Virtual Reality

Seminar: Roger Kenny, Dow Jones & WSJ
Workshop: Veda Shastri and Guglielmo Mattioli, NYTimes Daily 360

Seminar: 5:00-6:30pm, September 22, 2017
Workshop: 10:00am-5:00pm, September 23, 2017

The transparency series for 2017-18 will kick off with an exploration into virtual reality (VR) and its role in journalism. With the recent explosion of VR – specifically 360-degree video– journalistic outlets are hungry for quality documentary content for immersive platforms. While immersive media experiences have become increasingly prevalent in the gaming and entertainment industry, we are only beginning to explore them within the context of documentary photography and journalism. How can media makers use immersion as a tool to build empathy, engage communities, and forward social change? How does immersing your viewer in content change the nature of the story you are telling? And how does this mode of experiencing a story change how journalists approach the planning, creation, and distribution of stories?

On Friday night, we will explore the short but dramatic rise of VR in the media. On Saturday, the VR workshop will take students who have little to no background in VR and teach them the fundamentals of working in the medium. Journalists seeking to expand their storytelling beyond the still image and written word are encouraged to join. Selected participants will gain critical insights into emerging digital strategies in order to engage audiences across new immersive platforms.



Veda Shastri is a documentary filmmaker and immersive journalist. She is currently a producer of The Daily 360 at The New York Times where she handles international coverage in 360 video. She recently produced the series "Genocide's Legacy" as well as an interactive from inside Fukushima, Japan. Veda co-produced a VR documentary, “Return to Chernobyl” for PBS Frontline, which released in April 2016. She was a news producer at CNN-IBN in New Delhi, India for 5 years.


Guglielmo Mattioli is a multimedia journalist from Italy and currently a video editor of The Daily 360 at The New York Times. He also produces coverage on architecture and real estate. A former urban planner, Guglielmo found in 360º videos and VR a perfect medium to tell stories about the built environment. His work has also been published in City Limits, Metropolis Magazine, and ArchDaily.


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