Storytime: Our 5 Favorite 360° Videos From August 2016

Welcome to our first monthly Storytime, where we’ll be bringing you the best videos we’ve seen each month. This month we’ll be showing you our favorite 360° videos as part of our Virtual Summer. So break out that Google Cardboard or VR headset and get watching!

1. The Fight for Fallujah by The New York Times

In this sobering video, New York Times journalist Ben Solomon takes you on a journey to the frontlines of the war with ISIS. His powerful narration is like reading a diary or overhearing his thoughts as he travels with the Iraqi militia on their dangerous mission recapture Fallujah, Iraq.

2. Exploring the Forbidden Skyline in Virtual Reality by Red Bull TV

How can a filmmaker guide a viewer’s gaze in a 360° video? In this short doc, the filmmaker’s solution is to subtly overlay directions that look like graffiti or paint as part of the scene. The video, which documents urban explorers, also has other videos superimposed on the walls of buildings as if they are coming from a projector. These tricks save you from missing out on the story even if you are distracted from the main action.

3. Bernie or Bust? by RYOT

In this video, you’re on the ground at a Bernie Sanders rally and speaking directly with discontent American voters.

4. Experience Life as a Crab by Discovery

Take a look at a whole culture and part of life that you may not think about often — fishermen at work on the sea.

5. The City Within: Life in Rio’s Favelas by the Financial Times

The Olympics put Rio and its stunning scenery centerstage, but beneath the veneer of modernization is a less romantic part of the city — its infamous favelas. Through this 360° video, get a close-up look at life in the favelas and a brief history of the city’s divide between rich and poor.