Multimedia Journalism Narrative
Mindy McAdams / University of Florida
Multimedia
Experiences that are:
Interactive
Personal
Computer-based
Those three factors (should) drive design
Presentations that are rich in:
Images (photos, graphics, maps, video)
Sound
Text
Designing media
Linear media (text OR video) --
Lead the user by the nose
Grab them with the lede or the opening shot
Build the narrative
Maintain control at all times
Multimedia --
Provide real choices
Let the users decide and explore
Give up control
Toxic Legacy (Bergen Record, 2005)
Lots of data, but few graphics
Nice map, but straight from print
Photos could have driven this story
Lots and lots of text
Interactive engages the user
Provide multiple “hooks” up front
People (so many stories!)
Places (maps, scenes)
Problem (everyone’s water)
Villain: Ford Motor Co. and “the Mob”
Use motion to propel the hooks
Should NOT be a monolithic narrative
“Small pieces, loosely joined”
Little stories
Immersion and experience
Multimedia allows us to simulate an
experience
Less so than a video game, but …
More so than a printed story with photos
The screen is intimate
Very close, seemingly private
Touching the mouse, moving the cursor
(This is also true for online video)
Detachment is NOT what user should feel
Touching Hearts, Herald-Sun, 2001
Animated explanatory graphics
Animated maps
Photo stories with audio
Visual organization of info
Choices and control
It’s NOT about giving the user random or
meaningless choices …
It’s about allowing the user to be in
control of the experience
The experience = the story
Experiencing the story
Watching is passive
Passive elements must be short
Video is passive : Make it short
Text is passive : Make it short
What can the user do?
Interactivity means having control
If I’m in control, I am not held captive by a big
block of text, a 5-minute video, etc.
I can choose, move on, go someplace else
Examples linked at
http://snipurl.com/opzr
Mindy McAdams / University of Florida
http://mindymcadams.com/