Innovative Individuals

Innovative Individuals: Matt Ford

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I first came across Matt Ford’s work when I reveled over AP’s “Killer Blue, Baptized by Fire” package. I have since followed his work closely via his clean portfolio site, Matt Ford Media, and his multimedia blog, Wire & Lights (although it’s gone quiet lately, cough cough). From his excellent multimedia work at AP to all that he will accomplish in the future, I am happy to announce that Matt was selected as this week’s Innovative Individual.

Matt wrote an excellent guest blog post for II over the summer about the future of interactive videos. In it, he said, “Today video has become a major part of the online experience, and that role continues to grow every year. As a response, video web offerings have become more sophisticated, and the common thread is the emergence of user choice … With the advance of IPTV, this level of interactivity will soon exist on Television and a multitude of other devices.”

Q) How do you drive innovation in your work?

A) Usually, our work at the AP starts with a simple problem. There is a news story or event that we need to cover. From there, myself and other members of the newsroom bounce ideas off each other searching for the best possible solution with a complete disregard for practicality. I think it’s important in this brainstorming phase to not be saddled by what you know how to do at that given moment. Otherwise most multimedia producers would start with “Well I know how to make an audio slideshow, so this story should be an audio slideshow.” There are so many tools, script libraries and applications out there, that for the most part, if you can dream it, you can make it a reality on the web. The hardest question usually becomes “Is the juice worth the squeeze?” Is there enough time to tackle the learning curve of realizing this project on the given deadline? Sometimes that answer is no, but even when you have to scale back a bit, you tend to retain what inspired that original big idea.

Q) What piece in your portfolio are you most proud of and why?

A) Our coverage of the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama. We knew we had to provide live video coverage of the inauguration, and because we wanted to give our clients at least a week or so to tackle any technical hurdles involved with embedding our flash piece on their site, we knew we needed to produce additional content before the feeds went live. We came up with a plan to offer an interactive map where the user could pick and choose what camera on the mall they wanted to see at any given time. For additional content, we produced a half-hour documentary on the history of the presidential inauguration, a 3D flyover of the parade route, and we provided the text, images, audio and video of every inaugural speech we could get our hands on. Oh, and we only had three weeks to pull it all together.

A lot of talented people contributed, and the reason it’s one of my favorite projects is that there was such an abundance of content, but it still remained fairly clean and simple to use and navigate.

Q) Please provide a brief educational and professional history.

A) I’ve been working for the Associated Press for nearly three years as a multimedia producer. I spent much of that time covering the 2008 presidential election. Before that I studied journalism at Penn State and Northwestern. Originally I studied film at York University in Toronto and I worked for three years in Los Angeles as a studio lighting technician before making the switch to journalism.

Q) Where do you believe multimedia fits into today’s society and how will that role change over time?

A) Multimedia is all around us. In fact, sometimes I think that everyone out there is a multimedia producer these days. High quality digital camera equipment and software is more ubiquitous and affordable than ever before and you are seeing people take advantage of these tools to share their stories and their lives on the web. The only real leg up I have, is that I have 40+ hours a week to try and master these tools while they are at their normal jobs.

When I talk to students and young people about multimedia, they get it. It’s already a huge part of their lives. Digital multimedia is still in its infancy, but I think we are going to see some really interesting changes in the way we communicate once that generation comes into their own. It really pushes me to continually learn new skills and expand my craft knowing that one day some kid in a university computer lab is going to rise up and take my place.

Q) What is one thing on your “To-Do” list?

A) I’m trying to learn after effects and I’m in search of the perfect workflow for the Canon 5D Mark II. It amazes me that an affordable still camera can produce visuals that rival what I worked with out in Hollywood. There are definitely sound limitations and challenges to using it effectively for ENG, but this is just the beginning. By the time I master it, I’m sure there will be a new development in hybrid cameras that makes it even easier. So it goes.

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Want to nominate a deserving colleague, friend or inspirational figure to be highlighted in this series? Confidential nominations can be emailed to tracynboyer@gmail.com on an ongoing basis. Self nominations are also welcome. A person will be featured every Friday, so look for the next “innovative individual” Friday, December 11th!

Other posts that might interest you:

• Innovative Individuals: Evelio Contreras
• Innovative Individuals: Regina McCombs
• Innovative Individuals: Emily Sweeney

© 3 December 2009 Innovative Interactivity (II).