FUNDAMENTALS OF MULTIMEDIA JOURNALISM Online journalists are expected to be multi-talented; no longer just story investigators and writers, but graphic designers, audio recorders, videographers, photographers, presenters even. It is therefore necessary for the modern journalist to learn multiple media skills Multimedia Journalist Skills Multimedia Journalism uses a combination of different content forms such as text, audio, images, animations, or video into a single interactive presentation Photos Photos are an excellent and accessible way to bring your multimedia story to life. Look for vivid, high-quality, and eye-catching photographs that you can use to break up your text. Here are some top tips to follow: ▪ Crisp, clear photography is a must. No compromising on this one! Anything grainy, blurry, or of otherwise diminished quality will do your multimedia story no favours. Reading up on shot composition and shot selection helps. You don’t have to be a master photographer. Apps like Adobe Photoshop Editor can help you transform your smartphone images into works of art. (Or at least greatly improved photos) Video Though harder to create, videos are well worth the effort. They can bring subjects to life in a way that a photograph cannot. When deciding what to include in your video, consider what may be complicated or challenging to explain through text alone. Videos are also the perfect medium for interviews, first-person narrations, and expositions. Pro tip: Don’t make the video too long. Multiple, shorter videos of up to two minutes can be quite impactful and are more likely to hold your audience's attention than longer videos. Even if you’re not an experienced videographer, there are plenty of tools and resources to help you create a professional product. ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ Adobe Premiere Pro is great for someone with a bit of video creation experience, while anyone can use Wideo's user-friendly interface. For free editing tools, check out iMovie (Mac) or DaVinci Resolve. Think Media also has a host of helpful tutorials and online courses on creating videos that you can use to educate yourself before you begin filming. Pexels Video and Pixabay are great options for stock videos. But remember, you should aim to use stock video for enhancement, not as the bulk of the content. Don’t forget to compress your videos to enable faster page loading and a better viewer experience. Handbrake and Clipchamp (which you can also use for video editing) are both popular tools to handle file compression. Camera skills The ability to operate a camera for both photo and video journalism might prompt journalists to pursue wide-ranging stories. For example, a multimedia journalist who covers fashion at a music festival may take photos of several people attending the festival to visually document the fashion on display. These photos enhance the article a journalist writes by providing a visual aid alongside their written work. Audio Don’t underestimate audio’s effect on a multimedia story. Whether it’s a snippet of an interview, an environmental addition (think the roar of a crowd or nature sounds), or even a short musical interlude, audio can help draw your audience into your story. Here are some resources to rely on for top audio inclusion: ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ Soundcloud and Soundcite are both great options for hosting audio. Adobe Stock offers plenty of royalty-free stock audio clips, from dramatic scores to upbeat intros. We hope you’ll find these resources helpful! However, if you still need some inspiration, take a look at the following stellar examples. These multimedia stories will give you an idea of what you can achieve when you let your imagination run wild. Take note of what elements appeal to you so you can incorporate them into your own multimedia stories. Infographics Infographics are a tried-and-true method for sharing a collection of data and information in a format that’s easy to consume. Check out these infographic creation applications, or read our guide, How to make an infographic. ▪ ▪ ▪ Infogram offers an intuitive user interface, the ability to collaborate with a team, and even the option to publish online. Users looking to create more than just infographics will love Piktochart. This handy tool helps you build presentations, reports, prints, and more. Canva is another jack-of-all-trades program. You already know that you can use it for transition effects, but it’s also great for storyboarding and building infographics. Your multimedia story can even take the form of an interactive infographic. Just be sure to follow the tips for including multimedia we’ve included in this post. Editing skills Whether editing a written article or a journalistic video, editing skills can help multimedia journalists produce highquality work. • Knowledge of proofreading and • video and photo editing software (Adobe Premier Pro, Video editor (ClipChamp) on PC, Adobe Photoshop) • You can teach yourself these skills on Youtube. Youtube IS YOUR FRIEND!!!! Critical thinking skills These skills help journalists produce high-quality, engaging stories. Before writing a piece of content, it's important for journalists to think critically about how to obtain information or the proper angle on which to focus. Research skills Another facet of multimedia journalism involves research-based skills. Both interviewing and fact-finding are critical components of researching for an article or video production. Photographing an event or situation contributes to researching a particular story, which can result in a well-developed article. After conducting research, a journalist may decide which medium to use for a story by critically assessing the content and the intended audience. You’re tasked with writing a review of last class. You want to convey that “Mr. James talks a lot but says very little.” What is the most effective way to convey that information with the array of multimedia tools at your disposal? Interpersonal skills Since journalists communicate with people to learn more about a story, it's important they possess interpersonal skills. These skills equip them to speak with people about challenging topics and ask important questions. Interpersonal skills also help journalists develop professional connections that may help them gather insight and information for a piece of content in the future. Good interpersonal skills will reflect in the way you interact with a subject, the way you dress, your general demeanour – These can help you create a relaxed environment and enable you to get information from uncooperative subjects Graphic and web design skills Multimedia journalists working for digital platforms often possess knowledge and skills in graphic and web design to contribute to a successful online news outlet. These skills may help journalists design content that's visually interesting. Because these skills foster creativity and encourage the use of technical skills, knowledge of how to design graphics and websites can prepare journalists to fulfill their vision for a story or article. Social Media Skills Social media skills equip multimedia journalists with the ability to share their articles on several digital platforms. By sharing articles or multimedia stories through this medium, journalists and news outlets might increase their readership. Social media provides space for an online conversation, so viewers may share or comment on the work that's posted, potentially generating a large following of loyal customers.
