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Evelynia's belief that life is one "big, infinite creation" led her to leave her home in Germany to spend a year of creating in New York.

Now, 14 years later, she still finds herself in the city, yearning to return to Europe while wrapping her arms around her biggest creation yet: her new family.

Beautiful Noise looks into the lives of these young people, as they manage American prejudices, steer through a volatile economy, and create a beautiful, noisy life — one day at a time.

Beautiful Noise is a product of the MediaStorm Storytelling Workshop, where participants work alongside MediaStorm staff to create an intimate, character-driven documentary in just one week. Learn more about upcoming MediaStorm workshops and online training at mediastorm.com/train.

Published: December 30th, 2008

Credits

A film by
Photography & Video
Editor & Additional Reporting
Editor & Additional Reporting
Editor and Producer
Additional Reporting, Editor & Producer
Workshop Director
Director & Executive Producer

Special Thanks

Evelyna Dann Peterkin, Kirk Bradley Peterkin, Milan Martine Dann Peterkin, Kahlo Ameline Dann Peterkin. Zum Schneider

Testimonials

Morag Livingstone, Photography and Video

Truly the best investment I have made this year. The workshop comprises not just of valuable information on practicalities, improving process efficiency, advanced Final Cut, timesaving techniques but the dedicated MediaStorm team also provides wide ranging in the field guidance, including how to shoot stills and video for multimedia - which is different!

Taking this time out to totally focus on multimedia, discuss and debate topics, receive advice on story structure, themes and totally focusing on bringing myself to the next level has already helped me in my day-to-day life as a freelancer. 

Learning from the MediaStorm team, I now truly appreciate the meaning of never accepting anything less than the highest standards either from others or myself. This opportunity is second to none, and I am very happy to have worked with the MediaStorm team, who go above and beyond, even working with us throughout the night, to impart their knowledge and to support us in developing new practical and creative approaches every minute of the Workshop. The workshop pushes your personal boundaries and while challenging at times, it's also a lot of fun!

Livingstone's thoughts 18 months after the workshop: 

Every week in the past 18 months I appreciate the value of the MediaStorm advanced multimedia workshop - perhaps because of an editing shortcut Eric showed us, or hearing Brian advising on story structure and standards. 

There are many examples, but the main business benefit of this workshop is that it immediately allowed me to become more efficient – and such efficiencies have resulted in our increasing profitability and competitiveness at both Livingstone’s Photos and Nutmeg Communications.  

I am less stressed when shooting and editing, not least because the MediaStorm team provided, well, a masterclass in multimedia methodology that included all the processes and technical know how of Final Cut Pro, shooting for the edit and anything multimedia that they could teach, or you could ask, in the timescale. 

There is no doubt in my mind that creative and technical abilities took a leap up and, from a business perspective, I still see the course as a great investment, it has paid for itself – not just once, but many times over.

Mareile Paley, Editor and Additional Reporting

As a freelancer the jump into multimedia felt a bit like climbing a mountain in the dark. As a team, Matthieu and I had a good idea of what we wanted to achieve and also knew that our professional experience would make it an endeavor with good chances to succeed. What we lacked, was method and guidance.

The MediaStorm workshop could not have come at a better point in my career, filling in many of the blanks and answering a ton of questions. It also confirmed me in my path, proved that my thinking was instinctively right and motivated me to continue to believe that this new type of story telling is the way forward.

Seeing the team at MediaStorm at work and having had the privilege to work directly with different producers, showed me that despite setting strong standards for organization and following systematic production guidelines, creativity does not need to be compromised. It felt good to see that even the 'best' discuss and disagree and that listening to each other and working as a team often results in a stronger solution. I will be able to apply these experiences to my own team at home.

Not for a second, (not even at 5am on Thursday morning...), did I regret the decision to invest in this workshop. It was worth every moment and every penny.

Kimberley Porteous, Editor and Additional Reporting

Spending six days on a MediaStorm workshop was a career-changing experience. Where else can you finesse your multimedia storytelling skills with the absolute best in the business?

As good multimedia begins in the field, we were trained in the techniques to shoot video like the pros. Then in post-production we learned the best way to edit our footage to create slick and polished presentations. Exposure to the MediaStorm workflows and practices is invaluable, and provides you with a template to structure and manage future projects.

They're a fabulous team to work with, and incredibly generous with sharing their experience and expertise.

By the time I reluctantly left MediaStorm I was inspired beyond measure, and felt armed with the missing pieces of the puzzle to produce high-quality news multimedia productions.

Related Links


Upcoming Workshops

One Day Master Class

The MediaStorm One Day Master Class provides a general, yet precise, overview of documentary video and multimedia storytelling approaches. MediaStorm founder Brian Storm will walk you through specific examples as well as proven tips to improve your interviewing, editing and distribution techniques.

These are the upcoming one day workshop dates:



Methodology Master Class

The MediaStorm Methodology Master Class gives participants a chance to look inside the workings of a successful film and interactive production company, while taking them step-by-step through both the creative and business aspects of digital storytelling.

Founder Brian Storm will share MediaStorm’s workflow and storytelling methods and discuss essential elements of project organization and storytelling concepts.

You can attend the workshop in Los Gatos, CA in person or online via Zoom.

Upcoming date:



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Remember These Days

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Coney Island Jay

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Finding Balance

Tim Obert has been a commercial fisherman since he was 12. But regulations aimed at saving whales and salmon in California leave him struggling to find balance between his dream, his family’s needs and the industry he loves.

Family Kocktail

Kryssy Kocktail grew up in troubled family and, as an adult, followed the mythic path of joining the circus. Amid the lights and energy of the Coney Island Circus Sideshow, she has found something that she never dreamed would be hers.

Hold Out

One evening, David Sheets read a story about a new basketball arena proposed for his neighborhood. Then he realized the plans were drawn right over his house. Hold Out is the story of a few neighbors who haven't been very easily dislodged.

Broken Lines

Joe Soll has spent half of his life searching for his birth parents, in the process he uncovered a mystery that’s haunted him for years.

Exodus

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Additional Training Products

MediaStorm's award-winning team of producers and cinematographers lead online training videos with lessons learned from their experience producing films and training groups and organizations around the world.

Developed over seven years and more than 100 projects, our downloadable post-production workflow covers every phase of editing, from organizing assets through outputting final projects and archiving.

Available for iPad on iTunes, the MediaStorm Field Guide outlines fundamental concepts for gathering multimedia content in the field for documentary films.


MediaStorm Project Showcase

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Esther Horvath

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Acacia Johnson

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Don McCullin

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A Shadow Remains

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Inside Tracks

In 1977, Robyn Davidson walked 1,700 miles across the Australian outback. National Geographic sent Rick Smolan to photograph her perilous journey—a trek that tested and transformed them, forming an immutable bond that continues to this day.

Driftless: Stories from Iowa

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Common Ground

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Remember These Days

For Walter Backerman, seltzer is more than a drink. It’s the embodiment of his family. As a third generation seltzer man, he follows the same route as his grandfather. But after 90 years of business, Walter may be the last seltzer man.

Art: Larry Fink

Larry Fink has spent over 40 years photographing jazz musicians, wealthy manhattanites, his neighbors, fashion models, and the celebrity elite. His archive is a thoughtful collection of American history, and Fink’s experience of it.

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We collaborate with a wide range of clients to tell their story. Our services include reporting, post production, interactive design and interactive packaging.

The MediaStorm Platform is an advanced video platform that extends the user experience beyond linear video to include the interactive capabilities of the Internet. 

Learn storytelling, filmmaking, video, multimedia production and business skills through MediaStorm’s intensive, hands-on workshops and in-depth online training resources.



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