The Audio Slideshow & Photography 101

1. The Audio Slideshow & Photography 101 Multimedia Storytelling Spring 2012

2. What is an audio slideshow? • The term specifically refers to a series of still images arranged to appear on screen over the duration of a piece of edited audio. • The new photo story, where audio takes the place of captions. • A hybrid that falls somewhere between still photography and video.

3. Choosing a good story idea • There is activity and/or people doing something observable (e.g., not a meeting story). • It is visually rich (e.g., lots of color, decoration, contrast, rhythm, motion, scenery, etc.). • There are lots of different situations taking place and/or a variety of interesting moments (i.e., not a bunch of different people repeating the same thing). • The idea is emotional and/or humorous. • It features rich character or personality.

4. Common audio slideshow formats PROFILES • Person: self-narrated • One in 8 Million • Person: narrated by multiple people • Gladys Flamer: Centenarian • Place: narrated by one or more people • The Lifeline EVENTS/EXPERIENCES • 1 subject, 1 event/experience • A Life Alone (mix of photos, audio & video) • Multiple subjects, 1 experience • Choosing to Stay, Fighting to Rebuild • The event speaks for itself • Friday Night Fights

5. Photography 101: General • Great photographers always consider the following when taking pictures: • Composition • Viewpoint/angles • Lighting • Motion • Direction • There are a variety of ways to approach each

6. Photography 101: Composition • Rule of thirds • Layering • Balancing elements • Repetition • Framing

7. Composition: Rule of Thirds

8. Composition: Layering

9. Composition: Balancing elements

10. Composition: Repetition

11. Composition: Framing

12. Photography 101: Viewpoint/Angles • Eye level: Shows subject(s) straight on • High angle: Shows subject(s) from above • Low angle: Shows subject(s) from below • Bird’s eye: Shows subject(s) from directly above • Slanted: Shows the horizon on an angle

13. Viewpoint/Angles: Eye level

14. Viewpoint/Angles: High angle

15. Viewpoint/Angles: Low angle

16. Viewpoint/Angles: Bird’s eye

17. Viewpoint/Angles: Slanted

18. Photography 101: Lighting • Natural lighting • Artificial lighting • Fill lighting • Back lighting • Side lighting

19. Lighting: All natural light

20. Lighting: All artificial light

21. Lighting: Fill light (combo)

22. Lighting: Side lighting

23. Lighting: Back lighting

24. Photography 101: Motion • Adjusting the shutter speed allows photographers to capture motion • Frozen field of vision • Blurred field of vision • Blurred background, subject in focus • Blurred subject, background in focus

25. Motion: Frozen field of vision

26. Motion: Blurred field of vision

27. Motion: Panning to blur background

28. Motion: Motion blur to blur subject

29. Composition: Direction • Every photo moves in a certain direction • Reftto right • Right to left • Forward • Backward, etc.

30. Direction: Moving right (left to right)

31. Direction: Moving left (right to left)

32. Direction: Moving forward/toward viewer

33. Direction: Moving backward/away from viewer

34. But how do you create a great photo story? • Not every sequence or collection of pictures make a good story • There are specific formulas to follow to make sure your pictures tell a good story • Life Magazine’s Photo Story Formula

35. Life Magazine: The photo story formula • Photographers were required to bring back the following eight key photo types from every photo story shoot: • An introductory shot or overall shot, such as a wide angle or an aerial. • A middle-distance or “moving in” shot, such as a sign, street, or building • A close-up, usually hands, face or detail. • A sequence, or how-to shot. • A portrait, usually environmental. • An interaction shot of persons conversing or action portrayed. • The signature picture- the decisive moment, the one picture that conveys the essence of the story. • The clincher or goodbye shot, signifying the end of the story.

36. Life Magazine: Shooting script • Life magazine was best known for nailing down the photo story first. Life staffers, from editorial to art departments, would collaborate on story ideas, select a topic, and research it to the fullest, thinking ahead to what images they thought the story might bring. • The script encouraged a photographer to prepare for what content they might come across while shooting, so that they could better find the unusual or unique pictures. • Don’t force anything you script to happen. This is simply meant to prepare you for what might happen.

37. Life Magazine: Storyboarding • Storyboarding forces the photographer to visualize what each frame of their photo story will look like. • Once you have your shooting script/shot list developed, you can then take the content you plan to gather for each photo and decide how you are going to visually place that content.

38. Applying Life’s techniques • Brainstorm what content you might get by writing out a shooting script/shot list. • Visualize what the photographs might look like by creating a storyboard. • Apply a variety of the photo techniques discussed (different compositions, lighting, angles, motion, directions, etc.) • Always collect the 8 key photo types used in Life’s photo story formula.

39. Past student project: • Last semester one student focused on the Philadelphia non-profit Tree House Books as their subject for the semester. He focused on a reading rewards program the store offered for his audio slideshow: • Tree House Books Rewards Readers with Limo Trip