This document discusses the partnership between Frontline and Emblematic Group to develop immersive virtual reality journalism projects. It received $580,000 from the Knight Foundation to experiment with VR over 18 months and create at least 3 projects. Frontline is a long-running investigative journalism TV series, while Emblematic Group produces VR content and was founded by a pioneer in the field. The partnership aims to extend the impact of journalism through immersive VR experiences and help establish best practices for the emerging medium.

1. AFTER SOLITARY VR

2. THE EXPERIENCE: TECHNICAL
• Subtle fade out and in transitions
o His bedroom
o His solitary confinement cell
o Outside of the cell
• Directional audio
o Banging, screaming, paper sliding, etc.
• Great graphics
• We see Kenneth Moore, whose story we’re hearing, as he shares his
experience
• Sympathetic background music
• Floating text
• Bloody writing

3. THE EXPERIENCE: AESTHETIC
• Really feels like you’re trapped in a cell; claustrophobic
• Dirty floors and metal toilet
• Bloody writing on the walls
• Scary prison noises
• Sympathetic feeling
• Moore dressed in casual clothing
• Actual footage of Moore’s brutal cell extraction

4. WHAT WORKS?
• Having Moore there to tell his story makes it feel personal
• Sympathetic music makes us feel sorry for Moore
• Floating writing on the walls adds more context to the story
• Real footage makes his story come to life
• Directional audio helps us look where we need to
• Graphics make it feel as if you’re truly there
• During confinement and life after confinement

5. WHAT DOESN’T WORK?
• Having Moore disappear and then reappear
• Having Moore’s speech in the background but not seeing his lips move
• Random black hole in one scene
• Not being able to interact with the scene

13. FRONTLINE AND EMBLEMATIC GROUP
• Expanding its exploration of VR in journalism, creating new immersive
experiences and developing lessons for the emerging field
• Received $580,000 from the Knight Foundation
• 18 months of experimentation and development of immersive journalism
• Build at least 3 VR projects examining the technical, ethical and procedural issues
raised by VR
• Journalism using VR to extend and deepen its impact

14. ABOUT FRONTLINE
• Founded by David Fanning in 1983
• U.S. TV’s longest-running investigative documentary series
• Explores issues through powerful storytelling
• Has won every major journalism and broadcasting award
o 82 Emmy Awards
o 20 Peabody Awards

15. ABOUT EMBLEMATIC GROUP
• Founded by Nonny de la Peña
oProduced the first VR documentary
oYale Poynter Media Fellow 2015
o“The Godmother of VR”
• VR content was featured as part of the Samsung GearVR headset launch
• Has collaborated with BBC, Al Jazeera America, TED, Frontline, etc.
• Has created VR segments covering a variety of topics
oPoverty in California (Hunger in L.A.)
oThe Syrian refugee crisis (Project: Syria)
oShooting of Trayvon Martin (One Dark Night)
• Premieres at the Sundance Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, the World
Economic Forum in Davos, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, etc.

16. COMPETETIVE ANALYSIS
• CNN
o360 video content on their app
o“Third layer of content”
oPotential live-streaming VR in the future
• The New York Times
o360 video content on their app
oShort documentary content in VR
oWorked with Google to distribute Google Cardboard
• VICE Media
oVR journalism project about protests in NY and a refugee camp in Jordan
• NextVR
oBroadcast live events

17. SOURCES
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7_YvGDh9Uc
• http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/announcement/virtual-reality-in-
journalism-the-focus-of-new-frontline-partnership-with-emblematic-group-
supported-by-580000-from-knight-foundation/
• https://www.cjr.org/innovations/virtual_reality_journalism.php
• https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/20/technology/virtual-reality-lures-media-
companies-to-a-new-frontier.html?_r=0
• https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/about-us/