We’re thrilled to bring you the third annual Journalism 360 Immersive Storytelling Festival during ONA19! The festival will showcase projects from Journalism 360 Challenge winners, finalists in the Online Journalism Awards and other groundbreaking virtual reality and augmented reality explorations.
The festival runs Friday, Sept. 13, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Armstrong Ballroom (8th floor, Sheraton New Orleans). Join us to experience the projects firsthand, meet the creators and learn more about how journalists are using immersive platforms to tell important stories.
Here’s a preview of some of the featured projects.
Apollo 11: As They Shot It (The New York Times)
Fifty years ago, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins returned to Earth with one of the grandest travelogues ever made by humans. With their ever-present cameras, the astronauts showed us the moon landing through their eyes. This New York Times virtual reality experience transports you to the surface of the moon where a virtual gallery of photographs reveals a new perspective on the iconic images.
Homeless Realities (JOVRNALISM)
Using emerging technologies — 360 video, AR, VR, drones and photogrammetry — JOVRNALISM produced this multi-part 360/VR video series and AR Snapchat experiences “Homeless Realities” to take the viewer into the lives of people experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles.
Home After War (NowHere Media, Oculus VR for Good, Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining)
“Home After War” is a room-scale, interactive virtual reality experience that takes you to Fallujah, a city that, until recently, was under Islamic State (IS) control. The war against IS has ended, but the city is still unsafe. There’s one looming fear for returning refugees — booby-trapped homes and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in the neighborhoods. Since the end of the war, thousands of civilians have died or been injured by IEDs.
Lawless (Anchorage Daily News & ProPublica)
An Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica investigation has found that more than 70 Alaska communities have no local law enforcement of any kind. In other villages, local leaders have no choice but to hire police with criminal records, even sex offenders, to patrol the town. This ongoing project includes a 360-degree tour of life in some of the hardest-to-reach communities in the United States. (This project was supported by the Journalism 360 Challenge.)
Royal Highness: the Women Ruling Washington’s Cannabis Industry (Tiny World Productions)
When Toni Reita speaks to her plants she often refers to them as ladies or girls. Only female marijuana flowers produce cannabinoids like the THC chemical providing the high or buzz. On December 1, 2012, Washington became the first state in the United States to legalize the use of recreational marijuana. Cannabis had been legal for medical use about 15 years prior. Now, like alcohol it is available to buy for those over age 21. It’s not just the female flowers that dominate; women are a driving force in the growth of the cannabis industry. So what it’s like to work in this new industry? Through the daily lives of four women, the viewer is given a unique look into the journey from seed to sale. Crystal Oliver, who runs a farm in Eastern Washington, describes the marijuana movement in Washington as part of a strong feminist movement. And Megan Sanders, director of sales for several brands says, “Women run it.”
Stonewall AR (RYOT/Huffington Post)
Fed up with years of abuse and oppression, the LGBTQ community fought back after a police raid. RYOT has creatively reimagined the events that took place in June 1969.
Site-Specific Audio News App (Future Projects Media)
This interactive app prototype demonstrates story experiences that combine geolocation and mindfulness exercises to disrupt the way audio news stories are told and experienced. The app re-connects listeners to the news, each other and the world around them. (This project was supported by the Journalism 360 Challenge.)
Even more storytelling with emerging technology
You can find learning sessions on innovative storytelling throughout the conference, including:
Journalism 360 is a global network of storytellers accelerating the understanding and production of immersive journalism. Our mission is to help news organizations, journalists, technologists, content creators and journalism educators experiment with all forms of immersive storytelling, including but not limited to 360 video, augmented reality, virtual reality and mixed reality.
