Each Olympics event is an opportunity for the host country to showcase itself — its culture, its people, its food — to the world. In 2018, South Korea stood center stage as home to the PyeongChang Winter Games.
In the spirit of exploring opportunities in virtual reality (VR) storytelling for public diplomacy, JOVRNALISM partnered with the USC Center on Public Diplomacy to send an immersive storytelling team to South Korea during this unique time for the country’s world presence.
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The immersive projects produced by the Fall 2017 JOVRNALISM class, in partnership with Discover LA, have gotten published across the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board (LATCB) social platforms.
This partnership – funded by the LATCB – allowed JOVRNALISM students to go off campus to learn how to produce immersive stories while working on a project.
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It was our first meeting with community members from Leimert Park, Los Angeles’ historic and influential Black neighborhood just east of Crenshaw.
Sitting in a large circle inside the iconic KAOS Network, my students and I heard a variety of stories ranging from the legendary jazz musicians that lived blocks away, to revolutionaries of the Watts Riots to how a new public transit station could bring in either new opportunities or gentrification.
The Fall 2017 class wanted to experiment with new, cutting-edge technology that included augmented reality, 360 video, Unity and videogrammetry (which produces a moving hologram).
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We’re excited to be bringing our audience another immersive virtual reality experience from one of the most historic and charming communities in Los Angeles: San Pedro. Although the neighborhood at the end of the 110 Freeway is often times overlooked, we’ll be diving into some of its most unique and fascinating points of interest, such as its world-renowned fish market, major international seaport, movie famous Korean Bell and much more.
NOTE: JOVRNALISM launched on May 31, 2017. The Desert Sun launched their project on June 11, 2017.
The Salton Sea, California’s largest lake, has an interesting history and an uncertain future. This lake is at a dangerous turning point that could create one of the state’s largest environmental disasters.
Using 360 video, drones and computer graphics, this 7-part immersive series explores the different stories and communities that surround the Sea.
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The Fall 2017 JOVRNALISM class worked on several immersive projects based on the investigative work by The Center for Investigative Reporting/Reveal News, with a focus on the California drought. These are their stories:
California is sinking, again. But only faster.
A wet winter has relaxed the state drought, but its impact is still being felt.
Subsidence occurs when underground, ancient aquifers are pumped essentially deflating the land and causing it to sink. Dr. Joseph F. Poland first discovered this in 1977 and, using a telephone pole, illustrated how California sank 30 feet from the 1920s.
While it was addressed then, it’s happening again now.
The need to water the crops that feed this county and much of the world has caused sinking at an alarming rate once again.
We used a telephone pole, a drone and 360 technologies to illustrate what that looks like in this immersive story produced by JOVRNALISM in collaboration with the CIR/Reveal News.
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We’d been working toward this trip for months.
After pitching, research, setting up interviews and weeks of pre-production planning, the Spring 2017 edition of JOVRNALISM head toward the largest lake in California to tell its diverse stories using immersive technologies.
The Salton Sea is this semester’s focus, and it’s rich and complex history.
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Armed with 12 Samsung Gear 360 cameras (10 on loan), different monopods and selfie sticks, seven USC Annenberg students headed to DC to capture the inauguration of President Trump and the Women’s March that followed.
It was an adventure with highs and lows, long days, no sleep and little food.
It was also extremely productive.
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I am happy to announce that JOVRNALISM will be covering the presidential inauguration in 360, in a collaboration with the New York Times, NPR and RYOT.
Regardless of what side of history someone may find themselves on, a journalist’s job is to capture that history. And with 360 cameras, we’ll be capturing all sides.
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The Desert Sun and JOVRNALISM students kicked off the spring semester together.
As the dust begins to settle on the Fall 2016 semester, I wanted to post a preview toward what is coming in the new year.
My J489 class is being offered again and this time we are partnering with The Desert Sun, in Palm Springs. Unlike past partnerships, we are working on a brand new journalistic project together from the very beginning, rather than working with a news organization’s existing editorial content.
The Executive Editor, Greg Burton, reached out earlier this year and pitched the idea of working together in a completely integrated way. And, as important, he had a hell of a story.
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