360 Degree Workshops: Donna Ferrato’s Diva Documentary Tour

Fans of Donna Ferrato, and anyone looking to explore documentary photography, won't want to miss these opportunities to work with Donna on her Diva Documentary Tour. Sex in the City: "Donna will teach you how to go behind closed doors and get access to moments of intimacy, with respect and understanding, and to appreciate the courage and conviction of men and woman who are pioneers in extending the boundaries of human sexuality through freedom and unselfishness." Naples, Italy: "The documentary driven workshop will be a week long groundbreaking radical event in its 24 hour intense focus as Donna with her students set out to discover together what makes the Naples one of the most awesomely terrifying cities in Europe. Be prepared. Doors will open for you and you will enter with your camera. Perhaps it will be a single parent family, perhaps a lost teenage girl, Perhaps a neighborhood gang of street…

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MediaStorm’s Multimedia Stimulus Plan

Given the tough economic climate and the critical need for multimedia training, MediaStorm will be holding a one-time, tuition-free Advanced Multimedia Reporting Workshop, in Brooklyn, NY from June 20-26, 2009. The MediaStorm Advanced Multimedia Workshops are designed for multimedia storytellers who want to get to the next level. It is not an introductory course. Students are responsible for their own travel, room and board. Reporters are expected to have a high level of competency with still photography, and be familiar with audio and video techniques. Editors are expected to be comfortable in Final Cut Pro. We only have spots for 8 participants as Multimedia Reporters, Editors or Observers so we are expecting a competitive process. Applications are due no later than Friday, May 15, 2009. Participants will be selected based on the content of their applications. (click here for application form) For more information, and to see work produced in previous workshops,…

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MediaStorm to screen premier of Danny Wilcox Frazier’s Driftless at Galapagos Art Space in DUMBO

We are excited to announce a special premier of our soon-to-be released documentary Driftless: Stories from Iowa by Danny Wilcox Frazier. There will be a screening of the film, followed by Q&A with Danny and the team from MediaStorm, on Monday, May 18, at Galapagos Art Space in DUMBO, Brooklyn. Doors open at 7pm, the film will start at 8pm. Books and DVDs will be available for purchase, with signings both before and after the film. For guaranteed seating, RSVP to rsvp@mediastorm.org. About the Project: Life in Iowa can be punishing. Many Iowans expend their lives sweating over soil and spilling the blood of livestock; they endure the hardships associated with a life inextricably bound to the ups and downs of nature.  Today, those challenges and a shift in our nation’s economy have pushed the youth of rural communities to migrate to the metropolises of America.  Those left in the wake of…

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MediaStorm’s Ten Ways To Improve Your Multimedia Production Right Now

Often, as multimedia producers, we are given work to edit that others have created. Some things simply cannot be changed, like an out-of-focus photograph. But there are some things we can do right now to improve the work no matter how challenging the original assets may be. (Note: This list is not meant to be dogmatic. I've broken all these rules. They're offered as a suggested starting point.) 1. Don't use dissolves between images. As a general principal, these are unnecessary. 2. Avoid excessive pans and other Ken Burns-style effects. Animation on stills is effective only when done sparingly. These techniques should be a surprise like an exclamation point in literature. And as Elmore Leonard teaches, "You are allowed no more than two or three per 100,000 words of prose." So let's just say two still animation effects for every 10 minutes of your project. See Finding the Way Home for an…

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