Poynter High - Reporting, Writing & Editing

-- Kelli Polson

The best multimedia stories are multi-dimensional. They include action for video, a process that can be illustrated with a graphic (e.g., "how tornadoes form" or "how this new surgery works"), strong quotes for video or audio, and/or powerful emotions for still photos and audio. They use the strengths of each medium to tell the story in a way that draws in readers. Multimedia stories also are nonlinear. You engage readers by letting them choose which elements to read and when to read them.

Define the elements. This includes focus of the story, profiles of main characters, the main event and background of the situation.
Identify the media. Decide which pieces of the story work best in each medium (video, audio, text, animated graphics, maps, or photography).

Storyboard the concept. On a sheet of paper sketch out the main story page and elements it will include.

Video. Keep videos short (1 or 2 minutes). Keep talking heads to a few seconds.

Audio. Use only high quality. Use subtitles with the audio if there are no other options or to reinforce the point.

Still photos. Can be used individually, to set a mood or introduce a story or section of a story sequentially, or to tell a story with a "slide show."

Graphics. Can be the centerpiece of a story. Make then interactive or animated.

Text. Use for display type, headlines, photo captions.

Just as a print reporter organizes a story, a multimedia reporter will shape a story. But you'll use different tools to decide the elements of the story, the media to tell the story and the story's flow.