This document provides an overview of virtual reality (VR) storytelling. It discusses the speaker's background working with emerging technologies. VR is not new, having been predicted by science fiction, but what is new is the ability to experience stories from a first-person perspective by interacting with and moving through virtual environments. While VR has experienced hype cycles in the past, the technology is advancing to the point of being able to truly immerse people in experiential storytelling. The speaker's work includes VR projects with USA Today and training journalism students in VR storytelling techniques.

1. Virtual Reality
Storytelling

2. A little about me
• Today: Professor and Chair of Journalism Innovation, S.I.
Newhouse School, Syracuse
• 2010: CEO of startup Bookbrewer.
• 2007: Knight Foundation News Challenge winner
• 2004: Senior Manager of Digital Products, The
Bakersfield Californian Newspaper.
• 1998: Principal Product Manager, AOL.
• 1994: Producer, Washingtonpost.com.

3. Virtual Reality… the next new thing, but also not new
Science fiction and Second Life predicted all of this.

4. VR in Context
1436 – 1988: CHAPTER 1:
CHAPTER 1: ONE WAY
COMMUNICATION
From Gutenberg Press to
broadcast television.

5. VR in Context
1436 – 1988:
ONE WAY COMMUNICATION
1988-1999:
CHAPTER 2: INTERACTIVE
COMMUNICATION
Words, images, audio all together.
Interact with content.

6. VR in Context
1436 – 1988:
ONE WAY COMMUNICATION
1988-TODAY:
CHAPTER 2: INTERACTIVE
COMMUNICATION
Words, images, audio all together.
Interact with content.
CHAPTER 3?
EXPERIENTIAL
VR, AR, gaming

7. What’s so new?
Beyond the technology, what we’re doing is
fundamentally different from any media before:
• People can jump inside stories to experience them
from a first-person point of view.
• They can walk around, pick things up, and truly
interact within the story.
• “3D Consciousness Transportation.”

8. But … could it be just more hype?
Let’s talk about that.

9. Gartner’s Hype Cycle
Trigger
Peak of inflated
expectations
Trough of
disillusionment
Pleateau of
productivity

10. Trigger:
1838, first
stereocard. Charles
Wheatstone in
Upstate New York.

11. 1968: “Sword of
Damocles” by MIT
professor Ivan
Sutherland.

12. 1995
Inflated expectations:
Nintendo Virtual Boy

13. Disillusionment
20 years, back in
research labs.

14. Enlightenment:
Oculus, Google
Cardboard

15. Is it for real this time?
Pawculus Rift joke: https://vimeo.com/123728069

16. “AR/VR to hit $150 Billion by 2020”

17. How I got into this
Nonny: “The Godmother of Virtual reality.”

18. First big project
• Gannett Digital / USA
Today: Hired as a consultant
to help with emerging
technologies.
• They wanted to be first
among commercial news
orgs to try VR.

21. Two approaches
1. Virtually recreate the
scene of a story to use
as the primary
navigational aid.

22. 2. Transition into 360
videos of the same place.
(Partnership with Total
Cinema 360).
Two approaches

23. Impeccable attention to detail
“Transferred reality?”

27. Explosion of commercial 360 apps
Welcome to Aleppo Entertainment + journalism

29. And our students are ready!
• In third semester of virtual reality storytelling, the
first such class in a journalism program.
• Focus is on both CGI scenes using 3D models and
360 video.
• By May, over 50 students will graduate with VR
experience. Many now want to work in VR.

31. Students are now shooting in 360

33. http://vrstorytelling.org

34. Coming next: AR and “Mixed Reality”
Microsoft HoloLens and Magic Leap

38. THANKS!
DAN PACHECO
Peter A. Horvitz Chair of Journalism Innovation,
S.I. Newhouse School, Syracuse University
Principal, FutureForecast Consulting, LLC
drpachec@syr.edu | dan@futureforecast.com | 303.465.5560 | @pachecod