Crafting Stories for Virtual Reality

Crafting Stories for Virtual Reality

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. Table of Contents: Introduction: Evolution of Media: Where Are We Now?  Section I: Context  1 Why Tell Immersive Stories?  2 Pivot Point 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  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  The Wall  7 Augmented Reality and Mixed Reality  Priya Shakti  Optimism  Outthink Hidden  New Dimensions in Testimony  Hello, We're from the Internet  Olympians in AR  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 Media and News  13 The State of Platforms and Publishing  14 Looking Forward  Glossary  Index "This is the book we've been waiting for! I can't wait to use the deeply engaging content in the classroom. The authors present an engrossing and essential text that delivers astute observations and case studies, essential for any storyteller who wants to create impactful, cutting-edge stories. A must-have for teachers, practitioners and anyone interested in telling better stories in this new immersive environment." - Richard Koci Hernandez, UC Berkeley 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.