day in North Korea,” both now available on Within. The experiences explore the endlessly fascinating, and often terrifying reality of life in North Korea, showing in graphic detail how the country’s citizens are programmed to accept a brutal and secretive regime, while shunning any affinity for democracy and western civilization.
Even when a story is not directly in the spotlight, VR can highlight its importance on the world stage. In “Extreme Rescues With the NYPD,” for example, viewers learn about the daring tasks that 350 officers of the city’s elite rescue team, the Emergency Service Unit, perform on a daily basis. And in “Toro Bravo” (July 6) we are invited to join some of Spain’s most daring bullfighters as they engage in one of the world’s most controversial sports.
The New York Times has also been a leader when it comes to using VR in service of its storytelling, and four of their most interesting news documentaries are available on — and created in partnership with — Within. “The Displaced” is the crushing story of three children driven from their homes in South Sudan, Syria and Ukraine. “Walking New York” shows the creation of a monumental piece of street art by famed French artist JR. “Take Flight” is a cinematic dreamscape that allows viewers to fly above New York City with the likes of Rooney Mara and Charlize Theron. And, finally, “Smile More” follows the creation and performance of a new song by Syd and the Internet.
Similarly, the Wall Street Journal, PBS, VICE and the Guardian have all experimented with ways to enhance the power of their reporting through VR. Examples of a number of these, including Vice News VR, are available on Within.
Meanwhile, those seeking to view what else CNN, or other outlets have to offer can download the Within app to experience a wide variety of documentaries, all of which will expand your view of how virtual reality is changing the face of news in the tumultuous modern age.
Visit us at www.with.in/experiences to learn more.
