An article by Chloé Rochereuil, Director of "Surviving 9/11"

If you have ever put a VR headset on, you have probably shot zombies or ridden a roller coaster. Which is great, but also restrictive: VR is not just for entertainment. VR is also a powerful storytelling medium.

At TARGO, we specialize in VR documentaries: our experiences are non-fiction stories, not games. We think that VR is the most powerful tool there is to connect viewers with the real world and bring extraordinary true stories to them.

So when I heard about the story of Genelle Guzman-McMillan, who survived the 9/11 attacks after being stuck 27 hours under the rubble at Ground Zero, I knew I had to tell her incredible story- in VR.

VR is powerful but also ambivalent because it brings you inside the frame. It puts you, as a viewer, in direct contact with the topic. So how can it be harnessed to tell such a sensitive story? This interrogation was central throughout our production process.

Here are a few things that helped us craft “Surviving 9/11”.

In VR journalism, the same journalism ethics & standards apply.

Just because we are filming in VR doesn't mean we put ethical rules and professional standards aside. Much like for a 2D documentary, VR documentary makers stick to some rules: banning graphic content, remaining accurate and truthful, warning the audience if necessary…

In “Surviving 9/11”, 3D reconstructions of the towers are based on floor plans, archives, and testimonies to be accurate and truthful. The scenes unfold at a distance and do not show any triggering action.

Genelle Guzman-McMillan tells her own story. Her voice guides the viewer through the experience. Genelle is used to telling her story, but VR was new to her. As a VR documentary maker, your job also is to educate the people you are interviewing on the technology you are using. I explained to her what VR was and how we wanted to tell her story with it, making sure that she understood & was comfortable with the project.

TARGO director Chloé Rochereuil and “Surviving 9/11”’s Genelle Guzman-McMillan on set.

Interviewing a 9/11 survivor was challenging but filming with a 360 camera eased the process. The 360 camera is on a tripod, the crew is hiding from it at a distance, and there’s no big crew or heavy equipment involved. When we filmed Genelle going back to Ground Zero for the first time in 20 years, it was a very moving moment for her. Filming with a 360 camera was really helpful in giving her the space she needed.

Yes, applying the same standards and ethics is crucial. But no, it is not enough.

To tell a sensitive story in VR, you need to limit the viewer’s immersion in the story.

When you have a VR headset on, you are inside the story. You are fully dedicated to watching and hearing the story- which is great and immersive- but as a VR documentary director, my job is to tell a story, not to make viewers live through traumatic events. So limiting the immersion was a core part of the writing and editing.

The documentary is divided into three parts: Genelle’s life as an immigrant in NYC in the 90s, her memories of the attacks, and her life as a survivor, 20 years later. On the editorial side, the most challenging was recounting Genelle's memories of 9/11. We wanted to give an accurate picture of what she lived without putting the viewer in Genelle's situation. That was our North Star for this project.

We chose to reconstruct some of Genelle’s memories in 3D inside the North tower and under the rubble of Ground Zero. These scenes unfold at a distance with a blurry halo surrounding them, so the viewer is not inside the scene. With small animations such as papers floating, a computer booting up, or lights changing,

These scenes do not show any triggering action. They help contextualize the story of Genelle and focus on her testimony.

Plus, there is no interaction, so the viewer is not involved in the story

These guidelines were key to unleashing the power of VR to tell Genelle’s story.

Telling the story of a 9/11 survivor in VR renews connection with History

As a VR documentary director, I knew that, if well crafted, this powerful medium could bring something new in the way we commemorate and tell the story of 9/11.

First— VR creates empathy. When the viewer is in front of Genelle, they connect deeply, one-on-one, with her. Feeling the presence and hearing the story of a survivor with VR as a medium is a game-changer regarding the way we pass on memory through generations. Because you create this amazing bond with the person who lived through the events, the story becomes real. VR captures History and people forever.

Second— VR is a time machine. It preserves places. The first part of the documentary allows the viewer to dive into NYC in the 1990s thanks to unique 360° archives of the Twin Towers, vintage sounds & recordings. This unique experience allows an entire generation born before 2001 to go back in time and see the Twin Towers as they were before the attacks. No photo or archive video can bring this sense of presence and place.

Please read Victor Agulhon’s article for more on this.

Third and last— VR eases the way we can commemorate the event. In the last part of the documentary, Genelle returns to Ground Zero for the first time. The viewer stands in front of the giant commemorative pools that now replace the Twin Towers. Visiting these historical places with VR is key. It brings people where it happened so that we never forget.

⏯ If you are interested in watching “Surviving 9/11”, it is available for free in VR in Meta Quest headsets worldwide. Here is a link to add it to your watchlist.

Full Behind-the-scenes video below:

Telling tragic historical events in virtual reality

In VR journalism, the same journalism ethics & standards apply.

To tell a sensitive story in VR, you need to limit the viewer’s immersion in the story.

Telling the story of a 9/11 survivor in VR renews connection with History