A new way to photograph war: Condition One on the iPad

Seth Weintraub | Jun 13 2011 - 7:51 am PT

[vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/21514274 w=670&h=377]

(Check out 45 secs in)

Here’s an unconventional use of the iPad: Time Magazine profiles Condition ONE, an app to provide a new form of storytelling.

it combines “the power of the still image, the narrative of films and the emotional engagement of tactile experiences to create a new language that is so immersive, it will shake viewers out of their numbness to traditional media and provide them a powerful emotional experience. Instead of opening a window to glimpse another world, we are attempting to bring the viewer into that world as an active participant.”

Condition ONE, under development for the Apple iPad and other tablets, uses a custom camera system developed by Dennis that “fuses the ethics, method and aesthetics of photojournalism with the tradition of cinematic filmmaking with virtual reality,” he says. “The entire human field of view is captured on these camera systems, and the stories are edited specifically for the tablet application to create a truly immersive experience.”

He continues, “Once viewers enter a video experience, they can move the tablet in any direction and see the corresponding field of view. The traditional two-dimensional, rectangular frame is shattered as viewers step inside the frame and experience the stories as the protagonists.”