Using New Media - The Obama Way

Was helping out at a workshop on Online Advocacy today, facilitated by Freeman Murray.

Freeman used the Barrak Obama campaign as his case study to introduce participants to the New Media tools available to anyone willing to invest time, that's all.

Freeman began by telling the participants that this is not like any usual advertisement medium - it's not about buying space on television or in print and putting out your message. It's about building a community and that takes tons of time.

Corporates are keen to get their message across but activists often lag behind - they are too engrossed in fighting their battles in the real world to be bothered about the virtual world. McCain made that big mistake - his campaign overlooked the power of the internet for more traditional campaign strategies.

Obama, on the other hand, was willing to invest in building his community online. And he was able to win the hearts of millions. And he was prepared to listen to his community. And that is the crucial link that closes the chain - acknowledge the presence of your community and LISTEN.

So what were the tools of the campaign?

Well of course its good to start with a website to let the community know who you are and what you do. Obama used it to get people to fund his campaign and subscribe to his mailing list. He used this mailing list effectively to garner support at the drop of a hat. Then he made sure his supporters knew who he was and what he believed in. For this, he used his personal blog to get his views out there.

Don't have a website yet? You can start with the free Google Sites web page builder and Blogger for a free blog (like this one). Once you've got your feet wet you could go in for your own domain (like mine at gasperdesouza.com). It's cheap these days. But a website is just the beginning. How do you actually get people to come to your site?

Here's the Obama Way:

Facebook: 3,322,316 supporters, Youtube: 20,133,759 views, Flickr photos and Twitter: 143,496 followers.

By not getting online on the social networking sites, McCain lost the battle without a fight. When people went online to search for McCain, they were more likely to find material posted by Obama supporters than from the McCain camp. And therein lay the downfall.

There's loads of interesting stuff to read on New Media, on Freeman's blog, so I recommend you go check it out.

Building a community takes time. Spend it! Its a wise investment. Of course, before anything, make certain you have a message worth sharing!

Learning from the great filmmakers

Just spent a full day watching films by the masters - Hitchcock (Rear Window), Godard (Breathless), Antonioni (Blowup!) - all part of a film appreciation workshop i am attending.

I generally watch films purely for the content, but for once I changed my perspective to look at them very technically.

An amazing lot to learn from the greats!

The use the power of suggestion through visuals alone - aka montages. It's quite revealing how, through simple placement of frames in set sequences, viewers can be led to make inferences. Quite similar in a photo essay - lay out the images in one sequence and you project one idea, change the sequence and it could result in a completely different inference. Rear Window, for instance, could easily have been a series of stills in a photo montage and, together with the excellent audio cues, would have made a great photo story.

Point of View also comes out strongly in rear window where, camera angles, what we see (and don't see) are all confined to the views of the wheelchair bound Jeff. Then there's Hitchcock's use of editing to compress / elongate time - even with simple fades. This is a key in editing video sequences - keep the key components in the activity and imply the rest. Also, his use of the panning camera at the start of Rear Window to set the scene in space. This is an excellent example of when a pan is called for.

Of course, this idea of panning is turned on its head by Godard in Breathless. He uses some very long sequences without any cuts - the camera follows the actors around in the figure 8 movement. Then there are the many instances where he breaks the fundamental rule of 180 degree axis of viewing, taking the camera from one side of the axis to the opposite. How many video shooting manuals will tell us never cross the axis - it disorients the viewer. But Godard seeks to do just that - disorient us.

And the most fundamental way the does this is with hundreds of "jump cuts". He literally stitches together scenes (using anti-aesthetic cut points), creating "jumps". For instance: Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg are engaged in a discussion in a bedroom, Belmondo seated on the bed, in one frame and in the very next Belmondo is standing by Seberg by the cupboard. It is quite disconcerting, when did he get off the bed? These jumps happen repeatedly through the film.


By breaking the rules, Godard gives us a better understanding of the smooth cuts in editing - let the action leave the frame before the cut etc. Generally we would be told let Belmondo begin to get off the bed, then show him in the next scene standing by the cupboard - continuity.

First do the right thing and then break the rules - knowing you are doing so.

David Dunkley Gyimah of viewmagazine.tv executes this technique in video journalism, calling it anti-aesthetic edits using jerky camera movements, disconcertingly jerky/jump cuts, grain. But again, this technique can be appreciated and executed only once the rules are known. He is today's Godard in video journalism.

Break the rules once you know what you are breaking.

Of course, by simply watching Godard's cuts in Breathless, it could easily be construed as being "badly edited".
Isn't that what a lot of art provokes us to say!

The workshop, held at the newly opened center for the arts - Sunapranta, is being facilitated by Anuja Ghosalkar, Programme Executive for Arts Research and Documentation at the India Foundation for the Arts. She curated the Tri-Continental Human Rights Film Festival 2007 and is a trained lecturer in literature and mass media. She has worked with a number of film projects including Channel 4.

Hard work and commitment do pay off

Ten months ago, on Jan 1, 2008 I took the rather drastic decision of quitting my secure job at a local newspaper and striking it off as a freelancer, dabbling in multimedia and new media tools.

During this time, I used the internet to learn and develop skills needed in this fascinating arena. I have been following several blogs, spent entire nights viewing hundreds of multimedia work, participated in the Panos South Asia multimedia workshop and most important of all, together with my friend and mentor Alito Siqueria of the Goa University, got a group of enthusiastic young minds together under the name of GoCreat, to conduct Digital Storytelling (DST) workshops in the community - thus sharing our own knowledge in visual literacy.

It appears all of the work is now bearing fruit. I have just got news that GoCreat will receive a small grant for equipment, from the Toyota Foundation. This will enable our group to buy a few laptops, cameras and recorders to do some more work in DST in the community.

At a time when newspapers in the West are going through bad times, I feel fortunate that I have the chance to develop something exciting in New Media.

I started dabbling in multimedia back in Jan 2008. I intend to continue dabbling in 2009 and beyond, perhaps more seriously. After all, with "dabbling" and experimentation alone come fresh breakthroughs.

Pans, Zooms and Giddy Feelings

One of the cardinal rules I learnt from my regular internet resources, (Cyndy Green's VideoJournalism, Angela Grant's News Videographer etc) is this: Do not pan or zoom unless absolutely necessary.

And even if absolutely necessary, keep it to a minimum.

Now I had those instructions in the back of my mind when shooting Simrik, during my trip to Nepal. And the video I came back with, was sequences of wide, medium and close-ups, not a single zoom or pan. There was no requirement for that. After all, I was shooting an artist in his studio - no action to follow.

Then I got back to the editing desk, fired up Premier and inserted some still images to mix with the video footage. That's when the Zoom Devil possessed me and, using Premier's motion keyframe features, I introduced "movement" into the still images of the paintings I shot at Lok's studio.

The end result, while the video sequences were without any camera movement, the stills were moving all over the place! And I didn't even notice anything amiss until I received a critique from Cyndy Green.

Here's what she had to say:

A fascinating subject - one that I enjoyed learning more about. However, as my former mentor, Willie Kee, told me - zoom again and I’ll break all of your fingers. I realize you may have wanted to draw the audience into your subject with the zoom, but it was distracting. Either use a series of shots held longer so we can see the paintings and artists using cuts or slow dissolves - or if you must zoom, make it a barely noticeable zoom.
The story itself was very well produced and very educational.

Looking once again at the video I realised motion on the stills was really distracting and quickly made changes taking Cindy's critique into account.

First, here is the old version:


Simrik: Colours of Poubha from Gasper DSouza on Vimeo.

and now, here is the re-edited version:


Simrik - colours of poubha from Gasper DSouza on Vimeo.

What do you think?

A Mother's Plight

This is the most heart-wrenching pieces "in these times of war and economic crisis" I have seen from the ANP website. I do hope Jocelyn will find justice.



This is what journalism is all about - voice for the voiceless.

UPDATE: Through a grassroots initiative, ANP reports Jocelyn has kept her home - for now. See: http://newsproject.org/videos/159

Glamour of Journalism

Who's really watching anyway?

"We need you to file more glamorous reports. That's what our readers want"

That was the message a journalist friend of mine, Rupa, was given by her bosses at the Times of India. It could be justified, assuming Rupa was reporting from high society Mumbai. But fact is, she specialises in health issues and was reporting on the North East of India - comprising some of the most under-developed states of India, torn by conflicts and a vastly under-reported region in mainstream media.

Rupa has worked in the North East over years and knows the land and its people all too well. But she soon realised she had no space in glamour-driven mainstream media. She quit the ToI, considered one of the biggest newspapers in India and is currently working on a book on the NE region.

I met up with Rupa and a mutual friend and urban researcher, Rahul Srivastava over dinner the other night. Our conversation wound around the shrinking spaces for good journalism in Indian print media.

Newspapers and magazines will seldom accept researched stories on important developmental issues. Even when they they do pay lip service, the pay is a pittance. So, if you are a freelance journalist, in India, looking at dealing with social issues through your writing, you need to look elsewhere for your sustenance.

That is a very dangerous scenario when good journalists are forced to opt out of the system.

Rupa recounts her experience with a group of journalists on a recent field trip in Haiti. The young journos with her couldn't be bothered about the history and background of the land they were reporting from. Nor were they keen on actually meeting the people at the grassroots, she recalls. All they were concerned about was to get "quotes" and "sound bites" from the iNGO reps working in the region to file stories back to their newspapers. That is the level of depth newspapers really expect these days.

For the best and most satisfying writing, Rahul believes in the power of the blog to get your points across. Commercial work is just that - survival money. The real power and pleasure comes from posting to your blog - unedited, unadulterated.

Yes. There's no money there. But given the commercial interests over social concerns in newspapers these days, that is the only way to go. At least for now.

Glamorous?

Panos South Asia: Final Multimedia Presentations

Poubha in Progress

Whew! The past 5 days were really hectic, exciting and went by in a snap.

We began with some overnight research and planning for our multimedia production. I met my subject, Lok Chitrakar to get an idea of the basic flow of the presentation - issues, concerns, future etc. Lok is a traditional Poubha artist, a religious Nepali art form that is losing out to the commercial variety of Thanga. Tourists love the later, without knowing its roots in Poubha.

I shot Lok in his studio and worked with group member Rajesh to record an interview in the local Nepali language. Rajesh edited the interview. The piece needed to be no more than 3 minutes so I editied my video footage to create a coherent piece from the original 20 minute interview and additional studio footage.

Step 3 was to design a web presentation which we worked on overnight. I also thought of adding images of Poubha paintings in a slideshow, set to traditional devotional music for a multimedia production.

Here is the final product uploaded to the Panos website:

Click to view production

And here are presentations from the other groups from the workshop:

Main group page: panosmultimedia.org/

Individual groups:
Group 1: panosmultimedia.org/grp_a_2008/
Group 2: panosmultimedia.org/grp_b_2008/
Group 3: panosmultimedia.org/grp_c_2008/
Group 4: panosmultimedia.org/grp_d_2008/
Note: Although I personally prefer Firefox or non-ie browsers, these pages may need to be viewed through Internet Explorer since the videos are in windows media format. Sorry about that.

After Panos 2008: Challenges for the future

Groups fevourishly to complete the multimedia productions

Even before we knew it, the 9 days of the Panos South Asia multimedia training workshop came to a close and participants are back home in their own countries, each doing their own bit for society. We had media persons, non-governmental organisations from areas of work ranging from environment to human rights coming in from countries as diverse as Afghanistan to Bhutan.

The past 9 days have been exciting, not the least because of the fantastic location with views of the distant snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas. But more importantly, for the people I met and the networks we built across South Asian nations.

On the last day, Kishor Pradha, Deputy Director, Panos South Asia asked participants to now go out and carry out multimedia productions in our own situations, for the development of society. This is something very close to my own heart - using the multiple tools of communication to give voice to those not within mainstream media scanners.

This is also excellent for community media which can add new dimensions to mainstream media resulting in multiple voices and not just those with the power to control. Using the power of the Internet, it has become relatively easy to have multiple voices without having to rely on traditional publishing methods - print, tv or radio.

In this respect, the role of Panos in facilitating such media pluralism in South Asia is crucial for the region. Now that the workshop has come to an end, it is important to use the technology in our areas for the purpose of local development and empowering those with little to no say in the process of society building.

That is the challenge the future holds.

Panos Day 5: Of Recce missions and changed plans

Day 5 and we have moved into analysing the visual language – what makes images tick, shooting the way the eye sees and using shots as the building blocks of sequences. Tomorrow, we move outdoors to shoot for our multimedia production.


Our group production may have run into some rough weather. We had initially thought of doing a piece on the “Kumari Devi” and the controversy over the new maoist govt's decision to withdraw financial assistance to this culture. While the whole culture of the kumari system in Nepal – a system wherein a young 6 to 7 year old girl child is chosen as a living goddess and spends her life in the confines of a temple until she attains puberty. During this time, she is worshiped by the local Newari community. Our production sought to focus on the possibility of human rights violation of the girl children as a result of this practice.


We did a reconnaissance mission to the Patan Darbar square where a fair is on to celebrate local culture. However, we soon realised getting any kind of visuals of the devi herself, let alone any interviews will be next to impossible. To add to that, making the situation very bleak, we will not even be able to shoot in the temple precincts.


As a result, we have no option but to change to Plan B and work on another topic. More on that tomorrow.

Panos Day 4: Power of Audio

Audio is the backbone of good multimedia and day 4 began with a presentation on digital audio, file formats, recording equipment and editing software. This was followed by a hands-on session on recording and editing into the computer.

We used Adobe Audition, a very powerful software.



This is the start of the exciting part of the workshop and it showed. All participants were eagerly pouring over their computers, headphones plugged in, recording and editing their test audio tracks.



Audio can make or break a multimedia presentation. It is important to carefully plan the audio such that it can carry the presentation on its own even without the visuals. Besides making for good productions, having strong audio has the added advantage of porting to radio platforms as well.



Besides the slowly building pressure of putting together a multimedia production, its also raining in Kathmandu. So not much time to go sightseeing today!

Panos Day 3: Getting into the meat of things

The Streets of Patan

With today's sessions, the Panos multimedia workshop now gets into the meat of the multimedia production cycle. We began with an understanding of the differences in writing for print and the web.


The key, we learnt, was concise and clear writing styles. Ideally, articles on the web are 50% shorter than those in print. Attention spans for text, we realise, is very limited on the web. And yet, most newspapers simple regurgitate material from print editions onto their websites, expecting to boost their online presence.


Journalists need to adapt to the writing styles for the web. Key among them are:

1. Present a summary of an article at the beginning of the page
2. Use shorter paragraphs, presenting one idea per paragraph
3. Incorporate bullet lists into the text to facilitate easy-to-digest material

When talking of writing for the web, I am also of the opinion we need to do away with the earlier “pyramid” style of writing and incorporate new paradigms. The pyramid model, where the most important – who, what, where, why and how – elements are presented at the beginning, was developed at a time when wire services were unreliable and prone to break down. As such, news agencies sent the most important part of the story at the very beginning so that, even if the wire broke down, the main story would reach the newsrooms.


Today, we do not face such issues. As a result, continuing to use the old pyramid style does not really make sense. Instead, new media gurus recommend a film-script style of delivery. Here, the story is gradually unfolded to the reader, much like good films hold the audience's attention through the film. David Gumiya of Viewmagazine is one such guru. However, old school journalists and editors may be very reluctant to accept such change.


Today we were also formed into groups for the hands-on production exercise. Over the remainder of this workshop we will be working together within our group to script, shoot, edit and put together a new media package for the web. There was a great degree of excitement because now the workshop gets into its hands on phase after the theory of the preceding two days.


We begin with audio recording and editing tomorrow before moving to video. Saturday morning we are scheduled to shoot video followed by editing and creating a web package. The groups are diverse in terms of the countries represented as well as the skill sets and backgrounds.

This should be interesting. Stay tuned!


The Streets of Patan
For your viewing pleasure, accompanying this post are some images from my walk through the narrow streets of Patan. This is a really ancient town that has retained its identity in the form of its architecture. The government, I am told, gives tax concessions to those keeping the old brick facades. From the looks of it, it seems many have chosen to take those concessions. For how long, time will tell.

Panos Day 2: Shape up or shut down

Patan Durbar, the former king's palace complex

Talk about multimedia and you usually tend to believe it is a combination of text, images, graphics, audio and video. In fact, it is more than likely you feel that is the order in which the media are supposed to have evolved. But think again. Humans first began to communicate using gestures ie visuals. This evolved to audio (sounds). Much later, symbols or images were used to communicate, once tools for etching were devised. The last communication mode to evolve was text. This should give us an inkling of what is the “preferred” communication media for humans.


And again, if we think about it, visuals (video and images) are an extension of the eyes, audio, an extension of the ears. But when it comes to text, there is no direct extension in the human body. This is a clear indicator that visuals and audio are the most natural means of human communication. And yet the over-emphasis on text as a primary media for communication is extraordinary.


Research has it that we retain 20% of what we see, 30% of what we hear, 50% of what we see and hear and a staggering 80% of what we see, hear and DO simultaneously. Thus the position of multimedia with its use of various senses along with interactivity becomes apparent as a powerful means of communication.

These were some of the issues discussed on day 2 of the Panos multimedia workshop that saw a continuation of the debate on the effectiveness of blogs as viable alternatives in new media.


We also talked about a Dutch Radio research carried out in Europe that reflected the changes taking place in media consumption patterns in the west. With declining percentage in print publication titles combining with the decrease in print reading patterns in Europe (and the US), it appears the writing is on the wall for publishers: “Shape up or shut down.”



Of course it would be some while before publishers begin to feel the heat here in South Asia, but it is undeniable that the era of convergence is upon us. Devices are converging (computers double up as televisions, radios and even telephones). Then there is the media convergence: news on mobile devices, television programmes on computers, music on mobile phones...the list is endless.


So how do media houses brace for the impending changes? Undoubtedly, it has to do with utilising technology to truly democratise the flow of news and information, making news delivery/consumption an interactive process. And it is the proper utilisation of the internet that will offer them (traditional media) a ray of hope.

PS: Enjoy images from our walk to Patan Durbar Square, the UNESCO World Heritage site, near where we live.

Local Content of another variety

Day 1 may have been all about what is local content and its importance. Now, no discussion on local content will be complete without actually getting a feel of local content. Would it?

With that in mind, a group of us took a ride out to a place known as Thamel, in Kathmandu. This is a must-see for any tourists visiting Nepal. And what we saw there was simply amazing - rows of outlets lined the labrynth streets. Bars, laundry for 50 bucks, "skype is working" - anywhich way you look.

We settled down to a quaint little bar called "Sam's Bar" run by a charming Austrian lady Verena, who, in her own words, "fell in love with Sam from Nepal and the rest as they say is history." She's been here in her adopted home for over 13 years she tells us adding, "life usually takes unexpected turns. It happens."

How True, I say. Life happens indeed. Cheers!

Restricted Area: Non-Journalists not allowed

A very interesting discussion ensued from Day 1 of the Panos South Asia multimedia workshop and that concerned blogging. Many from mainstream media opposed blogs as an "inferior form of journalism". This is a completely expected reaction. There is a real and present threat to mainstream media from so-called "wanna-be journalists" aka bloggers.

This resulted in some animated exchanges from those with non-traditional media backgrounds. Question is, are blogs a part of media? Should views have to be vetted by an editoral process in order to be credible? Are bloggers rabble rousers? Are journalists the only source of authentic news and information? And what constitutes a "journalist"? Someone with a degress in mass comm?

This discussion was interesting enough to be continued long after the close of the day's session. It fact, it was debated at the local fast-food outlet.

Ironically, the writing on the wall read: "Please do not write anything on the wall" Surrounding this plea was a wall full of graffitti. Isn't that what this debate all about? Keep off you "non-journalists". But we just won't go away will we! That's the power of free speech and true voices from the grassroots.

Panos South Asia Multimedia workshop: Day 1

Turbulence at 35,000 feet high reflects the same down below

Too long has there been a one-way, top-down flow of information - from the north to south, rich to poor, haves to have-nots. It is important to redress this imbalance with a reverse flow - from the bottom-up. This is the zone grassroots media or local content will have to fill, to ensure a truly democratic media.

The trip here was pleasant - a chance to reflect on the turbulence in our world, while flying 35,000 feet in the sky. Yesterday we tried the local fast food called "Mo Mo" from the street stall. Its a little ball made of cornflower with chicken stuffed inside and served in some kind of sauce. It's delicious!

Today, Sep 21, we began the first session of the 9-day multimedia local content development workshop organised by Panos South Asia in Kathmandu, Nepal. There are participants from all over south asia - Pakistan, Bangladesh, Buthan, Sri Lanka, India and Nepal.

ICT - information and communciation technology, is not an end in itself we were told. Rather, it is a means to an end which is - raising and mainstreaming marginalised voices to effect development (ICT4D).

This definition assumes significance, as too often, mainstream media lays claim to using ICT as part of their strategies. But this generally means merely using new technologies to tell the same old, slanted stories. Instead of a means to empowerment of the marginalised or as a tool to bring forth voices from the grassroots it is the same old story of one-way traffic from the haves to the have-nots. Old wine in a new high-tech bottle.

Once it is clear what is ICT4D, it becomes immediately apparent there are a number of challenges we face. Be it lack of technology penetration to the grassroots and marginalised or basic infrastructure issues.

It was also interesting to hear experiences of how digital storytelling, something we do at GoCreat, is used by a couple of organisations in Bangladesh and in Nepal, currently at the workshop. In the former case, DST is used for peace and environment awareness. In Nepal, a rural village library project aims to collect lived experiences and re-told as digital stories. These stories are collected in a local content library for access by anyone. Stories collected range from enterprise/entrepreuner experiences, alternative energy experiences or environmental experiences such as garbage disposal techniques.

Language itself is a major issue in local content development and audience plays a major role in deciding the use of language. Panos, for instance, uses English for most of its local online radio content as the audience is global stakeholders in development policies. So, it becomes very important in creation of local content, who that content is meant for. If it is local, it is important that the content must be accessible in the local language.

It was also interesting to be part of a conversation with a journalist from Kashmir and journalists from Pakistan. We are not as different as our politicians and even mainstream media would like us to believe.

Over the next 8 days we will together focus on the methods used in creating multimedia content - from writing for the web, building visual literacy in stills and video and using web technologies for making the local content accessable to a global audience. We will be working on an actual story from scripting to storyboard to shooting video, editing and uploading to to web.

This should be hectic but fun, so stay tuned!

Seismic changes in photojournalism

The road ahead | S Gasper D'Souza

The seismic changes in photojournalism that have been expected for some time now, seem to be upon us in a big way. After Nikon announced its D90, capable of shooting HD video, Canon today announced the EOS 5D Mark II capable of shooting HD and SD video and, what's more, it take stereo audio inputs (Nikon failed on the audio front).

According to the Canon USA press note (http://www.usa.canon.com/templatedata/pressrelease/20080917_5dmkii.html)

Answering the question of where SLR technology is going next, the EOS 5D Mark II features 16:9 Full HD video capture at 1920 x 1080 pixels and 30 fps as well as 4:3 standard TV quality (SD) video capture at 640 x 480 pixels and 30 fps, both capabilities appearing for the first time in a Canon SLR camera.

The new camera features an input terminal for external stereo microphones as well as a built-in monaural microphone for convenience.

This proves that integrated visual solutions are here to stay. Photojournalists can now look to shooting stills and video with the same camera and more importantly, use the same SLR lenses for creative control - wide, tele, shallow depth of field...the works.

...including everything from ultra-wide-angle and fish-eye to macro and super-telephoto, including many large-aperture L-series professional lenses that can keep the main subject in razor-sharp focus while blurring the background beyond recognition.

With both the majors having seen the need to merge stills with video, there's no excuse for stalling any more.

The revolution is on!