[Chemy JMHT]

The short version of the article:

The film follows the titular group, made up of Syrian volunteers who work at rescuing surviving bystanders from bombing sites. Concerning trends in VR journalism, Viceland editor Trent Rohner asks, “What is the new role of the reporter when the viewer can experience the event for themselves?”

The White Helmets film uses VR to immerse viewers in the everyday conditions of the war-torn country

For the past six years, Syria has hosted an enormously devastating civil war, which has taken the lives of millions and forced many others to flee the country. In an effort to portray the situation with integrity, Viceland and Samsung have collaborated on a virtual reality documentary that gives viewers an exhaustive view of the war-torn land.

Viewers can access White Helmets using Samsung VR headsets on Viceland, starting December 2nd.

The film takes viewers to the country’s largest city, Aleppo. For the past six years, Aleppo has been the epicenter of conflict between Syrian opposition and the Syrian government. The VR film will follow the White Helmets, a group of volunteer Syrians, who search bomb sites for surviving innocent bystanders.

White Helmets was filmed with Gear 360, Samsung’s camera with dual lenses that creates a complete 360-degree field of view. In November 2016, Samsung teamed with the The New York Times to offer a similar virtual reality approach to news stories. Though these were minute in scope, the Daily 360 series was a stepping stone to more expansive, complex projects such as this.

VR-enabled news may also have the potential to offer more unobstructed views than traditional journalism. As mainstream news has been criticized for possible biases, VR journalism is inherently impartial. This medium also helps viewers empathize with people and conflicts so drastically different from their own world.

“As virtual reality becomes more prevalent in journalism, we looked into how the technology is changing the way we experience the news,” said Trent Rohner, Viceland’s Creative Director. “What is the new role of the reporter when the viewer can experience the event for themselves? Can journalism be more objective when there is no frame and viewers can see everything?”

The partnership between Samsung and Viceland, which was announced in March, will also release a 2D documentary Inside the Story, which will discuss how 360-video is affecting mainstream media. The two features are a part of the Behind the Frame series, aimed at spotlighting various virtual reality projects.

View the 360 trailer for White Helmets below.


Source: Samsung & Viceland Partner For Virtual Reality Documentary

[pkcable]

I'm pretty sure I've seen this, either in JauntVR, or maybe it was one of the news apps, like CNN or NYT?

[pjs37]

While it's good to show this sort of thing off I have to question the fact we are having reporters and rich companies use expensive gear in a wartorn country. I feel like maybe that money could maybe be put to better use. Then again photojournalist use expensive cameras generally in these areas but still feels weird using high tech gear for such a humanitarian disaster.

[pkcable]

While it's good to show this sort of thing off I have to question the fact we are having reporters and rich companies use expensive gear in a wartorn country. I feel like maybe that money could maybe be put to better use. Then again photojournalist use expensive cameras generally in these areas but still feels weird using high tech gear for such a humanitarian disaster.

Yea I hear ya, BUT it can be a REAL powerful tool! Check out this blog by Cale Hunt, in particular the video "For My Son"...

Best VR videos you should watch right now | VRHeads

Can't for the life of me find it, BUT I saw I really cool VR video from the Detroit police.

[Chemy JMHT]

While it's good to show this sort of thing off I have to question the fact we are having reporters and rich companies use expensive gear in a wartorn country. I feel like maybe that money could maybe be put to better use. Then again photojournalist use expensive cameras generally in these areas but still feels weird using high tech gear for such a humanitarian disaster.

They used the Gear Camera, that around $360, was actually cheaper than a regular photojournalist.