The Wall Street Journal has been telling stories using immersive 360 video within its recently launched VR app on the Google Daydream platform. Jarrard Cole, an executive producer in video at the Wall Street Journal, explains how this interactivity helps keep viewers engaged.
Reporting by Reuben Stern, Rachel Wise and Liza Anderson
- WATCH: The Fastest Ride in Virtual Reality tells the story of cyclist Denise Mueller, who can pedal a bicycle at more than 100 miles an hour. (Subscription required to view.)
- WATCH: All Access at a New York Fashion Week Show is a 360-degree look at designer Jason Wu preparing his collection for the runway. (No subscription required to view.)
- WATCH: Inside Quicken Loans Arena for the Republican National Convention, a 360 view of the arena being transformed from the RNC. (Subscription required to view.)
- The Wall Street Journal app allows viewers to watch the 360 videos without a subscription. These videos can also be seen on the Google Daydream app using Daydream compatible technology. The app is available on Google Play. To experience the app, users need Daydream View, the headset and controller, and a Daydream-ready phone, such as Pixel or Pixel XL.
- A guide for watching WSJ virtual reality and 360-degree content, and a list of 360-degree video stories, can be found here.
- According to Jarrard Cole, the Wall Street Journal has several 360 video projects in the works. “We’ve embedded with FARC, the rebels in Colombia, as that peace process kind of unfolds and falls apart,” Cole said. Another project, he said, took the team behind the scenes of television show Modern Family as they shot one of their episodes. These and more 360 videos will be released in the coming months.
Rachel Wise is an editor at the Futures Lab at the Reynolds Journalism Institute and co-producer of the weekly Futures Lab video update.
The Reynolds Journalism Institute’s Futures Lab video update features a roundup of fresh ideas, techniques and developments to help spark innovation and change in newsrooms across all media platforms. Visit the RJI website for the full archive of Futures Lab videos, or download the iPad app to watch the show wherever you go. You can also sign up to receive email notification of each new episode.
