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Long-Form Multimedia Journalism: Quality Is the Key Ingredient As a producer of social documentary projects-viewed on digital platforms-Brian Storm talks about the excitement of doing journalism in this way, at this time. A conversation with Brian Storm MediaStorm describes its mission as ushering in the next generation of multimedia storytelling by publishing social documentary projects incorporating photojournalism, interactivity, animation, audio and video for distribution across multiple media. Brian Storm is the president of MediaStorm, a production studio located in Brooklyn, New York, which publishes multimedia social documentary projects at www.mediastorm.org and produces them for other news organizations. In an interview I did with Brian on December 30, 2008, he spoke about how he envisions the future of long-form, multimedia journalism from the perspective of its creation, distribution and economic viability. An edited version of our conversation follows.

Words of Wisdom: Chad A. Stevens on learning important multimedia skills Posted by Jessica Stuart, October 1st, 2009 No Comments » We're kicking off a new series on the blog, talking with educators and journalism students about the value of Journalism school and the multimedia skills students need to start their careers. There has been a lot of discussion lately on whether it's worth it to go to Journalism school, and whether students are learning the multimedia skills they need to be successful in a pretty rough market. As the school year gets back underway, we're getting more and more questions from students wondering what skills they need to acquire to land jobs. Obviously, there are no simple answers to these questions, but we hope to offer up some words of wisdom for students and others interested in the profession, especially during this time of transition. Chad2 We're going to kick it off with Chad A. Stevens- a former MediaStorm Producer, who is now an Assistant Professor at UNC Chapel Hill.

Words of Wisdom: Chad A. Stevens on learning important multimedia skills Posted by Jessica Stuart, October 1st, 2009 No Comments » We're kicking off a new series on the blog, talking with educators and journalism students about the value of Journalism school and the multimedia skills students need to start their careers. There has been a lot of discussion lately on whether it's worth it to go to Journalism school, and whether students are learning the multimedia skills they need to be successful in a pretty rough market. As the school year gets back underway, we're getting more and more questions from students wondering what skills they need to acquire to land jobs. Obviously, there are no simple answers to these questions, but we hope to offer up some words of wisdom for students and others interested in the profession, especially during this time of transition. Chad2 We're going to kick it off with Chad A. Stevens- a former MediaStorm Producer, who is now an Assistant Professor at UNC Chapel Hill.

MediaStorm produces 'Condition: Critical, Voices from the War in Eastern Congo' for Médecins Sans Frontières

MediaStorm: Visionary Journalism Weaving Stories Producers start by cutting audio, creating a "radio edit" of the story. Then they work with the journalist to craft a working narrative. A cohesive story emerges, and then it's time to pair the images with the audio. For that, they use Final Cut Studio. "Final Cut is our workhorse," says Storm. "Our producers live inside Final Cut all day long. It's a simple and powerful tool. It does everything you need it to do, yet I can teach a new producer how to create our type of project in a day." Images are exported out of Aperture at twice 1080p resolution, giving producers the flexibility they need to experiment with shots. "We pull everything into bins in Final Cut, and we use a lot of labeling to organize it," says Storm. "It's very simple: We use green for a picture that's in, red for one that's out, blue for a maybe. We have a very visual environment inside Final Cut to get things done quickly."

There are a myriad of options out there right now when it comes to tools for multimedia storytelling. The combination of tools you use can be your greatest strength or your greatest weakness. The important thing is to find the right combination of gear that fits your style of shooting and allows you to tell the best story possible. Below is a list of tools that we may use a combination of on any given multimedia shoot. Again the importance is to find what combination works best for you. Multimedia tools are constantly evolving. There are many options on the market from which you can mix and match to best suit your needs. The following describes our current field production kit.

"MediaStorm's Guide to Final Cut Pro Resources on the Web Posted by Eric Maierson, April 12th, 2010 2 Comments » Final Cut Pro is a rich application, offering vast possibilities to those who take the time to learn it well. With that goal in mind, here is a list of some of the most important Final Cut Pro resources on the web."

Ten Ways To Improve Your Multimedia Production Right Now Posted by Eric Maierson, April 17th, 2009 Often, as multimedia producers, we are given work to edit that others have created. Some things simply cannot be changed, like an out-of-focus photograph. But there are some things we can do right now to improve the work no matter how challenging the original assets may be. (Note: This list is not meant to be dogmatic. I've broken all these rules. They're offered as a suggested starting point.)

please watch these in advance of the session -Take Care by MediaStorm because of it's great use of stills and video to combine for a moving and aesthetically powerful visual narrative, it's great character development and that fact that within a short time frame you get transitions and a transformation within the story. I'm impressed that this project came out of a one week workshop, which is testament to the collaborative effort that so often is part of a successful multimedia work, but also to Gillian Laube's visual sophistication. http://mediastorm.com/training/take-care -Blanco- by Stefano de Luigi is a great example of multimedia that is more conceptual, evocative without being journalistic and visually stunning. While the reliance on special effects might turn off some, I find it quite effective in this case. As multimedia developments and evolves as a new medium in the context of photojournalism and the profession of photography, we must remain open to using the new tools and techniques available to us. http://magazine.viiphoto.com/feature/show/267 -50 Milligrams Is Not Enough- by Bob Sacha and Scott Anger, produced by Pam Chen for Open Society Foundation. This marvelous piece highlights a worldwide issue in healthcare, told in an intimate, moving, visually lush way. This piece is a great example of visual storytelling and advocacy journalism, done with the highest aesthetic qualities. Great character development, in a wonderfully told plot, with sensitivity and high journalistic standards. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWeUDNyqo1I -Leaves Keep Falling- by Ed Kashi, produced by Talking Eyes Media, is a short film and strong example of advocacy journalism. About the lingering impact of Agent Orange on the children of Vietnam, it mixes stills and video in a linear narrative to keep a story that seems old alive and relevant for new generations to remain aware of. It was produced for a foundation in cooperation with an NGO working to support families

Photographer: Ed Kashi Ed Kashi is a photojournalist dedicated to documenting the social and political issues that define our times. A sensitive eye and an intimate relationship to his subjects have become the signatures of his award-winning work, and his complex imagery has been recognized for its compelling rendering of the human condition. Photo: Photographer Ed Kashi Photograph by Heather Hiett Born in New York City in 1957, Kashi graduated from Syracuse University in 1979 with a degree in photojournalism and has since photographed in more than 60 countries. His images have appeared in National Geographic, the New York Times Magazine, Time, MediaStorm, GEO, Newsweek, and many other domestic and international publications.

ohio university's visal journalism group site about life in athens ohio