Week One: Multimedia Storytelling
The reading for week one was Jane Stevens’ Multimedia Storytelling, which can be found at http://multimedia.journalism.berkeley.edu/tutorials/
In this reading, Stevens provides a guide to anybody interested in creating a multimedia-based story. She defines multimedia stories as a ‘combination of text, still photographs, video clips, audio, graphics and interactivity presented on a Web site in a nonlinear format in which the information in each medium is complementary, not redundant’ (2008). In other words, she believes that multi-media journalism should not follow the formats used for print or visually based stories, but use a variety of media forms (such as audio, photos, etc) to create a story that is both informative and interactive for its audience.
Stevens also introduces her readers to a storyboard format that she believes is beneficial when deciding which part of the story should be portrayed using which medium. She emphasises this by comparing the storyboard for a story called Dancing Rocks, to the actual website that was created as a result. This storyboard format not only helps to provide the best forms of media for each section, but it also allows the journalist to manage their time and resources, as well as organise or focus the story.
This reading was interesting and informative, and, by including video footage, hyperlinks to various websites, photos and graphics, Stevens made good use of the points she wished to get across. Although I was not particularly interested in watching the videos, as I thought the point was made clear enough in the text, I can see how some people would rather watch videos than read large slabs of text. I think this article (being multimedia-based) caters just as well for them as it does for people who would simply prefer to read. Which is, I guess, the whole point of multimedia based journalism.
Welcome :)
This blog has been created as part of an assessment task, set for Deakin University’s ALJ301 Multi-Media Journalism unit.
In it, I will explore the weekly set readings, as well as my views on different aspects of multi-media journalism and its role in today’s society.
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