Multimedia advice

IJNET’s “Fundamentals of Multimedia Storytelling” series a must-read

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I came across a great blog series today by Iranian journalist Omid Memarian on IJNET’s site about multimedia fundamentals. Thus far, he has three great posts defining multimedia, discussing the teamwork and multi-tasking requirements of multimedia, and planning a multimedia story. I have recapped some of his points here, but I encourage you to read them in their entirety, as well as keep an eye out for his latest post publishing in the near future.

“An introduction to multimedia reporting and the future of journalism”
“Good writing is still a very important element of any multimedia report. In many cases, stories are based on text, and complemented with photos, slideshows or audio files. However, more and more, journalists are using multimedia primarily, assessing various platforms for telling different aspects of a story. In many multimedia stories, text is used only to provide a brief background, leaving visual and audio elements to tell the story.”

“The fundamentals of multimedia storytelling: multi-tasking and teamwork”
“Multimedia journalists use audio, video, and text in a variety of forms, but in most cases text remains the most important element. Although text varies for audio, video and print mediums, basic storytelling principles remain the same.

Multimedia reporter Jessie Graham, who also teaches at New York’s Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, says that despite the variety of media available, storytelling is no different than when print was the sole medium.”

“Planning a multimedia report, Part 1″
“Before starting work on a multimedia project, we must consider the story’s characteristics and draw a Storyboard to organize our thoughts. … Next we have to choose the platform(s) that we are going to use to report the different parameters of the story — which parts are going to be told by video, audio, pictures or text. We have to assess the potential of each platform in better narrating our story.

Video: Video is best used to show an action scene, like scoring a goal in a soccer match, or when we want the audience to experience being in a certain place.

Text: One of the best applications of text in a multimedia report is to provide a historical background or an analysis. Another application is using text to provide explanations about pictures and slideshows. We also use text to provide links to other online reports. Text is the least expensive platform when compared to audio, video and pictures and does not require specific tools.

Still photos: We use still photos to show memorable moments or to stress a certain event. It is better to have photos that are strong enough to tell their own stories without requiring text descriptions. Still, photography is one of the least expensive templates and can be used either as an independent report, or independently as part of a multimedia project.

Audio: Audio is a suitable medium for reporting interviews. An audience can listen to an interview while browsing through the Internet. Audio is also a strong medium to convey emotional feelings.

Audio-slideshows: Photo-slideshows provide the user with the advantages of multiple media — both audio and photo platforms tell a story. The downside is that producing audio-slideshows takes more time than either the audio or photo platforms do alone.

Data and Statistics: The best way to report data and statistics is to apply graphs. Application of animated graphs is more interesting but more expensive than normal graphs. Their preparation also requires more time.

Graphic design: Along the same lines and data and statistics, we can use graphics to comparing the achievements of the two soccer teams mentioned in the example in the past 20 years. Visualizing the data will make it more understandable for the audience and easier to remember.”

Check the IJNET site in the next couple of days for the latest post in Omid Memarian’s series.

Other posts that might interest you:

• Multimedia investment checklist
• Leslie-Jean Thornton teaches exemplary multimedia journalism
• Multimedia apps for journalists

© 15 October 2009 Innovative Interactivity (II).