The Hack: Introducing VICE to a New Age of Technology
Good Afternoon Ms. Jones and Mr. Miller,
Welcome, and thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules to meet here with me. From the Associated Press’ “robot journalists” to the New York Times’ VR app, technology is rapidly integrating itself into today’s world of journalism. Here at VICE, one of the things that we value the most in our writers is their above-par storytelling abilities. But what If I told you that it could be bettered?
If we incorporate such technology into our stories, the potential for even more attention-grabbing content is endless. That being said, one has to be careful when integrating advanced technology into stories; it can either knock the story out of the park, or the story becomes “too crowded,” causing the attention of the reader to drift away. Over the last five months, I have done some hardcore research, which helped me come up with a list of eight technological tools that are quickly becoming relevant in journalism: Drones, 360 Video, Computer-Generated Virtual Reality, Sensors, Digital Gaming, Wearables, Augmented/Mixed Reality, and Automated Journalism. I have also hand-picked some stories from our array of channels. After deeply cross-examining the list along with the stories, I have come up with eight pitches, one for each piece of technology, arguing whether the quality of the stories could’ve been enhanced by the tech or if they aren’t worth investing in.
Drones: “The Perilous Lives of Cambodia’s High Rise Construction Workers”
Four days ago, our writer Alex Consiglio reported on Cambodia’s booming construction industry, and the hazardous working conditions of its workers. Consiglio’s shots are fantastic, but what if he took some drone shots? Consider this; the buildings being constructed are 11+ stories high, mainly located in Phnom Penh, where the daily high in the month of December is 86°F and humidity can reach as high as 97°F. I would start with a tight shot of the worker, allowing the reader to see sweat dripping down his face or his lack of essential protection like a harness or helmet. Moments later you start to slowly fly away from the worker until the reader can see the worker’s position in relation to how far from the ground he is working from.
It shows the danger the worker is exposing himself to, adding a more personal touch to the shot than just a simple picture. I’m not saying that the pictures aren’t good, quite the contrary, they’re great. All i’m saying is that even though the drone footage would only have an effect on a small portion of the overall story, it is still impactful, gives an elevated perspective, and the footage is shot in a matter of seconds.
The necessity and size of the team needed to film with a drone totally depends on what you’re filming. If you’re filming in an area that you know well, you can do it all yourself. But if you’re in territory that is new to you, having someone who knows the area/topic you’re covering would be highly recommended. Some well-executed drone usage in news stories include NBC’s Cyclone Pam in Vanuatu coverage and the NYT’s New York’s Mass Graves project. CNN even has their own division dedicated to aerial imagery and reporting called CNN Air.
Now, what would we need to make this happen? A drone obviously. The price of drones ranges from as low as $13 to a whopping $3,200. My recommendation would be DJI’s Phantom 3 Professional. Valued at $799 on DJI’s website, it can stay in the air for 23 minutes straight, and shoots in 4K (great quality footage). Aside from the drone, we’ll need to purchase batteries and a charger. The price of batteries runs anywhere from $5 to $300, and the charger’s price can go for anything between $2 to $80. Once we’ve purchased the drone, our writers would need to obtain a remote pilot certificate, which can be obtained at any of one of these FAA-approved centers, and would then have submit an airman certification and rating application. The cost for the whole certification process is about $150. After successfully obtaining the “drone license,” approval to fly the drone at the location of the story is necessary. Some countries have banned drones, you can find out where it is and isn’t legal to fly drones here.
In this story’s case, Cambodia allows the use of drones, but if Mr. Consiglio would’ve wanted to film with his drone, he would’ve had to contact the Cambodian Aviation Authority before doing so, the contact information and drone laws usage in Cambodia can be found here. Some legal limitations with the drone include invasion of privacy (mainly something paparazzi would have trouble with) or flying over Class B airspaces, which is basically the airspace above any airport with high traffic. The following areas are considered as no-fly zones unless granted permission: private property, schools, wildfires, and prisons.
There are few ethical concerns when it comes to drones, but the one to remember would be interaction with the police, given that if your drone finds itself near a live crime situation, the ethical thing to do would be grant them access to the footage, given that it could help law enforcement/lawyers during the prosecution of the criminal. I know that this sounds like an expensive investment, but with that drone, the potential for future stories is endless. Think of all the stories that would be great to tell but aren’t possible to carry out because the places and situations are not safe for a human journalist, such as war zones. With a drone, those stories can be told. Also, drones can introduce more media and less long form storytelling.
360 VR: “Inside Bataclan, One Year After the Paris Attacks”
On November 13th, 2015, Paris was hit by a series of terrorist attacks, including a hostage situation in the Bataclan Concert Hall which left 90 dead and many critically injured. A year later, the Bataclan Concert Hall opens it’s doors to the public for the first time since the attack, with British singer Sting doing the honors of performing. Barthélémy Gaillard, a writer for VICE France, was there for the reopening. There are no pictures at all in the story of the concert hall from the inside, but what about a 360 virtual reality experience? Go back one year, a day or so after the attack to be exact. Imagine stepping into the concert hall and getting a full 360 view of the workers helping clean up the mess left that night, allowing our readers to feel the aftermath of the attack from the comfort of their own living room. The video then slowly fades from the rubble-mined floor to the middle of the sold out concert hall, hearing the crowd singing along to his hits, putting the reader/viewer at the heart of both nights. I can see the goosebumps on our reader’s arms. Frontline’s “Return to Chernobyl” on Facebook and the NYT’s “A Quiet Commute After Brussels Attack” show the greatness of this technology.
To be able to create these experiences, we’ll need to purchase three things. First off, a 360 camera. The cost of the camera we’d be looking is anywhere from $3,000 to $15,000+. GoPro’s “Omni” camera would be the perfect buy for us. It has synchronized 6-camera array, which makes the editing process go much smoother, shoot 8K resolution footage, and can be powered from in-camera batteries, but can also use an external power supply, which allows longer shooting time. The video stitching software that we’ll have to purchase is even more important than the camera itself. Programs like Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere don’t have the capability/tools to stitch 360 video, but Kolor, a French company whose specialty is video stitching software, does. The best part of this software? Kolor was purchased by GoPro last year, making them a match made in heaven. Autopano Video 2, the software Kolor created specifically for stitching 360 video, costs $317.93, and can be purchased here.
Lastly, the final step to create a jaw-dropping 360 VR experience is the most expensive of the three, but is the most important of them all: A VR Film Production Team. These teams usually charge around $10,000 per day. Why do we need this? Because too much unnatural movement will disturb the viewer and ruin the entire project, a mistake someone whose never shot 360 video will most certainly make, so someone who is familiar with documentary style filmmaking is highly encouraged. . The viewer has three different ways to experience the projects: Using a Cardboard Headset (costs around $10-$30) and fits all smartphones, through your smartphone by holding it horizontally and just moving around, and if they don’t have smartphones, they can be viewed on their computers by just moving the cursor over the video screen.
360 virtual reality has the potential to bring storytelling to a whole new level by putting the viewer right into the center of the story/action and will inspire empathy in viewers. 360 VR does pose some challenges when it comes to audience outreach, such as the fact that it can be very isolating, it doesn’t align with normal news viewing habits. It also has some ethical concerns, and one of the biggest ones depends on the viewer himself. 360 VR causes the viewer to take an intense dive into the story, to the point that he/she will feel like they’ve become a part of it, and this causes our minds to not be able to tell the difference between VR vs. Real Life so user must also be responsible when using VR, the recommended time of use is 15 minutes. This tech has tons of potential in journalism, some journalist already consider it another medium of storytelling, but as of now, there are no VR experts. So there is still tons of development to be made, but once it’s been perfected, I strongly advice we tap into it.
Computer Generated VR: “RISKING DEATH IN ACTION SPORTS: BRAVERY OR LUNACY?”
Vice Sports’ Fritz Huber’s article creates the discussion of whether risking fatal death by practicing action sports is a proof of bravery or just flat-out lunatic. Huber published this story just a week after the release of TriStar Pictures’ The Walk, a biopic starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Philippe Petit, the famous French tightrope walker who walked between the World Trade Center towers on a high wire in 1974. Just a day after The Walk hit theaters worldwide, 23-year-old Johnny Strange, a thrill-seeker like Petit died in a BASE jumping accident in Switzerland. What if I told you that we could give our readers the opportunity to answer Huber’s question without having to actually risk their lives?
As a matter of fact, I’ve tested it out myself. Susan Jacob, an American freelance cinematographer created a scenario in which you’re in an elevator, going up to the 10th floor. But when the the elevator doors open, you’re greeted by the wind, and the only thing in plain sight is the building across the street, and a plank. The goal of the experience is to walk to the end of the plank and back to the elevator without falling into the concrete at street level. The tricky part is that when I tried this, Jacob actually brought a plank, so when I tried it, it actually felt like a plank. But before I tell you how we can use this, allow me to introduce Nonny De La Pena or as she is known in the tech community “the Godmother of VR.” You can find all of her work here. But there is one CG VR project that I want you to focus on : Project Syria. Created by the University of Southern California’s Interactive Media Lab (Where Nonny is a senior research fellow) back in 2014, “Project Syria” uses virtual reality goggles to place virtual visitors inside the world of a Syrian citizen caught in the conflict.
Now imagine if we developed a version in which you’re Petit, and you’re re-enacting his 1974 walk from one World Trade Center tower to another, and using something similar to a tightrope set up on on ground. That would allow our reader’s/viewers to make a decision on their own. The thought of creating this type of project sounds amazing, but actually creating it is no easy task. First off, we’ll have to obtain actual footage and sound, which as I stated earlier, is a dangerous task. Once the footage and sound is gathered, we’ll have to find someone who is fluent in 3D computer graphics to replicate the digital scenery, items (plane, labs, cocaine, etc.), and most importantly, the people. These would be created with Unity, a cross-platform game engine. The program can be downloaded on computers, preferably a desktop, and the cost of the Professional plan, which tailors to all of our needs, is $125 per month. Similar to 360 VR, our viewers can either experience the story through VR goggles, smartphone, or on their computer. The potential in storytelling is definitely there and it’s interesting. Journalist’s will be able to tell stories that are complex and then allow our viewers to experience it for themselves.
Sensors: “The Hail Mary Plan to Stop Rhino Poaching By Growing Horns in a Lab”
Jason Koebler’s Motherboard story is about “Pembient,” a West Coast startup created by two biologists who claim to have created lab-grown rhino horn powder by implementing certain bioengineering techniques, which could potentially put Rhino Horn poachers out of business. Rhino horn is usually sold in the black market for decorative purposes. “Sensor Journalism” could enrich the story by providing accurate data. What is sensor journalism? According to Lily Bui’s Medium article, it refers to a method of generating or collecting data from sensors, then using that data to tell a story, and if executed correctly, it can boost civic action. Sensor journalism has already been attempted, specifically by National Geographic’s Bryan Christy, who published a story regarding the illegal elephant tusk trade. Christy asked taxidermist George Dante to design an artificial elephant tusk that has the look and feel of an elephant tusk and then have embed a custom-made GPS and satellite-based tracking system. After Dante’s completed his work, Christy placed it in regions around Africa where ivory poaching is big and monitored its movements to attempt track down the kingpins of the ivory trade. The faux tusk was convincing enough that Christy was detained in an Tanzanian airport, being suspected of ivory trafficking.
If Koebler were to ask Markus and Bonaci to emulate what Dante did for Christy, Koebler could track the movements of the buyers and expose the criminals if put in the right hands. To make this happen, we can do one of two things. Option #1 is buying a Real-Time GPS Tracker. STI GL300 would be our best bet; given its 2-week long battery life, we can access the tracker/data from anywhere using your tablet or phone, it’s compact, and it only costs $69.95 (can be purchased here). Option #2 is more complex, which would be actually building our own sensors. Although it sounds strenuous, it is possible to master this craft. There are some colleges in the U.S., specifically Columbia, that are offering classes focused around sensor journalism, where they learn to collect the data themselves, instead of just analyzing it. This technology of course has legal limitations. Some journalists have decided to build their very own sensing systems, which can be a legal liability, given that the Federal Communications Commission requires that all electronic devices that emit a radio signal to be tested and approved by them.
Sensors have serious potential in journalism. As a matter of fact, one of the most popular sports in the U.S. plans to implement it into the game. The NFL has announced that radio-frequency identification sensors will be installed in players’ shoulder pads. With these sensors, coaches will be able to detect field position, speed, distance traveled and acceleration in real time. This data will then be passed onto sports broadcasters for in-game commentary. The storytelling possibilities with sensor journalism are endless, because with the real-time, accurate data that these sensors can provide, the level of credibility of stories will skyrocket.
Digital Gaming: “Colombian voters just rejected the country’s historic peace deal”
In a referendum on October 12 this year, Colombian voters narrowly rejected a historic peace accord that would’ve put an end to a war that has lasted more than half a century between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or more commonly known as FARC, the country’s largest rebel group and the government, by a mere 0.5 percent, reported our very own Jo Tuckman for ViceNews. 2016 has been an odd year for voting around the world. Little over a month after Colombia’s referendum for peace, he U.S. held it’s own elections, where Americans had to chose between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, two individuals who have done their fair share of shady things over the years.
Fusion employed Hitcents, a technology-based creative agency, to create a journalistic game to accompany their investigative documentary “Rigged.” The claim Fusion’s documentary makes is how easy politicians can rig American elections, and the game allows the player to attempt to rig the American elections by stealing votes. To steal those votes, the player must use his/her gerrymandering skills to reshape districts within each state by tapping and dragging squares to solve a puzzle, aiming to change district lines to manipulate voters into sympathizing with the player’s same party. There are 50 levels, one for each state. The game is only available in the Apple App Store and Google Play, but why not do something similar with the Colombian peace accord story?
Shortly after opening the game, the player will have to choose a home department (the Colombian version of states), and then pick between being in favor or against the peace accord. For example, if the player chooses to be in favor of the accord, he will have to manipulate citizens who want to vote against the accord to change their mind, starting in their home state. Colombia has 32 departments, so if the player wants the accord to be approved, he must manipulate the voters of at least 17 departments. Tapping into the concept of gaming in journalism has tons of potential, mainly because it can wake up the dormant sense of urgency, and can drive people to step out of their comfort zone and try something new or different. In addition, these games have the potential to improve storytelling techniques, making thorny situations easier to comprehend by putting people at the heart of the situation. Being able to to understand conflicting data, or just a topic that is complicated itself are the main advantages of storytelling through games. The one downside of attempting to tell a story through a game is the cost.
The following pieces of technology I believe we shouldn’t invest our money in:
Wearables
Aside from our Vice News channel, our stories are very detailed oriented, which is why our content isn’t suitable for wearables such as the Apple Watch. For starters, most of the stories that one would receive on an Apple Watch are one-sentence stories, which won’t do justice to most if not all of our stories, so our writers won’t be able to fully showcase their storytelling abilities. I tested out the Apple Watch Sport and when in the App Store for the Watch, Vice was nowhere to be found, so why invest money into notification sending if our readers won’t get them on their watch? The main legal implication the Apple Watch and other wearables have is that they aren’t exactly air tight. Ethically, “Phantom Vibrations,” are probably the most annoying concern Apple Watch users have with the product, and the way the alerts are sent have been proven to cause ADHD symptoms in people who don’t have ADHD, so imagine what those alerts to do someone with ADHD. I’m not saying that wearables don’t have potential to work in journalism, because it does, but just not for us.
Augmented/Mixed Reality
Augmented Reality is computer generated images and information that are superimposed over the real world. Mixed on the other hand produces new environments through holograms that you’re able to interact with. Too much of basically anything in this world can be seen as unnecessary, and toying with reality is one of them. Why? Although augmented/mixed reality has the potential to grant readers instant access to information, Vice isn’t a website one goes to for info like recipes, directions, or user manuals, things that this technology is very good for. The legal limitations to this are mainly health related. For example, Google Glass users can suffer from eye-strain/headaches. That being said, this technology can potentially violate wiretapping laws. Ethically, the devices invade privacy. It wouldn’t cost us much to create the content, but the products our readers would have to purchase to enjoy the features of it are extremely expensive, which decreases the audience reach potential. The one thing about augmented/mixed reality is the potential for storytelling, making it the most personal we could ever get with the reader. Aside from that, I don’t see the need for this technology in our stories.
Automated Journalism/Algorithms:
In our case, the argument to not use automated journalism is quite simple. Like I stated earlier, Vice’s type of stories aren’t just simple news reporting or sports game summaries, which is what automated journalism is mostly used for. So this wouldn’t work for us because it will actually weaken the potential for storytelling growth. Ethically speaking, there is tons of implications, such as the accuracy of the data collected, whether or not we have the rights to the data, and most importantly of all, I think it wouldn’t match our style of writing. A big problem that journalism algorithms create is the fact that they change the way we view our audiences and the public, due to how algorithms decide what stories to publish. This would make us go from seeing our readers as citizen, to simple consumers. When it comes to cost, most news outlets that use this technology use to lower production costs, but since we’re a web-based publication, so there isn’t a real reason for us to invest in it.
Once again, thank you for bearing with me through these pitches, and I hope that in the foreseeable future, I’ll be seeing some of these pieces of tech around the office.
Special thanks to Amy Walker.
