How often do you get to learn directly from people whose work you admire? How often do you get to work side by side with some of the best in their field? The MediaStorm multimedia workshop gave me those opportunities.
On the first day, Brian and then Rick gave us an intense full day lecture on the interview, video, photo and audio techniques necessary to make a good multimedia piece. The following days we went out in the field and did our best to mix our own style of storytelling with what we had learned on that first day. It was challenging, it opened new horizons. The last few days we spent in the editing room watching and learning from the maestro Eric Maierson.
More than anything else the workshop reminded me that good team work is priceless. Each participant had different skills and when brought together under the leadership of the MediaStorm players, the result was exhilarating. Watching our project on the final night, the quote;"The whole is greater than the sum of its parts," kept ringing in my ears.
I would definitely recommend the workshop to anybody who wants to perfect their multimedia skills.
You really hit the ground running in this workshop and learning starts right away. Even just the process of finding a story before arriving gives insight into what drives the work at MediaStorm and how they approach storytelling. The instruction spoke right to my experience level and covers topics ranging from technical skills to what makes a great story and how to tell it effectively.
Not only was it a great chance to learn from the guys at MediaStorm but also from my teammates and fellow workshop participants. We had a diverse group and everyone brought different skills to the table. In the end, we have a product that I think we are all proud of and everyone went home with new skills.
Also, it really is a lot of fun.
I applied for MediaStorm wanting to round out my experience as a reporter, but what I gained was so much more. I was immersed into the world of filmmaking.
Brian spent a day going over details - what to do, what not to do and how to build a narrative. Then, we dived into our project - 3 days of shooting and a week of editing. Eric was wonderfully meticulous down to the music choice. He was like a pianist over the keyboard - every stroke was intentional. There were the obvious choices in cuts, but we also set actions to beats. He gave me the eyes and ears of an editor.
This was an experience I'll never forget. Not only did I learn how to be a filmmaker, but I gained lifelong friends and was able to impact the life of our subject. All our lives were changed.
The intense passion, dedication and respect for the creative multimedia process at MediaStorm is inspiring and downright contagious! The hierarchy of the steps I’ll follow in my future projects and when re-editing past projects has permanently shifted, it’s been a workflow revolution. Thank you!
After this week, I realized yet again why it's so important to methodically first and foremost create a strong narrative. Without that, things fall apart. Working on our story, I also felt an incredible affirmation and excitement for the fact that everyone has a story, big or small. Sometimes it’s just a matter of patience to get to the nuances of the good stuff, something we all can identify with. I also love the idea of giving back to our subject, and helping to share her voice in a different way.
With the fantastic help of Tim, Rob and Brian I am also getting my mind around how shooting video requires a different thought process than shooting stills. The other day, when I was shooting stills, I realized that my mind was in video mode—that was a first for me…I laughed out loud. During the workshop, I was also reminded how huge and intricate of a task it is to make a strong piece, and how great it is to work and learn as a team, something that I rarely get to do. There’s a lot of the technical tricks I learned, but the subtleties of emotion, beat, rhythm, passion and patience are what have inspired me the most, and left me excited about making new work.
The people within MediaStorm are all highly motivated and very skilled professionals. Their teaching is very "hands on" but still they get you all the theory behind the choices needed to be made when creating a touching story. Every detail is explained and I have tons of notes with "do and dont's" which I can apply to my own upcomming projects. Brian Storm, Tim McLauglin, Rob Finch and Margareth Cheatham Williams gave me the tools to organize the different parts of a multimedia story and efficienlty work them in to a captiving story. It was a tough week, but within a friendly and warm atmosphere. I would encourage every professional who gets the chance to attend this workshop.
I always wondered how MediaStorm makes such compelling multi-media pieces. The beauty of a MediaStorm workshop is that you learn why and how.
Ultimately, the pieces are strong because they are about one person's story and how to best convey that person's inner voice. They are not about your story and your twist on the story. You are not just a photographer or a moviemaker, your art and skills are at the service of the subject's inner voice and dilemma which must be enunciated in an interesting manner.
Here is the key. The audio/video interview. Your first task is to get into the subject's head and bones to ask the right questions in the interview you conduct at the very beginning. This interview is the backbone of the edit and all you will be doing after. It is the subject's truth you will be at the service of in the story-telling. And that truth must have a universal resonance.
To give you an example, I rarely do abstract photography. When I interiorized the haunting feeling of emptiness and loss Joe was in because of the impossibility of knowing who his mother was, I lied down on the ground in Joe's back yard and took photos of the leafless trees out of focus, which were ominous.
Then it is up to you to do your own multi-media-project. You are empowered. But do not think it is easy. It is an art in many domains requiring an intense collaboration of talents: great interviewing technique, great video technique and strategy, exceptional editing skills, an affinity to music and lastly a gift in story-telling and editing combined not to talk of a particular sensitivity to music and tempo.
After following and being inspired by the MediaStorm’s style of storytelling and innovative approach, I jumped on the opportunity learn from them directly.
I came into the workshop expecting to expand skills from my current background and learn to translate my own visual language as a photographer into a multimedia platform.
During the project, I was assigned as the reporter to shoot video. I was concerned about being pigeon holed in the workshop but the reverse happened. I actually picked up a whole new swag of processes, including a better understanding of workflow practice, narrative building methods, researching for a story, editing and then refining the nuts and bolts of producing compelling content.
Producing a strong story in such a short space of time worried me. I was pleasantly surprised how with hard work and the methods that MediaStorm deploy can really pay off. The professional MediaStorm staff were great and they shared their hands on experience openly from decades of industry experience.
It was a creative and insightful environment where everyone got involved, debated concepts and worked closely with Eric, Jennifer and Brian to deliver the final piece. Apart from all the new skills developed from the project, most importantly I’ve gained a lot more personal confidence in producing multimedia stories.
The workshop was a great experience. I had been trying to figure multimedia out for myself but if multimedia storytelling is what you want, this is the way to go!
At MediaStorm you find an amazing amount of knowhow of the producers who share all their insights into storytelling and give great coaching in the field. It feels very rewarding to put a complete piece together in a week after having completed all the steps that it takes, from finding a story to putting together a final cut.
There is long hours until 2am but the enthusiasm of teammates and producers and plenty of humor will easily keep you going.
I had high expectations for this workshop, hoping to learn about multimedia and storytelling and wanting to be challenged. Brian and the entire MediaStorm team delivered on all counts, and then some. The workshop is hands-on and intense and was, for me, hugely rewarding. Not only did I gain new technical skills that I will now refine and use but l also came away with a renewed sense of wonder at the potential of documentary.
The passion of the entire MediaStorm crew for documentary storytelling, their professionalism, their willingness to share what they know and their commitment to help the team produce something we could all be proud of were outstanding. That, the constant interaction and exchange with teammates made the workshop an unforgettable experience and one that has definitely changed the way I see.
I chose this workshop mainly because it is a product oriented workshop. For a guy that usually throw away the manual as the first thing after getting a new gadget, the learning by doing atmosphere of this workshop just seemed right to me. So I arrived in New York with a wish of getting the skills needed to produce short documentary films, and hopefully feel more inspired than ever. I certainly did. Both. But what I couldn’t know was, that I would leave the city with amazing new friendships and the proudest feeling bubbling inside. Proud as hell of the piece we did as a team, and proud of myself for pushing the limits of what I thought possible as a visual storyteller. We created, did we!
I knew that MediaStorm is at the forefront of our business when it comes to narrative storytelling, but nonetheless I was surprised to see just how sharp these guys are on the narrative. Talent was abundant, and dedication was limitless. At MediaStorm the story is always at the center of everything, and they really want to share all their secrets. Any technique applied to the piece, being about sequencing, about workflow or about building the narrative, always happened with explanation and open-minded discussions.
It was intense, hard work and long nights. But also hilarious, mind-blowing and ecstatic. I had a blast!
Brian Storm's instructions, insights, project vision style, as well as his editing abilities made me see a different way of working. At MediaStorm there is a desire to find character driven 'emotionalism' and 'truth' that is raw and revealing, both with video and pictures. The marriage then, of the two mediums, is what I find inspiring about MediaStorm's work.
My own future projects will certainly benefit from this approach. At the same time, being exposed to working with a DSLR, helped me understand its appeal as well as its challenges. My week with MediaStorm provided me with an enhanced view of notable video production.
I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop. There was a sense of belonging, and being a part of something really exciting. I will be using the narrative skills learnt in this workshop in my future work.
The workshop was a vortex of time. MediaStorm had warned us about this prior. There were late nights, team members started to resemble POW’s getting cat-naps on the edit room floor, there were belly laughs and dummy spits. Yep, just how it is when you make a good film.
There was a great sense of collaboration working with the MediaStorm Producers on our piece. The entire process was taken very seriously, and we literally hit the ground running, but with constant support, dialogue and guidance. Thank you Brian, Tim, Rick, Caitlyn and Bruce for all your support, and I hope there may be some way to collaborate in the future.
It is a unique experience in that you are not hypothetically going through the motions of making a film – you are really doing it. Amidst the normal stresses of being in production, the Producers were also teaching us. They were continually patient, clear with information and suggestions, pushing us to make the best film possible, yet were considerate and made sure that we were enjoying the process also.
The strongest learnings that I have taken from the workshop are MediaStorm’s athletic-style commitment to narrative, and their point of difference – always being of the highest production quality. What good are pretty images when the story is flawed? It is the story and always the story that comes first and foremost. Their method of building a narrative is disciplined, followed in specific stages and is an arduous process of elimination. It is the secret in the sauce, and I found it equally painful and very satisfying going through the process.
Before the workshop, I was looking forward to hearing the MediaStorm producers talk about multimedia -- about both the nature and strength of the medium, and also their storytelling techniques. And they delivered, often with inspiring clarity, occasionally with thoughtful uncertainty. After the first day, I was able to better understand and articulate the power of multimedia, and how to harness it. But as soon as we began shooting, we were all focused on telling our subject's story. Storytelling, though, was gracefully linked with discussions of technique and process, and that's the best thing about this workshop. During the week, you are product-motivated but with so many MediaStorm producers working alongside the talented participants, you're bound to learn a lot as you (especially with teammates and teachers who will all stay up until 3AM, sipping coffee and arguing about storyline.) Working with such talented and dedicated individuals was without a doubt the best part of the workshop. It was truly a joy to collaborate with Brian, Rick, Eric, Leandro, and my teammates Piotr and Jeff.
In the end, I learned a lot, but, more importantly, I am immensely proud of our story. I can't wait to show it to friends and colleagues, and I am eager to apply the techniques I learned to future visual storytelling endeavors.
The workshop was so packed with activity and information that towards the end I was surprised that only one week had passed! These long days brought a lot of new ideas to my head that will certainly prove very useful in the future.
Information about building the scene, about storytelling and workflow was invaluable, very practical and hands on.
I also understand that a well shot and well edited story needs time, resources and careful planning. And the power of a finished piece can be huge; short documentary film thanks to its careful editing, good shots and music can be a real beauty, not only conveying the message, but also releasing emotions, provoking thoughts, raising awareness.
This workshop was also a great team experience for me. It was as a good lesson of technical skills as of communication and cooperation within a group. As a photojournalist I was always more happy to work and shoot alone, but during this workshop I have learned to appreciate the power of teamwork; brainstorming, exchanging ideas, the creative kick that it gives. I think that it can really help achieve better results.
And last, but not least, I need to mention great atmosphere and plenty of humour during workshop. It was a good time.
The amount of resources that the MediaStorm team put into our workshop was amazing and impressive. A Director of Photography was available in the field, a Producer in the editing suite, an Associate Producer who helped with every detail, and an Executive Producer in the office for the final creative decisions. We worked long hours-a couple of 19 hour long work days-and the whole MediaStorm team was available all the time pushing us to do more and keeping us on track. Once the workshop was complete our project was still a rough edit, even with the long work days. We were assured that the final edit, color grading, sound polishing, and titling would be completed so we would have our finished video.
I procrastinated a long time prior to applying to MediaStorm, because there are a lot of other workshops available for less money. After experiencing the resources that were available to us during our week and the dedication of the staff I know I made the right decision. Their dedication and passion was inspiring and changed the way I see.
There have been several mentors and photographers who advised me to look into working with video. I considered their advice, tried working with video (once) and quickly (too quickly perhaps) abandoned it as a tool that seemed too foreign to my hands and too inflexible to my eyes. In addition, to compromise my full commitment to still photography seemed a heresy I could not ascribe to. That was my philosophy until I met Brian Storm.
I've been an ardent admirer of MediaStorm and have tremendous respect for their commitment, their dedication, their innovative vision and storytelling. I use projects produced by MediaStorm for my own information and inspiration as well as an educational tool in my photography classes. But it was not until I heard Brian lecture that I decided to revisit my still-photo philosophy. I was greatly inspired by his presentation and I immediately signed up for the advanced multimedia workshop. Brian promised to me that after the week-long experience, my images and my storytelling approaches would never be the same.
When asked what the workshop experience was like, I heard myself saying: "These were the seven days that shook my world." I stand by that statement and truly hope I can carry on the skills and the knowledge I obtained from the remarkable MediaStorm team. I spent many years of my life in classrooms, but having experienced the one-week of working with MediaStorm was perhaps the most poignant and meaningful learning experience I have ever gained. I cannot possibly summarize the value of what I learned in a few words or sentences, but suffice it to say that I would take the workshop again and again. I am deeply indebted to Brian, Jennifer, Tim, Lauren, and all at MediaStorm for their invaluable gift of teaching me how to see and work and think in moving images, how to work in a team, and how to produce a project from the very beginning to the very end. My heartfelt thank you!
Thank you all for an intense and incredible week of work. I was surrounded by extraordinarily talented and accomplished people all dedicated and extremely focused on telling this story in the best way we could. I slept very little and learned more than I could have imagined. I feel so fortunate to have been a part of the workshop and very proud of what we did together.
It was a thrilling experience to co-operate in the production of such a complex story – with no more than just a couple of days at hand. For the most part, I sincerely enjoyed working towards such an incredibly short deadline!
Thanks to the wonderful team at MediaStorm and the wonderful teamwork you guys have developed, for me these long days and nights resulted in almost as much heartfelt joy as in the advancement of my technical expertise. Being a photographer, I am used to spend hours alone – it was just great to develop the project and the actual reportage together with you!
I feel extreme gratitude towards the producers at MediaStorm: They were always ready to offer insights into the production-process as well as loads of practical help and assistance. Their commitment to make us fit for visual storytelling was just overwhelming.
This workshop gave us all new perspectives and ideas. Now, I am looking forward very much to realize them in my daily work.
Thank you for a great workshop! For me, the way you teach inspires me a lot, and right now I am walking around with several ideas for videos. And I now have the knowledge to start working on them! I am also a bit confused. After the workshop, there seems like there is no limitations, I am able to reach out to people and tell stories in a way I have never done before. Now I have to find the time to make multimedia, and find the stories that works the best.
The whole MediaStorm team worked wonderful with us and filled in on every gap. For me, learning how to tell a story and the process on how to build it, was important to learn. Also to know what kind of stories that works best as a multimedia.
It was also a bit scary... I am a passionate still photographer who has always belived that the photo reportage has been the best way of commuicating and telling stories. But during the days in New York, I realized that the use of images, video and sounds combined, is a powerful way of reaching out to an even wider audience! I am not afraid of loosing the faith in still photography, but I see that as a journalist working today, I have to be open to other forms of communication, with all the new platforms available. I think it is specially important when it comes to reaching a young audience! To handle all the gear, cameras, tripods, microphones, cables etc etc will be a new challenge for a guy used to just carry a lens and a small camera.
I had been looking at the MediaStorm website for years and really enjoyed the great work there. I was a bit scared about the good quality when coming to the workshop as a rookie on multimedia, but the fantastic staff at MediaStorm guided me through the process and we ended up with The Amazing Amy.
I came to MediaStorm thinking that I needed to learn technical stuff - how to use microphones and DSLRs and software and whatever new gizmo just fell from the sky. I did learn a lot about those crucial tools, but the most important thing that happened during the week was that my love, and enthusiasm, for visual storytelling woke up and came out to play. I haven't been as excited about my work for years and years. It's hard to believe until you see it, but the MediaStorm team really does want us all to get better, to tell real stories, thrive, succeed, smile like we’re in love. I think our whole team did just that: fall in love with storytelling all over again.
The MediaStorm folks expected and celebrated going into our complicated world to discover real people with meaningful stories, tenderly gathered and truthfully told. They also expected us to work really hard - and they matched our efforts by working every bit as hard. And that's the other thing about this workshop: you learn how important it is to be an effective, respectful member of a team. It was incredible to work not only with the big heads at MediaStorm, but also with talented storytellers from other parts of our world. It's simply fun to work alongside people whose work is so good it makes the hair on the back of your neck dance with joy.
This workshop is the antidote to the dumb-it-down journalism taking over too much of our profession. MediaStorm convinced me that we have to master our new tools because doing so makes us better, more sophisticated, more robust conduits for stories that matter.
I went into the workshop looking to refine my production process and improve reporting skills. What I took away was a productive week of collaboration with a talented group, experience from hands-on practice, and most importantly, confidence to experiment with and build off of a solid production foundation. I'm really excited to start my next project and apply what I've learned!
It was great to spend a whole week shooting a more personal story, working with a team of professionals with different skills and experiences, but all sharing the same desire: to produce a perfect final product.
Despite the long nights editing, travelling by subway, crossing New York City every day to get to MediaStorm, walking through Harlem and talking with the characters in the bar, the whole week was a wonderful experience.
I preferred the night at the bar, where everyone was very generous letting us be part of their lives for a moment and allowing me to portray them. I specially enjoyed my conversations with Enrique.
Always a pleasure to make a stop in our daily routines and dedicate a week to learn. Here we learned, not only from the characters portrayed, but from all the people who work at MediaStorm. Everyone had time to share during a week dedicated to think, produce, make and view multimedia work.
I think the most helpful component of the workshop is that it's a product-focused. Yeah you could sit around their conference room for a week tinkering with gear and going back and forth about multimedia shooting strategies and techniques and you'd still learn a lot, but we all know practice, and learning from your own mistakes, makes perfect. And trust me, you're going to make pretty much every mistake in the book during the workshop week.
But because of that pressure to create a piece in seven days, you'll be amazed how quickly the gear issues fade away and how storytelling becomes the main topic of conversation. And this is what makes the workshop, and MediaStorm, so damn good. It's not the latest HDSLR that sucks you in to their work, its the storytelling, and the knowledge and experience you gain working with the best of the best is what'll make those 3am nights worth it.
I think I summed it up best to my friends when they asked me how the workshop went, "It took a few days out of my life, but it added many years to my career.
The advanced multimedia workshop really allowed our team of five to dissect elements of storytelling as we proceeded day-to-day. While our preview cut ended up feeling like a profile because our subject didn't really open up to us in the week we spent with him, we got valuable feedback from the group at week's end to rework the piece to develop other characters. Our team meshed well in spite of not ever having worked together before and the lesson in that is how important communication is to a successful story. The workshop was so energizing for new strategies to employ at the Star Tribune as we redesign our website to better showcase multimedia.
One hard, intense and thrilling week at MediaStorm got me shaped up for multimedia production. I was baptized by fire.
I have learned so much from this workshop. I now have a clear vision of what is needed to make a great multimedia production. The importance of teamwork, getting all the right shots from different angles and the importance of good audio. I feel I have an upgraded toolbox, ready to be used!
My primary motivation for participating in the MediaStorm workshop was to learn how to combine a vast array of talents and tools, recombine them and modify existing digital information to create a new derivative work. I never doubted for a minute that our team would complete a multi-media project. However, the real gems we mined during this workshop resided at the center of where all these pieces of data fit together - the story.
The workshop integrated chaos theory, asset management and controversial subject matter with
a group of complete strangers traveling at warp speed in a compressed time frame of one week. Mind- boggling.
Thanks, Brian and team, for creating an invaluable experience. I'll be back.
If you want to have a life-changing experience with the best multimedia professionals in the whole world, if you want to be terrified of going back to your job because you just discovered the most meaningful way to do journalism, if you want to learn more than in a week that you have, probably, in your entire career so far, then you'd better close this window and start completing the application form NOW!!!
I arrived in Dumbo as a journalist and left being a dreamer. I dream of teams of professionals, of uniting each member's skills in order to create profound narratives. I dream of changing my professional life and making people care about human issues and stories. It was such a privilege to work with the entire team at MediaStorm, I still can't find the right words to describe it.
It was magnificent to rediscover that people let you enter their life and share their story with you. It was wonderful to know that you not only documented a story, but helped your subject change her life as well. You become part of that life-changing moment and part of a big family. How awesome is that?!
To sum things up: one week felt like one month because it was so rich with emotions, laughter, ups and downs, mistakes and success. There are so many moments going through my mind right now, that it's hard to find all the words. But I think it doesn't matter anyway, 'cause you guys will probably never get to read this far. By now, surely, you are navigating the application form, right?!
I don't think I have ever learned so much, worked so hard, sweated, laughed, cried, had so little sleep and lived a couple of lifetimes in only one week.
As I am writing this, the tears are coming because it was such and intense and amazing experience and now it's over... we are definitely not the same people we were before this course and we will never be same after this experience.
The week tested me in ways I did not think were possible. I learned more than I could even fathom and my passion for telling stories has only jumped a 1000 fold.
Training with MediaStorm has been one of the most grueling and rewarding experiences. I met so many amazing people from all walks of life and learned how to tell stories on a whole new level. I am definitely not the same person I was when I started the course. I'm happy to report, I really like this new me.
Exodus!!
For me, the biggest take away from the MediaStorm Workshop was feeling a renewed charge to do my work better so the stories I am telling get the justice they deserve. To be entrusted with a story so personal, the responsibility was quite humbling. I left the workshop inspired and thankful that I am in a field where learning about other people's histories and perspectives is considered work - and also wishing I could be so productive every week of my life!
To spend a week with the best people within the industry of multimedia production, the staff and teachers at MediaStorm, has been my best workshop-experience ever.
From the pure journalistic storytelling to the technical aspects of producing a complex multimedia production, I felt I developed a concrete platform to work and improve my multimedia storytelling on my own.
Not only were the people at MediaStorm brilliant but also the fellow students gave me a fantastic week. Learning new ways to gather journalistic material also gave me new inspiration within the still photography field - and one thing is for sure: There is nothing comparable to this workshop.
I have not been this inspired about photography and photojournalism in almost ten years.
MediaStorm puts together an unbelievable combination of talented working professionals and experienced multimedia producers, and invites everyone to come together in a spirit of complete collaboration - and fun.
They share all of their cutting-edge awareness of how photography, audio, and video can work together, and you leave them feeling that you can take your work to a whole different level. I'm already thinking of things differently, trying to stretch beyond simply assembling still pictures to tell a story, and wondering how video and audio narrative might breathe some life into projects of my own.
Audio and video aren't just adaptive tools for surviving on the internet; they really can add layers of meaning and power to what we've been doing all these years as still photographers. The workshops are an act of generosity, really, as you get the sense that MediaStorm really wants to elevate all of our work, and take us along with them into the future of photojournalism.
On the first day of the MediaStorm workshop I understood how much was lacking in my work, by the last day I understood how much was possible. I never would have wanted to make this transition without their guidance and I have no doubt that I have learned from the best.
It was an amazing privilege to be a part of a professional experience that was dominated by a generosity of spirit the likes of which I have rarely experienced. Everyone worked together to make the story a success. There was no ego, no territory, just a desire to tell the best story possible.
SO so glad I spent the week in this workshop! I think this was an incredible and invaluable experience. Intense in all the good ways. It forced me to flex new muscles and grow.
I am not satisfied with just the still photograph in many of the stories I do and have been longing to understand the other components to the story making process. It's beyond overwhelming, but I now see how it's doable and I actually feel comfortable (after this week) with video...which is huge for me.
Something just clicked over the week. Now all I am thinking about is multimedia and the possibilities of it in my work. I have so many ideas...so much in me. The week totally inspired this.
I also realized (like Brian said) that you CANNOT do this on your own. It was wonderful to see how you and Eric think and shape things. I loved seeing his passion and sensibility in the editing room.
The sense of community and camaraderie is wonderful.
I am really proud of the piece we all worked so hard on. But even more importantly, I think Ginny and her mother are going to love it and be moved, beyond. Just received the sweetest text from her. She wrote that she was so thankful that we thought she was worthy of doing a story on her. She said she and her mom actually missed us...what's nicer than that??!!
My favorite thing is entering into someone else's world and to experience life in their shoes...Ginny's is a complicated and complex one and glad we were able to do what we did in a very short amount of time. The images of her grandfather and that reality will haunt me for a while.
For so long I have been wanting to learn the tools and process behind the making of a multimedia piece. In one intensely packed week, with very little sleep, I truly believe I/we learned what it takes to bring storytelling to a new level. It was a wonderfully collaborative process that will forever inform my work. What an inspiring week that I urge others to experience.
The MediaStorm Multimedia Workshop was an amazing and unparalleled learning experience. Our producer navigated us through a challenging, hands-on process from identifying a story to finalizing a multimedia piece (and everything in between).
The staff at MediaStorm are committed and passionate about sharing their excellent knowledge and skills in multimedia storytelling to empower others to create stories that will have an impact. The workshop presented a great opportunity to collaborate with a multi-disciplinary team of professionals.
I came away from the workshop with a framework and process to approach storytelling that I will incorporate into my work going forward.
I have spent seven intense days at MediaStorm. Brian Storm and Eric Maierson have shared their unique knowledge of how to produce high level multimedia in an open and generous way. In my team talented people with different skills and experiences worked hard together. I have learned more than I ever could expected in a week. I have now an understanding how to produce high level multimedia. I have learned how to take the best from photography, video, music and audio to work together.
I have just been given the most wonderful opportunity to become - for just seven days - part of a far-sighted and committed multimedia workshop with MediaStorm producers. Their creativity and enthusiasm are an inspiration. Their compelling vision in anticipating the global changes in multimedia storytelling put them at the forefront of their craft. Their high quality product is thought-provoking independent journalism at its best. I'm very grateful to have worked among them, however briefly, and I will bring much learning back to my own multimedia storytelling. Oh...by the way...it was seriously great fun.
The MediaStorm workshop is great in many ways. First, Brian, Bob and Eric teach the nuts and bolts of multimedia: story structure, interviewing, audio, lighting, shooting, and editing.
Working side-by-side with these dedicated storytellers brings the lessons to life. Without a doubt, their skills and passion for multimedia is an inspiration. You walk away with the feeling that you now have the tools and motivation to go out and tell important stories that people will want to see.
The workshop changed me as a storyteller. I'm looking forward to getting out there and seeing what I can do.
In one action-packed week, our team learned and put into practice the MediaStorm approach to multimedia. The ability to hear and discuss the thought behind the approach as well as the hands-on experience of putting a project together, soup to nuts, was invaluable. The workshop delivered exactly what I need for my work as a multimedia editor: a solid foundation on which to build my organization's multimedia growth.
The quality of the work MediaStorm is producing sets the bar high for multimedia storytelling so it was great to work side by side with MediaStorm producers Eric Maierson and Brian Storm to understand the thought process and the possibilities that goes into one of these stories.
At MediaStorm, integrity and journalistic ethics are paramount as they let the story reveal itself. It became clear that their guiding principals are that the story is truthful and also fair to the subject.
The workshop has given me the confidence to handle any multimedia assignment that comes my way.
The MediaStorm workshop was amazing. They take you through every step of the process in such a way that you come away from the experience with both an incredible understanding of how to bring stories to life and a desire to put the knowledge into action as quickly as possible.
It was a grueling week, but I've come away feeling both confident in my abilities and inspired at the potential. I'd do it again in a heart beat!
Before I came to the MediaStorm workshop, I didn't know how much I had to learn, or how much I could learn in a single week. I expected technique tips and tricks; I expected a window into the MediaStorm workflow. I didn't expect lucid lessons synthesizing technique with journalistic storytelling; I didn't expect MediaStorm producers showing up early after yet another late night to set up for yet another long day of focused, hands-on teaching-by-doing. And I didn't expect this combination of theory and practice (mostly practice) to so thoroughly change how I looked at not only "multimedia" but storytelling in general. As Brian warned us early on, after the workshop, you can't go back to who you were before. That is definitely a good thing.
I'm very grateful for the MediaStorm team holding such an amazing workshop. It's really the pinnacle of the multimedia world to be able to work with these guys, and I'm thrilled to have had the chance to do just that.
The workshop has elevated my sense of storytelling, further opened my editing eyes, and inspired me to reach even further in this medium. Also, Brian's insight into stories, and his editing skills are epic and inspiring. He could charge an admission price for that alone, but instead with the workshop you get to witness that, while being a part of the whole MediaStorm team in action.
A new team, an evolving story, tight deadlines, unpredictable weather, collaborative opportunities, studio lectures, on-the-go instruction, creative expression, and exposure to MediaStorm's unique approach to production came together to create an immersive, exhausting, and highly valued experience.
The workshop format allowed each member of our team to contribute, explore new professional roles, experiment, and learn a ton while driving toward a finished, compelling story. As expected, there were moments of uncertainty, insight, comedy, tension, focus, disappointment, and encouragement along the way.
Participating in this process from start to finish was awesome. I left the workshop with new goals for my professional development and a stronger sense for the challenge, tools, structure, and power of multimedia storytelling.
We are all facing a changing world. A world that is losing traditional journalism at a time when it may be needed more than ever before. The challenges facing any photographer, radio producer, print journalist or documentary makers are enormous.
Each of us is expected to know how do it all. We also have to find ways to survive as newspapers fold and government and foundation support for the arts is drying up. Enter MediaStorm. Brian Storm is a master multi-media producer, and he is committed to sharing his knowledge and helping others face these big transitions. A week of very long days working intensively with Brian, producer Bob Sacha, and 3 other wonderful workshop participants was tremendous. It was eye-opening to see the MediaStorm approach. Find the story. Keep yourself organized. Work your butt off. Be compassionate. See the humanity in all people. The story is key and every element added must have a purpose.
As a radio producer I was delighted to see that my experience is directly relevant. I learned non-stop, and about each and every aspect of the process. MediaStorm is leading us into the next decade of journalism. These workshops and MediaStorm's commitment to sharing will ensure that the we have producers ready to comment on our changing world, both its perils and its joys. Excellence, commitment, vision and hard work will never go out of style.
The advanced multimedia workshop forced me to reevaluate my workflow from the ground up. Enjoyable, intense, and much more useful than the typical sit-on-your-ass-and-listen workshop.
I work in radio but knew next to nothing about photography and video. No more! The MediaStorm workshop taught me how to take good pictures, and more importantly how to put it all together into one story. It was a chance to do the kind of work we so often wish we were doing: working without distractions, collaboratively with super talented people, all the while guided by dedicated, talented teachers.
The team of MediaStorm producers were fantastic teachers - energetic, patient and thoughtful 'coaches' who tirelessly led our teams in story development, reporting and editing. I hadn't thought about story structure in such a rigorous way until this workshop. What I learned about editing and pacing will change the way I edit from now on.
It is a truly ideal situation - small teams of creative people with different kinds of expertise collaborating together to produce a high-quality multimedia product. This is the model our industry needs to be working towards now. What a joy to experience it in the field.
I also learned from my fellow team members; being around talented, smart and driven people is a treat. All in all this was an invaluable opportunity for me not only to develop my skills - but more importantly I left the workshop re-energized and newly inspired to produce better and better work. Plus, it was just a lot of fun!
The absolute highlight of the week was working with both the fantastic folks at MediaStorm and the high-caliber of participants they brought in. One of the most surprising but effective techniques I'll take home was the emphasis on the radio edit as the primary backbone of the story. It's a shift in perspective when you come from a primarily visual background, but an extremely powerful one.
It was a privilege to work with such talented professionals. The workshop provided us room to play and explore our expertise in an ideal learning environment.
It's always refreshing having reinforced the fact that the story is the most important thing, especially in a media world plagued by the necessity of getting content done under pressure in which sometimes the story itself is not explored deeply but just superficially in order to get the content up. Here, we had that pressure too, but it was about finding the elements to make that story better and not just about fulfilling a deadline.
In few words, it was freakin' awesome!
Truly the best investment I have made this year. The workshop comprises not just of valuable information on practicalities, improving process efficiency, advanced Final Cut, timesaving techniques but the dedicated MediaStorm team also provides wide ranging in the field guidance, including how to shoot stills and video for multimedia - which is different!
Taking this time out to totally focus on multimedia, discuss and debate topics, receive advice on story structure, themes and totally focusing on bringing myself to the next level has already helped me in my day-to-day life as a freelancer.
Learning from the MediaStorm team, I now truly appreciate the meaning of never accepting anything less than the highest standards either from others or myself. This opportunity is second to none, and I am very happy to have worked with the MediaStorm team, who go above and beyond, even working with us throughout the night, to impart their knowledge and to support us in developing new practical and creative approaches every minute of the Workshop. The workshop pushes your personal boundaries and while challenging at times, it's also a lot of fun!
Livingstone's thoughts 18 months after the workshop:
Every week in the past 18 months I appreciate the value of the MediaStorm advanced multimedia workshop - perhaps because of an editing shortcut Eric showed us, or hearing Brian advising on story structure and standards.
There are many examples, but the main business benefit of this workshop is that it immediately allowed me to become more efficient – and such efficiencies have resulted in our increasing profitability and competitiveness at both Livingstone’s Photos and Nutmeg Communications.
I am less stressed when shooting and editing, not least because the MediaStorm team provided, well, a masterclass in multimedia methodology that included all the processes and technical know how of Final Cut Pro, shooting for the edit and anything multimedia that they could teach, or you could ask, in the timescale.
There is no doubt in my mind that creative and technical abilities took a leap up and, from a business perspective, I still see the course as a great investment, it has paid for itself – not just once, but many times over.
As a freelancer the jump into multimedia felt a bit like climbing a mountain in the dark. As a team, Matthieu and I had a good idea of what we wanted to achieve and also knew that our professional experience would make it an endeavor with good chances to succeed. What we lacked, was method and guidance.
The MediaStorm workshop could not have come at a better point in my career, filling in many of the blanks and answering a ton of questions. It also confirmed me in my path, proved that my thinking was instinctively right and motivated me to continue to believe that this new type of story telling is the way forward.
Seeing the team at MediaStorm at work and having had the privilege to work directly with different producers, showed me that despite setting strong standards for organization and following systematic production guidelines, creativity does not need to be compromised. It felt good to see that even the 'best' discuss and disagree and that listening to each other and working as a team often results in a stronger solution. I will be able to apply these experiences to my own team at home.
Not for a second, (not even at 5am on Thursday morning...), did I regret the decision to invest in this workshop. It was worth every moment and every penny.
Spending six days on a MediaStorm workshop was a career-changing experience. Where else can you finesse your multimedia storytelling skills with the absolute best in the business?
As good multimedia begins in the field, we were trained in the techniques to shoot video like the pros. Then in post-production we learned the best way to edit our footage to create slick and polished presentations. Exposure to the MediaStorm workflows and practices is invaluable, and provides you with a template to structure and manage future projects.
They're a fabulous team to work with, and incredibly generous with sharing their experience and expertise.
By the time I reluctantly left MediaStorm I was inspired beyond measure, and felt armed with the missing pieces of the puzzle to produce high-quality news multimedia productions.
As a video producer who edits traditional packages for the web that have a broadcast style elements, I was invigorated after attending the MediaStorm workshop. Why? Because storytelling for the internet needs new practices for rich visual media, one that successfully captures the senses with audio, photography and video.
I walked away after 7 days with new knowledge in areas of storytelling and reporting. I simply cannot wait to begin to use these creative techniques in the future.
The web is ever changing faster than any other medium and MediaStorm understands that, but more importantly, they want you to learn it. From the instructors, staff, and hands-on work, there is no stone unturned.
For seven sleep-deprived days, MediaStorm drilled in me the importance of story structure: strong narrative, good characters, high-impact visuals and audio. Short of one of these elements and you will lose your audience.
When you are out in the field and about to fall off the cliff, the producers are there to provide an immediate editorial lifeline. Whether it be straightening out your tripod or unruly FCP sequences, the on-the-spot tips are golden.
Upon returning to work, I felt that it would really be magical if this is the job 24/7. Pure journalism, new and old.
The MediaStorm Multimedia Workshop was a great opportunity to learn from some of the best producers in the business. It taught me to think of the story from a totally different mindset.
It was great to learn the technical skills to produce multimedia, but even better to learn about the approach to each story. To blend the power of still photography, audio, and video in a thoughtful and meaningful way is the lesson I'll take away from the workshop. I walk away inspired, and ready to apply the lessons learned at MediaStorm to my work.
With seven days of hands-on training, I now have a better understanding of the possibilities multimedia offers in telling stories more completely. It is exciting to see what can be done in just one week. The MediaStorm Workshop not only taught me important multimedia skills, it made me a better journalist. I have already started to put the lessons I learned into use.
The workshop was a real treat. I met journalists committed to producing important work. For those searching for an industry standard in multimedia storytelling -- this workshop could well become a must.
I'm also grateful for the time and patience of my teachers and mentors, and hope the projects created here help forge worthy collaborations with the MediaStorm family in the future.
The MediaStorm Multimedia Workshop was inspiring. I came away feeling much more confident in my ability to create multimedia pieces. It was immense fun. The instructors are amongst the best multimedia producers in the business, and strike the right balance between throwing you in the deep end & stepping in at critical moments to rescue you. They sacrificed sleep with us to meet deadlines.
The workshop was really focused - we had very concise lectures on the essentials of video, audio, photography for multimedia packages and Final Cut Pro, and then went straight into the field as a team to apply the techniques.
I learnt a hell of a lot about story structure and how to gather media to support it. Learning audio and video is making me think about photography in a whole new way, and I'm excited about continuing the process.
MediaStorm has a distinctive approach, with a focus on rich, nuanced narrative. Learning one-to-one from a talented team, I have come away with a strong framework for multimedia storytelling. After a challenging week of both theory and practice, I am conscious of the potential of this medium for visual journalism. I leave inspired to do much more with these powerful tools.
The Amazing Amyby Espen Rasmussen, Terje Bringedal, Torsten Kjellstrand and Finn RyanUsing humor and a love of fantasy, "The Amazing Amy" Harlib connects with audiences through performing strenuous yoga-based contortion acts in New York City.  Watch this project
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The Amazing Amyby Espen Rasmussen, Terje Bringedal, Torsten Kjellstrand and Finn RyanUsing humor and a love of fantasy, "The Amazing Amy" Harlib connects with audiences through performing strenuous yoga-based contortion acts in New York City. Watch this project
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The Amazing Amyby Espen Rasmussen, Terje Bringedal, Torsten Kjellstrand and Finn RyanUsing humor and a love of fantasy, "The Amazing Amy" Harlib connects with audiences through performing strenuous yoga-based contortion acts in New York City. Watch this project
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The Amazing Amyby Espen Rasmussen, Terje Bringedal, Torsten Kjellstrand and Finn RyanUsing humor and a love of fantasy, "The Amazing Amy" Harlib connects with audiences through performing strenuous yoga-based contortion acts in New York City. Watch this project
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The Amazing Amyby Espen Rasmussen, Terje Bringedal, Torsten Kjellstrand and Finn RyanUsing humor and a love of fantasy, "The Amazing Amy" Harlib connects with audiences through performing strenuous yoga-based contortion acts in New York City. Watch this project
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