Elementele de baz pentru Multimedia Storytelling

Cuvinte cheie: digital storytelling, multimedia, online journalism, online storytelling, multimedia
storytelling
Subiect: Multimedia storytelling what is it and how it helps;
Descriere:
Multimedia story is a term defined as some combination of video, text, still photos, audio,
graphics and interactivity presented in a nonlinear format in which the information in each medium is
complementary, not redundant. (J. Stevens, 2011)

Storytelling is one of the oldest means of communication among people and, no matter its
cultural context, or the transmission of information. Its strenght comes from captivating and
maintaining the interest of the audience until the end of the communication process.
1. Define the story (answering the question What are we portraing?)
In this phase we establish the frame story and the type of media that well use.
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Requirements (you might want to check the followings):

A destination,
A theme,
One/ Many subjects.

Next, we decide on a certain manner of presenting the story.

Useful resources:
- Other publications, discussions on your topic.
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Axes of the storys framework:

Time (now vs. Then);
Goal (general picture vs. particular situation)
Motivation (the cause)
Impact (consequences and future)

Choosing the type of media should be made according to the following variables:
People/ events/ places,
Visual/ audio,
Movement/ static,
Degree of complexity
For example, if the topic is violent event (like conflict areas) the story for this sort of
event would probably use the following media: video interviews with persons that are
in the conflict area/ victims; slides with the history of the conflict/ what happened before
it started; interactivity a map with the hot conflict areas and attacks; audio
recordings of testimonies and interviews with the witnesses; epic debates in regard to
possible solutions and getting the targeted public involved through social media.
Basically, multimedia storytelling is backed up by: research, interviews and
documents ... and is being narrated by state-of-art media (websites, videos etc.), all
according to the basic journalism rules (accuracy, research, ethics, honesty and
transparency).

2. Technology is by far a success accelerator; however it is meant to support the story not to
undermine it.
You should check six elements (D.H. Pink, 2006): design, story, symphony, empathy, play
(ludic), meaning.
All these might be translated into practice as:
- Design: a clean and user friendly website. Help you audience to navigate the website
easily. Plan the virtual road of the visitor and put signs for guidance (use numbers, the
word step 1 etc.). Use large pictures and typography. Create pleasant items that
impress or generate emotions. For example, nowadays, the buzz is about HTML5 and
Canvas for internet websites.
- Story: Use a captivating tone. Be a writer and create a scenario for each element or
step.
- Symphony: all elements, no matter how different, should work together and complete
the full picture. Leave nothing to chance. (no logo, no name, no video should be
dissonant).
- Empathy: think about what the others will feel and guide them according to your
targeted emotions or actions. It is like opera. Some plays want to get tears from the
audience, others want to motivate etc.
- Play: Although the reasons behind the story might be deadly serious, keep in mind that
negative emotions will probably make people avoid the topic. Give the audience a
positive feeling to grab on to.
So, at the end
Keep in mind that multimedia storytelling is highly effective due to the emotional impact
and the consistent amount of transmitted information. And, for what is worth it is a
communication technique highly affordable.
You can manage such a project with any kind of camera, a non-linear editing software and a
PC. If you need to go further, online for example a simple and clean website.