Finishing is the Hard Part

Creative work is of course never really finished. As the saying goes, it’s only abandoned. Nevertheless, the last few days of production can feel excruciatingly difficult. At MediaStorm, we often say that the last 10 percent of work requires 30 percent of the effort. So why is that? I think the struggle comes from two equally strong and opposing forces. On the one hand, there’s a certain impatience at the end of a project. Often after spending weeks or even months on the same piece, I’m frankly ready to be done. I’m ready for others to start watching. On the other hand, finishing a project requires a meticulous attention to detail. Just as my work feels like it’s coming to an end, there’s a barrage of tedious but requisite tasks that need to be finished: adding room tone, mixing and repairing audio, color correcting video. So even as there’s a strong pull…

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Worth Watching #100: Ira Glass’ Cuny Commencement Address

Highlights from Ira Glass' commencement speech. - Brian Storm Your goal should be able to make things that are memorable. You don't have to wait for someone to give you a job for you to start making something that you think would be good. Amuse yourself. If you fall into the right job it should be fun. Keep one moment in every story that is there just for you. Don't deprive your audience of the chance to like your story. A funny moment is rare in a serious news story. Getting those moments that are amusing to you personally into a story more accurately depicts the world. Finding a story idea is a job. Alex Blumberg gets two richly deserved references. Ira intends to eat something he shouldn't. Being a journalist is about having a relationship with luck. When stories are memorable it's because you harnessed your skills and then you got…

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New MediaStorm-ICRC Release: I Know Where I’m Going

We are pleased to release I Know Where I'm Going, our most recent client project produced with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The goal of this piece was to better inform North American law and policy audiences about the work of ICRC in a key operational context of growing interest to the military and foreign policy deciders the organization interacts with daily. Hussein Saleh, a uniquely positioned Yemeni ICRC staff member and the subject of the story, was hit by shrapnel from an airstrike shortly after the coverage was completed. His tragic death added an unwelcome dimension to the project, which also became a tribute and a record of his dedication to humanitarianism for his colleagues in Aden, for the organization as a whole and for his family in particular. Despite these difficult circumstances, I Know Where I'm Going remains part of a strategy to inform North American policymakers…

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New kdmcBerkeley Multimedia Workshops for 2013

kdmcBerkeley has three new upcoming multimedia workshops starting in January 2013. Video Storytelling Certificate Workshop: January 9-11, 2013 This intensive three-day certificate workshop is a complete immersion in video storytelling. Participants will receive hands-on training in every phase of planning, production and digital delivery. Master storytellers will share techniques on how to capture audience attention. Tuition: $1,395. Register by 12/7/12 for 10% discount. Data Visualization Certification Workshop: March 8-9, 2013 Learn to create a more meaningful picture with data, tell stories with interactive GIS maps, and create beautiful and effective graphs and charts in this two-day certificate workshop. Tuition: $645. Register now for 10% discount. Digital Media Skills Certificate: March 5-May 2, 2013 Upgrade your multimedia skills. This intensive 9-week graduate level certificate program focuses on the strategic implementation and production of digital media content combining seminar style instruction with practical hands-on training. Tuition: $5,900. Register now for 10% discount. Learn more…

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Kalish Workshop 2013 Dates Announced

The Kalish Workshop will be holding its next workshop June 16-21, 2013 in Muncie, Indiana. This five-day storytelling workshop is taught by Emmy and Pulitzer Prize winning editors including: Brian Storm, Geri Migielicz, Sue Morrow, Kenny Irby, Mark Edelson, Randall Greenwell and Scott Sines. Additional leaders in visual storytelling also join during the week. Attending workshop participants receive a discount for MediaStorm Online Training. The Kalish Workshop The Kalish Workshop is an inspirational and intense five-day experience in editing visual storytelling. It is designed to benefit anyone who touches photography with a narrative storyline for online and print. It is a hands-on, collaborative learning environment with daily in-depth discussions and exercises about the best practices to edit, produce and publish successful multimedia and interactive stories. Most faculty attend every session and are accessible to participants (AKA Kalish Kampers) the entire week, making the workshop unique and rewarding in a casual environment. The…

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