1st Edition

Crafting Stories for Virtual Reality

By Melissa Bosworth, Lakshmi Sarah Copyright 2019
    270 Pages
    by Routledge

    270 Pages
    by Routledge

    We are witnessing a revolution in storytelling. Publications all over the world are increasingly using immersive storytelling—virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality—to tell compelling stories. The aim of this book is to distill the lessons learned thus far into a useful guide for reporters, filmmakers and writers interested in telling stories in this emerging medium. Examining ground-breaking work across industries, this text explains, in practical terms, how storytellers can create their own powerful immersive experiences as new media and platforms emerge.

    List of Figures

    Acknowledgements

    Introduction: Evolution of Media: Where Are We Now?

    SECTION I: Context

    1: Why Tell Immersive Stories?

    2: Pivot Point: A Primer on the State of Immersive Storytelling

    SECTION II: Immersive Media and Storytelling Styles

    3: Immersive Narratives and News

    Clouds Over Sidra

    Climbing Giants

    We Who Remain

    Limbo

    The Occupation of Alcatraz that Sparked an American Revolution

    Euronews

    VRtually There

    4: Walk-Around Virtual Reality

    Kiya

    After Solitary

    Suite Life

    Displaced Witness

    5: Immersive Interactives

    Discovering Gale Crater

    Is the Nasdaq in Another Bubble?

    Testimony

    UTURN

    Blackout

    6: Mixed-Media Packages

    Stand at the Edge of Geologic Time

    Overheard

    The Call Center

    Capturing Everest

    Hell and High Water VR

    The Wall

    7: Augmented Reality and Mixed Reality

    Priya's Shakti

    Optimism

    Outthink Hidden

    New Dimensions in Testimony

    Hello, We're from the Internet 

    Four of the World's Best Olympians, as You've Never Seen Them Before

    Terminal 3

    8: Immersive Audio

    Hallelujah VR

    Reeps One: Does Not Exist

    Designing Audio for Games

    SECTION III: Bringing It All Together

    9: Storytelling without Close-Ups: The Big Picture

    10: Viewing Mode, Form and Content: Best Practices

    11: Additional Features and Emerging Technology

    12: Immersive Storytelling and the News Media

    13: The State of Platforms and Publishing

    14: Looking Forward

    Glossary

    Index

    Biography

    Melissa Bosworth is a visual storyteller, immersive media nerd, software developer, reporter and idealist. She’s passionate about using emerging technology to find a new lens on stories. In her work as a reporter, features writer, producer and filmmaker she has covered the environment, technology, immigration and the arts across the Americas and Europe. Her virtual reality work has published through KQED, the New York Times and Fusion Media Group. She has developed coursework and taught 360-degree video production at the Berkeley Advanced Media Institute and guest lectured on immersive storytelling at UC Berkeley. She holds a Master’s degree with an emphasis on new media from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.

    Lakshmi Sarah is an educator and journalist with a focus on immigration, migration, identity and the arts. She has worked with newspapers, radio and magazines from Ahmedabad, India to Los Angeles, California. She has written and produced for Mic, Global Voices, AJ+, KQED, Fusion Media Group and the New York Times. She has advised journalists through Fusion Media Group’s Rise Up: Be Heard fellowship and taught at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She has taught workshops in various parts of the world including Kerala, India and Nairobi, Kenya. She is a graduate of Pitzer College and the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and divides her time between Berkeley, Berlin and southern India.