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)

Toxic Legacy live Web site

• 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)

Touching Hearts live Web site

• 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

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