It used to be visual journalists could tell stories with their eyes, capturing mixtures of light, tone, composition and depth all in one spelling-binding frame. All you needed was a camera and a vision. But now, with the web heralding a new era of storytelling capabilities, there are other factors a journalist must consider. Web-centric journalism has the potential to be rich with information – images sure, but also sound, text, data and interactivity.
One of my favorite multimedia projects of the past year is the Las Vegas Sun‘s report on the rapidly declining water supply in the American Southwest. The project, titled Quenching Las Vegas’ Thirst, combines great journalism with strong imagery and slick interactivity. It is a textbook example of the Web’s narrative capabilities.
CLICK IMAGE TO VIEW PROJECT
At the heart of the report are five visually compelling mini-documentary chapters on the region’s dwindling water resources. The Sun uses Flash to layer each video with additional information: Maps that track the location of each shot in the video, supplemental data targeted to specific keyframes, layered contextual information on the interview subjects, as well as an interactive map pinpointing the region’s water use by geographic location.
The project’s producer, Zach Wise, wrote on his blog that the piece is his attempt at “making video interactive and contextualizing its content.” He said his goal was to “bring a little more web mentality to video but still utilize the linear narrative strengths that make video such a great storytelling tool.”
Such work raises the crucial question: what is the role of the still and moving image in a web world? How is the image, both static and moving, evolving, especially in the realm of journalism where it’s purpose is partly to inform, partly to inform? I like this project because it shows that in the new climate visuals are still important, but that they are at their strongest when woven into the rich media fabric. If a picture is worth 1,000 words, in the new media climate a video is worth 1,000 layers.
Video journalist Andrew Satter teaches three online-interactive courses at The Compelling Image: Mastering Video Production Basics, Final Cut Express – Taming the Learning Curve and Up and Running with Final Cut Pro HD.
