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Multimedia Round Table | Agony of the Aftermath
I am curious to hear your take on a recent multimedia project I came across on Interactive Narratives by producer Nick George. “Agony of the Aftermath” was created while Nick spent six months as a Knight Digital Media Fellow in the Kiplinger program in Public Affairs Journalism at The Ohio State University.
Spend some time on this piece. Watch the five-plus videos, read through the Dipity timeline, and think about the design. Do you appreciate the positioning of the video player inside the image of the dilapidated tv, or was it over-the-top? Do you like the header design? What about the content navigation displayed as an overlay on the map?
Personally, I liked how they utilized Ning for discussion about the project. I wasn’t too keen on the design, but I appreciated how everything was organized and presented on one page. A couple of other nit-picky things I noticed were the abnormal proportions of the legend in relation to the map, the confusing shapes for the color key, and the pixelated background image.
The storytelling was definitely the strongest part in my opinion. The videography and photography were all nicely integrated into emotional stories with tight editing. I would have designed the package around these pieces so that they stand out more, and sized them to at least 640×480.
I am very impressed that this was all produced by one individual. If you enjoyed this piece, make sure to check out The Chronicle’s multimedia archive.
So, jump in on the discussion. Initial reactions, suggestions for improvement, and professional critiques are welcome …
Other posts that might interest you:
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- Multimedia round table | “I kill a friend” (warning: graphic content)
- Multimedia Round Table | Under 21
Tags: Discussion
6 comments for “Multimedia Round Table | Agony of the Aftermath”
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Definitely one worth discussion…
I agree the map is a bit ugly, but I think it works well as a storytelling mechanic-it is, afterall, a geographical mechanic. The Dipity timeline is a nice touch.
I gotta disagree on the storytelling though.
I think the biggest flaw is the introduction. Firstly, the photographs whizz by too quickly: the point of slideshows is you have time to examine each photo, look around it, take it in…the introduction doesn’t allow that.
But most of all, the introduction–the splash–is supposed to suck you right in to the story. Does it set the issue up? Yes. Does it make anyone outside of Greater Lewis County care about it? No.
I’ve covered big flooding myself, and so I know the real stories are inside the ruined homes – but we don’t actually go there until the third video in the map (Disaster at Dykstras-which incidentally is v.good). Make that the introduction, and you’re onto a winner!
But yeah, the fact this is produced by one person is outstanding…and proves it can be done!
I agree; the strongest parts were obviously the videos and the narratives. Good footage and good interviews.
I think the “viewport” idea could have been less played out with a greater emphasis on the integration with the map.
I did like the “secret” iPhone version, but the videos didn’t play for me. A look with QuickTime’s movie inspector didn’t show an H.264 encoding, so that could be it. http://chronlinemedia.com/aftermath/iphone/
@Adam I definitely agree that the photos are not given sufficient time in the intro, but I think he edited it this way to give viewers a quick glimpse at the situation. It probably would have lost my interest had he slowed down the cuts …
@Rich Awesome find on the iPhone version – I’m so glad you brought that to my attention! Kudos to Nick for implementing multiple versions of the site. Will someone else check out it out on your iPhone and see if you experience the same problems as Rich?
I think packages like this are important because they show how valuable it is for journalists to have multiple skill sets. However, imagine how much more powerful it could have been with a good designer working with the producer. He had a good idea with the video player in the old flood-ruined TV set, but the default FLV Playback controls ruin the effect. A little bit of Photoshop to get the video situated inside the set combined with some matching controls that integrate the playback into the TV would have really been nice.
The stories and images were so powerful, but I was disappointed in the map/navigation on the right. I think that is the biggest flaw with the package because I was not drawn to continue clicking on stories. I was not drawn to interact with the map, and that is your only entry-point into the content.
You really have to applaud Nick for putting something like this together on his own.
mmm …
first off massive respect and a big hats off to Nick George. You should be very proud of your work.
I’m crap at design and I only like to criticize things I can do myself. On that front I think the intro could have been shortened, just to give a taste of what is to come.
The third video is a cracker.
WELL DONE.
Thanks for the feedback you all shared. Something happened to the iphone video files at the newspaper and now they are all back working.
Best,
Nick George