I think the best way to excel at multimedia is to openly discuss multimedia packages, both to vocalize your impressions of the site, and to hear other opinions that you might not have otherwise thought about.
This is why I enjoy judging, because it is a great opportunity for people to really dissect multimedia stories.
I want more of you to discuss your thoughts on examples that I highlight, so I am beginning a section called “Multimedia Round Table.” I will introduce a multimedia package, and I would like to have a professional conversation about the site. What do you like? What do you not like? What could have been improved?
Remember, the producer of the site under the microscope will probably see this, so please be professional with your comments and try to offer constructive criticism. Hopefully, this will then provide them with great feedback to help improve their next project.
Hundreds of you read my blog everyday, so let’s actually talk about what makes great multimedia!
Look through the site and spend some time watching the videos, audio slide shows, and looking at the graphics.
I will not give my comments just yet, but let me focus your attention to some areas in particular.
Do you think the navigation is effective in this piece? Were you confused by the multiple navigational elements in “Toiling for Gold”? What about the design of the site?
One video was documentary-style, while the others used voice-over narration. Which format was more effective for you? What did you think of the video editing and length?
Both audio slide shows combined VO narration with natural sound. Do you like how they edited the audio? What about the sequencing of images?
This is a very rich site and has a lot to great talking points. You can start with overall impressions or nitty-gritty thoughts.
Let the discussion begin!
http://www.thegoodlight.com paul
i found the still photo shows much more appealing. maybe it is just my photo background, but the first video lost my attention quickly because the visuals weren’t very stimulating. the story was interesting, but i can see one losing interest. it seems that online users have such a short attention span when it comes to gathering information, so i suppose one of the advantages high quality still images have in online storytelling is the ability to capture ones attention with a single image.
Interesting assessment, Paul. I think this bring up an important point of how each media was edited. The video “School dreams vanish” opened with a title frame, and four b-roll shots with no visual or audible “grabber”. On the other hand, the audio slide show “Children face harsh life” began with great nat sound, leading into a tightly-edited voice over.
Could it be argued that it’s not necessarily the choice of still photo versus video, but rather the pace and integration of how they were edited?
