In this age of tablets, smart phones, and social networks, video is a powerful way to introduce people to a cause. But on YouTube and other video-sharing sites, real-world issues often take a back seat to pop-culture favorites like “Fuzzy Fuzzy Cute Cute” (which, incidentally, surpassed a nonprofit video about global warming by more than 2 million views). The reality is, many advocacy groups are struggling to capture the attention of the general public. It’s time for them to step up their digital-storytelling game. These five tips can help.
Video journalism is an evolving field that has yet to cultivate an obvious identity for itself. Many companies have different needs and objectives and staff videographer positions will inevitably vary in their responsibilities. But there are a few skills that I strongly believe all budding video journalists should take note of as they begin their careers in multimedia production.
Apple calls him the “One-Man Hurricane.” He received the prestigious Knight-Batten Award in 2005 for his “Innovations in Digital Storytelling.” University of Miami featured him as one of 12 “industry leaders” on their Multimedia Standards website. No matter who you ask, David Dunkley Gyimah is certainly making his mark, which is why we are honored to feature him as this week’s Innovative Individual.
If you are a big fan of passive multimedia and, in particular, documentary videography, you have probably already come across the exceptional work of Ben de la Cruz. Ben is a talented senior video journalist at The Washington Post, and has been churning out inspirational multimedia there for the past 10 years. I first learned of Ben’s work after viewing “Seeds of Peace,” a top-notch human-rights video presentation about war-torn victims in Uganda. We are proud to acknowledge Ben as this week’s “Innovative Individual” for his dedication to continually push the barriers of visual storytelling.
It is obvious that Emily Sweeney, staff reporter at The Boston Globe and president of the New England chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, has fully embraced the potential of multi-platform storytelling. According to her portfolio website, Emily “write[s] for newspapers and magazines, produce[s] videos for the web, contribute[s] to blogs, and even appear[s] on TV occasionally.” For her ability to easily transition from a staff reporter to a multimedia producer, we are happy to recognize her as this week’s “Innovative Individual.”
Chuck Fadely, visual journalist at The Miami Herald and founder of NewspaperVideo, recently inspired me with his proactive approach to how he is surviving the tumultuous newspaper industry. “To get away from the newspaper grind, I’ve been doing pro bono work and pursuing other avenues for creative expression,” he said. “Video work for charity and film competitions have kept me sane. It’s really nice to be doing something worthwhile.” Chuck’s optimism and continual contributions to the fields of videography and visual journalism garnered him this week’s title of “Innovative Individual.”
Back in February, I noted that videographer Nacho Corbella made a clean sweep in NPPA’s monthly multimedia competitions with his notable projects. He recently notified me that he had completed his master’s thesis project, “Faces of the Crisis,” which I had been eagerly awaiting. Low and behold, I will go ahead and guess that you will soon seen this project in NPPA’s winners gallery …
