Selecting the Right Media. What does text do best? Depth, background Context, analysis Online –...
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Transcript of Selecting the Right Media. What does text do best? Depth, background Context, analysis Online –...
What does text do best?Depth, backgroundContext, analysisOnline – immediacyOnline – allows for reactionOnline – hyperlinks to additional
information
TextStories or aspects of stories that lend themselves to text: Background information - a FAQ can be a very effective way to give people background information.
Analysis and explanation
Pros and cons of an issue
History - although a graphical timeline can be more effective.
Text
Thumbnails for profiles - biographical facts about people in a story.
Summaries - important with a multimedia package to tell people what the package or page is about.
Breaking news - the quickest way to get information out; most efficient way for people to scan it for what's happening now.
The Lede
What does a photo do best?Captures a moment in timeShows something is happeningProvides emotional impactTells truth without a filter
Photos
Stories or aspects of stories that lend themselves to photos: Reflection - if it's a story you want someone to reflect on.
Emotions - photos are good for stories that are very emotional. Photos can evoke strong emotions.
Central characters in a story - if you want the viewer to reflect on who the person is, rather than seeing how they behave. A photograph gives the viewer a sense of a person.
Photos
Central place in a story - a photograph gives a sense of a place and opportunity to reflect on it.
More intimate than using video.
Example: Natural disaster coverage. Take viewer there with video while things are happening, and then use photos to take the viewer to the scene in the aftermath, so the viewer can reflect.
PhotosPanoramas are sometimes a very effective way of taking the viewer to a place and immersing them in it.
51st and Telegraph, Oakland, CA - UC Berkeley Journalism School News21 project
What about an audio slideshow?Uses visuals, goes beyond a single
momentLayered (adds dimension of audio)Because of audio:
Captures sound, tone, voice.Captures emotion, inflection.Gives you context.
Audio slideshow examples Long JourneyDooty DivaOne in Eight Million – New York Times
VideoStories or aspects of stories that lend themselves to video: Action - natural disasters, sporting events, dance performances, etc.
Central place in a story – video takes you there and gives you a sense of what a place is like.
Central characters in a story – video lets you see and hear them and how they behave. Especially use video if they’re interesting or animated.
VideoDrama - not so much an emotional moment, but a
story that’s part of larger drama.
How things work or how to do something - video is good for simple processes of things with a lot of moving parts.
Video examples
Oscar the featherless bird - South Florida Sun Sentinel
Pig on a tramp
ABC balloonist
What does a graphic do best?Explains complex informationExplains numbersHelps readers visualize information
Graphics and Maps
Stories or aspects of stories that lend themselves to graphics or maps: Statistics and data
• Another example - How Different Groups Spend Their Day – NY Times
• Unemployment by county
How things work or how to do something - graphics are especially good for describing complex processes (video better for
Graphics and Maps
Where humans can’t go - stories about space, microbiology, etc.
History - timelines are especially effective ways of showing the historical events
Geo-locational events and stories - can be plotted on a map so the viewer immediately has a sense of where something happened.
Climbing Kilimanjaro
What does a database do?Personalizes informationProvides interactivityKeeps readers engagedParkersburg tornado
Think like a multimedia journalistIs your story dense with information?Does it require a lot of background?Does it have strong visuals?Does it have strong sound component?Is there action?Does it have a lot of numbers?Would an interactive help explain it?
Plenty more examplesMichelle’s DeliciousSue’s Delicious
Sources and resources:
Knight Digital Media Center reporting tutorial written by Paul Grabowicz, University of California, Berkeley
Cheat Sheet for Multimedia Story Decisions