Putting it all together

Not all stories make good multimedia stories. (These are the stories you can’t easily do over the phone.)

A multimedia story is some combination of: Text Still photos Video Audio Graphics Interactivity (polls, quizzes, etc.)

These components are presented on a website in a nonlinear format in which THE INFORMATION IN EACH MEDIUM IS COMPLEMENTARY, NOT REDUNDANT.

Examples

Herald Sun’s Touching HeartsNew York Times’ Race In America

Web shells and multimedia stories

Two other important characteristics of storytelling on the Web: Context Continuity

To achieve these, multimedia stories are wrapped in a story “shell” that provides background information, including: Databases Timelines Infoboxes Links

These shells can also be a part of a beat for more general information on a topic.

All of this comes together to make a multimedia package.

Types of shells

Story shellIssue shellBeat shellGeneral shell

Storyboarding

A storyboard is a sketch of how to organize a story and a list of its contents. It helps you: Define the parameters of a story within available

resources and time Organize and focus a story Figure out what medium to use for each part of the

story

How to do a storyboard

Divide the story into its logical, nonlinear parts, such as: A lead or nut graph Profiles of the main person or people in the story The event or situation Any process or how something works Pros and cons The history of the event or situation Other related issues raised by the story

Storyboarding

Divide the contents of the story among the media What pieces work best in video? What works best in still photos? Does audio work best within the video or by itself? What part of the story works best in graphics? Does the story need a map? What part of the story belongs in text? Make sure the info in each is not redundant. Interactivity means giving the reader both input and

control in a story. (Nonlinear stories are interactive.)

Rough Sketch

What will the main page look like and which elements will you include? What’s the nut graph? What are the links to the other sections of the story? What’s the menu or navigation scheme for accessing

those sections? What visuals do you want to include on this main

page?

Do the same for the inside pages.

Identify Holes

Storyboarding points out holes in your story. It helps you identify the resources you’ll need to complete your story, or how you have to modify the story to adjust to your resources.

Example

Topic: Decriminalization of Marijuana