Thursday, November 10, 2011

This is a practice post for the final project

This is what we can do.

We can use this as our shell.  Students can write their introduction here and then use links to their multimedia presentation.
They can use GWC flickr page to create photo slideshows.
They can use GWC YouTube channel to post video.
It can all go here on class blog.
Let's test the link to flickr right now.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Notes and Links for Guidance on Final Project


What is a multimedia story?

A multimedia story is some combination of text, still photographs, video clips, audio, graphics and interactivity presented on a website in away that complements each part, but does not repeat content. .

So instead of having a text version of a story accompanied by a video clip that essentially tells the same story, different parts of a story are told using different media. The key is using the media form - video, audio, photos, text, animation - that will present a segment of a story in the most compelling and informative way.

What isn't a multimedia story? 

CNN, the Washington Post and MSNBC.com are examples of multimedia sites. They have text. They have video clips. They have audio. They have still photographs. They have interactive graphics. But the main stories on these sites are often produced in either text or video or audio to stand alone. Photos are used with  text often  photos the same way they would be used  in a newspaper or magazine. The video is usually the same version that appears on television. Rarely are video, text, still photos, audio and graphics integrated into the same story. Usually, they are stand-alone stories, each produced for a different media about the same subject, that are then aggregated into multimedia packages.

That's not what we want to do in the final project.

Storyboarding

Why do a storyboard?

A storyboard is a sketch of how to organize a story and a list of its contents.

A storyboard helps you:


  • Define the parameters of a story within available resources and time 
  • Organize and focus a story 
  • Figure out what medium to use for each part of the story 


How to do a rough storyboard

Divide the story into its logical, parts, such as:

  • an opening paragraph, that tells why this story is important 
  • snippets of profiles of the main person or people in the story 
  • time, place of the event or situation 
  • examples of a process or how something works 
  • pros and cons (this is good if you are going to tackle an issue)
  • the history of the event or situation 
Here are some examples of good multimedia storytelling:

Story Shell: (Classic NPR Style) Hurricane Katrina Aftermath
Story Shell: (Narrative emphasis) JD Learns to Cook






Friday, November 4, 2011

They covered up 'radio' in the sign at NPR headquarters



It's about time.
This photo was tweeted by a Los Angeles-based NPR producer.  “A picture tells a thousand words: ‘National Public Radio’ painted over by NPR at HQ,” the tweet stated.
In 2008 Jane Stevens led workshops with NPR  staff on how to shift from being a radio-centric journalism organization into a web-centric journalism organization.
Basically, Stevens and others asked the NPR staff to rethink how they tell stories and how their stories reach their audience.
It is an understatement that there was resistance to the whole idea. If the LA producer's tweet is any indication, there is still some anger about the shift in emphasis.
"Back in the days that there was just radio, your station was the only point of entry to all this content," Robert Spier, director of content development for NPR Digital Media told writers for the American Journalism Review. "You couldn't get NPR except through your station because it was only available on radio, and radio was time and geographically bound." Today, of course, "the user expects to be in control of his or her experience."
That has NPR rethinking how it operates. That's a good thing and what needs to be done if NPR is to survive in the digital age.
According to poynter.org, an NPR spokeswoman said the panel reading “National Public Radio” has been covered for several years. The new permanent sign has NPR’s logo and address.
The NPR staff, really, the entire journalism community, needs to embrace the digital age. There is no going back to the good old days.