I just returned from the Mountain Workshop in Somerset, Kentucky and, man, were the multimedia students talented.
For five days, I had the good fortune to coach Ligaiya Romero, Terri Flagg, and Catherine Spangler.
They produced three terrific stories.
For the tenth MediaStorm Advanced Multimedia Reporting Workshop, I was joined by Kristina Budelis, Piotr Malecki, and Jeff Rhode.
Rick Gershon served as Director of Photography and our intern Leandro Badalotti did just about everything else.
About the project:
As a toddler, Philly Mayer was healthy and happy. A chubby baby, he was quick to laugh and eager to get up on his own feet.
And then, before his first birthday, Philly suddenly stopped walking. His motor skills began to deteriorate.
After a slew of tests and endless emotional upheaval, doctors diagnosed Philly with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, a genetic disease that occurs in an estimated 1 out of every 6,000 births and leaves the spine underdeveloped. His parents were told that he would not live past seven.
A Thousand More is the story of one family’s determination to give their son a whole and vital life. In the midst of a great burden, one small child – with a seemingly endless supply of love – can be the blessing that holds a family together.
I'm super proud of this one.
Watch A Thousand More here.
Also, be sure to check out Nine Digits, a great workshop story by my MediaStorm colleagues Tim McLaughlin and Jennifer Redfearn.
In his review of the Rural Route Film Festival, New York Times critic Mike Hale singled out Danny Wilcox’s Frazier’s Driftless photography, saying:
They get to the heart of an anomie and a sense of endlessly declining fortunes that were as true 30 years ago as they appear to be today.
Of the MediaStorm production, Hale noted:
Nothing in the festival will ring more true for generations of former farm children than the offhand comment of a young woman in Driftless: “Moving from Iowa to Denver was just as easy as changing the brand of mascara I use."
Read the full review here.
I’m excited to announce the release of MediaStorm’s online training.
From the MediaStorm blog:
You can select from three Training Modules – a Reporting Track, a Post-Production Track, or The Making Of: The Amazing Amy, or you can opt for a full subscription that includes everything (along with other Modules that we’ll be producing throughout the year).
Along with Brian Storm, I host three modules on post-production. Topics include pictured editing, using music, and editing techniques.
For more information, see the online training site.
Crisis Guide: Pakistan, a project I co-produced at MediaStorm with Tim Matsui for the Council on Foreign Relations was named winner for the Overseas Press Club of America’s Best Use of Multimedia Award.
2011 marked the first time OPC offered the award.
See Crisis Guide: Pakistan here.
I’m pleased to announce that Walter Astrada’s Undesired, a project I produced for MediaStorm, was nominated for a Webby in the Public Service and Activism category.
Three other projects I produced were named Official Honorees:
Crisis Guide: Pakistan in News & Politics: Individual Episode. Global Governance Monitor: Public Health in Rich Media: Non-Profit/Educational. Take Care in the Documentary: Individual Episode category.
Another MediaStorm production When the Water Ends was also nominated for a Webby award.
Congratulations to all.
Last weekend I had the pleasure of co-judging the New Media category of the White House News Photographer's Association Eyes of History contest; I judged alongside Sue Morrow and my buddy Chad Stevens. See the winners here.
Undesired by Walter Astrada, a project I produced at MediaStorm, was recently honored with first place by Picture of the Year International, in the Issue Reporting category.
This was very much a collaborative project. Along with Brian Storm, I had the assistance of two great interns, Shreeya Sinha and AJ Maclean.
Undesired was made possible with support from the Alexia Foundation.
View Undesired here.
Last weekend I traveled to The Netherlands to take part in the Silver Camera Photography Festival. I spoke about social networking at MediaStorm and our different lines of business.
Additionally, I sat on a panel with two judges from the Canon Prize for Innovative Photojournalism.
Rob Hornstra won the category for his project On the Other Side of the Mountains.
Also nominated were Daimon Xanthopoulos for his multimedia project Detroit: a City in Decay and Mike Roelofs for his project Resilience.
I'm proud to announce my latest MediaStorm production, an overview video for the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling.
I was charged with creating a six to ten minute project that describes the causes of the Deepwater Horizon spill, its immediate aftermath, and long term fallout.
From the MediaStorm blog:
Along with the informational overview video, the site will be expanding to include interactive timelines, historical information, and more on how industry, government, and the people of the Gulf region will be working to restore and move forward. Check back soon for the full media site launch.
You can view the overview video here.
Innovative Interactivity, Tracy Boyer's multimedia blog, listed two project I produced this year in its best of 2010 roundup. The first is Three Women, a movie I wrote and directed, with accompanying photographs by the gifted Pam Chen.
The other is Undesired by Walter Astrada, a MediaStorm production.
You can see the rest of the list here.
Because recording room tone is usually done at the end of an interview, it's easy to forget. These essential 30-seconds of "silence" that can be overlooked in one's haste to clean up equipment. I've kicked myself many times.
So here's my solution: I write the word tone on my hand. That way, I'm constantly reminded of the task. Even if I forget to record it right after the interview, I'll see my impromptu tattoo once I start wrapping up cables.
I will be teaching two classes of Final Cut Pro at the upcoming Northern Short Course in Photojournalism in Warwick, Rhode Island, March 10-12, 2011. The first class is for absolute beginners and will focus on organizing your project, the Final Cut interface, and the basics of non-linear editing.
The second class, for intermediate users, will emphasize keyboard shortcuts as well as advanced editing techniques.
Hope to see you there.
My friend Josh Meltzer sent me this picture from the Mountain Workshop.
Chad Stevens lovingly hand-crafted an analog version of my website What is the most important thing about multimedia.
In the foreground is Will Yurman.
Crisis Guide: Pakistan is the sixth installment of the Council on Foreign Relations' Crisis Guide series. At MediaStorm, I co-produced the first chapter overview along with Tim Matsui.
From the description:
This interactive presentation traces Pakistan's evolution and the competing internal and external influences that have contributed to regular upheaval and stunted political and economic development. It also offers a range of expert perspectives on Pakistan's history and its future prospects.
You can view the project here.
Take Care, a project I produced for the MediaStorm Advanced Multimedia Reporting Workshop won first place at FotoWeek DC in the Multimedia - Documentary Storytelling and Experimental category.
The Take Care team is Gillian Laub, Elena Ghanotakis, Henrik Björnsson, Laura Varma, and Brad Horn.
View Take Care here.
I'm proud to announce my latest MediaStorm project, Undesired by Walter Astrada.
From the description:
In India, all women must confront the cultural pressure to bear a son. The consequences of this preference is a disregard for the lives of women and girls. From birth until death they face a constant threat of violence.
This was very much a collaborative project and surely would have been a lesser work without the efforts of two great interns, Shreeya Sinha and AJ Maclean.
Undesired was made possible with support from the Alexia Foundation.
View Undesired here.
Take Care, a piece I produced for the MediaStorm Advanced Multimedia Reporting Workshop has been nominated for an ONA award in the Online Video Journalism, Small Site category.
The Take Care production team is Gillian Laub, Elena Ghanotakis, Henrik Björnsson, Laura Varma, and Brad Horn.
About the project:
Virginia Gandee’s brilliant red hair and dozen tattoos belie the reality of this 22-year-old’s life. Inside her family’s Staten Island trailer her caregiving goes far beyond the love she has for her daughter.
Watch Take Care here.
Also nominated in the category is my friend, and MediaStorm alum, Chad Stevens for his work on Leveling Appalachia: The Legacy of Mountaintop Removal Mining, a Yale Environment 360 collaboration with MediaStorm.
A longer version of The Bride Price by Stephanie Sinclair can now be seen on the MediaStorm site. I originally produced this project for the International Center for Research on Women in 2008.
From the description:
These early unions, no matter the geography, often have catastrophic results: Young brides discontinue their educations. Youth and inexperience leave them vulnerable to abuse at the hands of their spouses.
See the project here.