Here's my first with the Canon 7d. A short short on sibling interactions. It's done as a "One shot - One minute" film with minimal post editing.
Was checking out the depth of field possibilities - amazing! The cam offers the possibility of shooting video the way we look at still images with subject isolation!
When I was asked to come in as a consultant for the redesign of the Navhind Times, my proposal was that the paper looks at the project as a re-think and not just a redesign. Design is an element to support content and not something that needs to get "in the face" of the reader.
With this in mind, every design element proposed and introduced in the new Navhind Times serves a purpose and is not just ornamental.
The re-design sought to address 6 basic areas:
Packaging
Colour Coding
Reader Interactivity
Usability
Unified Typography
Modular Layouts
1. Packaging and Colour Coding:
Taking into consideration lifestyles of the modern reader, the product was packaged for efficient reading.
At the broadest level, the sections were packaged for logical flow through the paper. First comes the hard news sections beginning with Page 1 and followed by local news, national and global news and ending in the Opinions page(s). Then comes the two page Business section. This is followed by the two entertainment and events pages - Buzz. The paper ends in the 3 page sports section.
However, due to various realities within the organisation, this logical flow unfortunately, could not be implemented in the final release. Hopefully, it will be incorporated at some later date.
Sections have been colour-coded, a unique concept, to give readers a better sense of where they are in the paper. The colours also go with the type of content -
Blue for hard news
Lively magenta for entertainment
Green for business and
Flaming orange for sports
The packaging then extends to the individual pages and stories. Similar stories are grouped together on pages for easy accessibility. For instance, crime and accidents, previously scattered through all the local pages, are now grouped in a box on P3.
P2 has scope for a daily feature/centerpiece story with more visuals and graphics. This automatically lifts the entire page, previously filled with a large number of small items.
Individual stories are also better packaged. Templates for sidebars make for convenient projection of story highlights for the reader. Visuals and graphics accompany key stories throughout the paper and make for better packaged stories.
2. Reader Interactivity:
A newspaper that does not involve its readers actively is headed for extinction. Today's readers do not want to be talked down to. We want to be involved in the conversation.
With this in mind, I have introduced scope for involving readers throughout the paper, in individual stories. The paper now has both email and SMS for interactivity. Editors can now invite readers to share their thoughts via SMS or email.
In the earlier format, readers could, at best, send in a letter to the editor (on the opinions page) or an article. There was no scope for contributing short "thoughts". Through the "Shoutbox" on P5, readers can now send in their brief comments instead of formal letters. This is in tune with the trends for social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook.
3. Usability:
Today's readers have fast-paced lifestyles and newspapers need to keep this in mind. The new design acknowledges this situation. Stories now have multiple entry points to guide readers to stories of interest.
Headlines: The headline remains the key entry point for the reader. But in addition to this, there are several more points of entry.
Decks: A deck above the headline now qualifies the headline with more detail.
Summary Graf: Key stories on a page come with a summary paragraph (two or three short sentences) that gives "on-the-go" readers a gist of the story.
Sidebars: These graphical elements give readers yet another entry point into the story with a small graphic and a bulleted list of key facts of the story.
On the same point of usability, the two magazines were to be converted to the tabloid format. The reasoning being the tabloid format is a more convenient format compared to the broadsheet. This is particularly useful in the case of the Sunday magazine Panorama that has in-depth articles. While the concept was accepted for the Saturday lifestyle magazine - Zest, it was rejected for Panorama. I'm not convinced with the argument that tabloid equals "lesser journalism." Worldwide, the trend towards tabloid is catching on and adopted by respected dailies.
4. Unified Typography:
A key change in the new design is unification of typography throughout the paper. As with other design elements, type is kept simple - just two related families in the entire publication. A combination of the two families is used for all elements on the page. The lead headline uses a dominant font while all other elements use variants with lesser weightage.
The special sections and magazines have also been brought into the unified typography scheme for the first time, to create a related look throughout the publication.
5. Modular Layouts:
Modular advertisement layouts was suggested as a design concept to go with the modular story design. The newspaper used a side stairwell design for ads that rise to the top of the page. The modular approach would ensure ads align horizontally and do not project to the top of the page. This format keeps both the reader and advertiser in mind.
This concept was followed on the initial launch, especially for P1 but then reverted to the traditional stairwell layout following "advertiser demand". Nonetheless, I am happy readers got to experience the Navhind Page 1 as I had envisioned, even if for just a couple of days.
These are the key points of the new design. Despite the last moment modifications, most notably in the flow of sections through the paper and modular ad layouts, I hope readers will like the product. Going by early reactions the new look seems to have gone down pretty well with traditional readers. What remains to be seen is if it will draw in new readers. But that's where compelling content comes in.
Before & After:
Page One:
Page Two:
Opinions:
Buzz (Society, Entertainment & Events):
Zest (Saturday lifestyle magazine, now in tabloid size):
Panorama (Sunday magazine):
Watch my video guide to the new look Navhind Times:
Created this "Slice of Life" 30sec video, on the trot, in less than 30 minutes. I've gone real low tech on this one, experimenting with a Nokia 5800 mobile phone camera and Movie Maker for sequence edits.
Sequences are a big part of this video. I've used an opening long shot and then several medium close-ups and close-ups. Also note the action (cleaning the shells) and reaction (child's face) shots. And finally, I've used a reverse-angle shot to try and get the child's perspective.
The video sequences were shot in about 3 minutes and then edited.
I think this proves we do not need "pro" equipment to get started with learning. Once the skills come, the 5DMkIIs will follow:-)
This is my first attempt at PhotoSynth. Here you have a 3d walkthrough my living room. Check out the detailing on the century old grandfather clock on the wall and yes, try it in full-screen mode.
PhotoSynth from Microsoft is an amazing new tech I am currently dabbling with. It's neither photos, nor video. Almost like a new medium. It's great for showing a 3d walkthrough of a location or event. CNN used it first to capture "the Moment" during Barrak Obama's inaugural.
I think it has tremendous potential in tourism. I have used it pretty sucessfully to do a 360-degree walkthrough of a commercial location I recently shot. This is, I think, the first time PhotoSynth is used for a resort in Goa. Will post that shortly.
[Note: to view the Photosynth you will need to download a small viewer software from the site. I have not experienced any issues with the software on a Windows Vista machine.]
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.
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
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:
I was invited to photograph the mural work of a friend and artist Milan at a day care center opened at the Goa University. Milan and Priya spent 6 days creating some facinating work on the walls of the center.
Of course, given I'm now dabbling in multimedia, I do not lose any opportunity to hone in on my new skills and so decided to do an impromptu interview with Milan and Priya after the shoot.
A key lesson I learnt today is keep the recorder handy even after the interview.
Before the interview, both were pretty edgy, not being too accustomed to talking into the mic. I tried to talk to them while I got the recorder and mic set up, just to ease them up. During the interview I found them to open up as we moved along, becoming more and more spontaneous. I spent about 5 minutes talking to them and then made a cardinal mistake - I packed up.
Soon after that, Priya and Milan began telling me about how they get along together, how they managed to paint the walls - each in her own style and yet, the resulting whole blended so well together. As they spoke, I realised I did not have my recorded out! And to stop them to bring it out would have killed the mood. So, I let it pass, vowing to never put away my tools until the very end and then, keep them out a little longer.
I was recently a part of the Goa-Nara one day cross-cultural interaction (cum digital storytelling workshop) in Goa. I used the event to further my dabblings in multimedia by covering the proceedings with still images and audio.
Here I will try to de-construct the audio presentation:
I realised just how much of a hassle it can be, specially for beginners like myself, to balance between audio and photography. Both require just as much thought and attention! For each scene, I made sure I got my images first. I then put down the camera and began recording the audio. But in many instances I found that I needed to capture audio and simultaneously also get a still image. Those were time when I had the mic in one hand and framed shots with the other. A good experience!
Following advice from great teachers like Cyndy Green and Angela Grant (if these are not already on your daily reading list, I strongly recommend you have them), I have begun my multimedia work with a strong emphasis on audio. So, besides making sure I got my shots as I normally would in photojournalism, I also ensured I had good audio for all scenes.
Back home, I edited my audio recordings (using Audacity) down to the clips I thought I could use. Then came the task of sequencing the audio. For this, I used the two interviews I did on location as a rough backbone to go through the timeline (I did mix the interviews around, taking portions from one spot and moving them to another - before or after).
Next, I selected the good live audio from the scenes and inserted them between the interview clips. Finally, I recorded my voiceover to tie together the various segments. I kept voiceover down to the minimum, using it only where absolutely required.
Reading Cyndy and Angela, I realised how important it is, for us photojournalists, to get the audio track right. My endeavour is to try and get an audio that could even go as a standalone piece - perhaps on radio a la NPR (any potential buyers :-) ?). Not sure how much I succeeded towards this end.
Anyway, I finally got down to picture selection and editing. (Note: I more or less had a pretty good idea about the images I had, before I began the production). I then sequenced them and got the images and audio into SoundSlides. Here I had to adjust the timings for each image to match audio and images and the result is what you see.
One key point is background music. I've used music by gurdonark, under the CC license from ccmixter.org/. This is a must have site on your list for production. Under the license, music is free to re-use and distribute with attribution to the creator.
The Old House is my first attempt at some poetry to go with my images and I was quite happy with what came off it. (Watch it presentation here). I had shot the images of old abandoned houses for an exhibition I did with a group "GoaPhotogs".
The experience of putting together this multimedia piece was exhillirating. Once I took up the production there was no putting it down until it was complete. I must have recorded at least 8 versions of my voice over track.
A key consideration for me, as a beginning multimedia journalist, is the use of sound. The audio track is one of the most important aspects to master and for this, I listen to audio programmes on NPR over internet radio. The idea I am trying to incorporate is to have a strong enough audio, such that it could go as a standalong piece. Not sure how much I've managed it in this piece, but I hope to get there.
Software I've used were - Soundslides (from Joe Weiss) and Audacity (freeware). I've used free sound from freeplaymusic.com (for the background score) and freesounds.org (for sound effects like thunder and crackling leaves). I like the concept of freesounds.org and think I'll contribute some of my effects to the database as I go along.
Regarding the issue of people abandoning their houses itself, I can't seem to really get to terms with it. I was deeply moved when I entered one such home and saw an old portrait (possibly the head of the household), lying on the floor, broken glass, right next to an image of the Virgin Mary.
I mean, I know it's mainly people who migrate to foreign countries and their children who never really know about their roots. But my thoughts are with the "houses" that are abandoned thus, to be claimed by the elements of nature or slimy builders. And Goa's full of such abandoned homes.
I am an independent multimedia journalist passionate about using the medium to promote social development. This blog will serve as a raw outlet for my work and thoughts as I experiment in the field. It is, in a sense - a "work-in-progress", before features are posted to my portfolio site gasperdesouza.com. I will also use this space to share my thoughts, feelings, aspirations, desires and difficulties concerning this exciting arena of multimedia journalism. If any of this benefits / impresses you, that's great, just let me know at gasperd [at] gmail [dot] com
The content you see on this site, including images, audio, video and text may be used for non-commercial educational purposes after crediting the author. For all other use, including publication on news sites, please contact gasperd [at] gmail [dot] com
Poubha in Progress
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.
Before the interview, both were pretty edgy, not being too accustomed to talking into the mic. I tried to talk to them while I got the recorder and mic set up, just to ease them up. During the interview I found them to open up as we moved along, becoming more and more spontaneous. I spent about 5 minutes talking to them and then made a cardinal mistake - I packed up.
I realised just how much of a hassle it can be, specially for beginners like myself, to balance between audio and photography. Both require just as much thought and attention! For each scene, I made sure I got my images first. I then put down the camera and began recording the audio. But in many instances I found that I needed to capture audio and simultaneously also get a still image. Those were time when I had the mic in one hand and framed shots with the other. A good experience!
Next, I selected the good live audio from the scenes and inserted them between the interview clips. Finally, I recorded my voiceover to tie together the various segments. I kept voiceover down to the minimum, using it only where absolutely required.
