The National Press Photographers Association has announced winners of its annual awards. Take a look at winning videos, photographs and multimedia packages. Poynter’s Steve Myers wrote a column about the judging done at Poynter in the Web category, and what the judges had to say about what works and what doesn’t in multimedia.
The judges:
- Ellyn Angelotti, an adjunct faculty member and interactivity editor for Poynter
- Michelle Maltais, a deputy editor of business and technology for LATimes.com
- Irwin Thompson, the deputy director of photography for The Dallas Morning News
- Seth M. Gitner, a multimedia journalist for Roanoke.com and The Roanoke Times
- Thea Breite, multimedia photography editor for The Boston Globe
Here’s some advice from Myers’ column:
“Other than storytelling — and let’s assume good photography — the
audio, that’s what puts one person above everyone else,” Breite said.
That means well-placed, meaningful natural sound, as well as effective
voiceovers. Angelotti said the best voiceovers were those done by the
subjects, which enabled them to tell their stories directly. Here’s a presentation with great natural sound…
Don’t sacrifice ease of use for something that looks cool.
Judges said too many multimedia presentations are hard to figure out.
Consider the downside of breaking conventions, such as a back button in
the upper left corner. And whatever navigation system you choose, keep
it consistent. (As Gitner put it, don’t keep moving the car door
handles.)
The best interfaces preview the content and show users how to navigate through it, Jenkins said. The navigation on “Soul of Athens” was one of the reasons it was named “Best Multimedia Package” — its design made it easy to find great content…
Don’t pack too much in. When
the judges reviewed some entries, one would cry out, “Too much!” Don’t
overload the user. Pick out the best stuff and use it to tell the
story. Don’t feel compelled to use a lot of material to justify a
project. And keep in mind that the user interface can easily become
confusing when there is a lot of content.
Some of my favorites were about a mother’s challenge to help take care of her 11-year-old, who has autism and “wants to die,” an eye-opening video about wildlife trade, a teenage girl who grew up in an area with limited opportunities, and an inspiring story about a high school principal who is trying to change a school dealing with violence.
