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!