Read more about the article The First Step in Your Social Media Strategy Isn’t What You Think
Aly, Cortney & Samia - The women of MediaStorm get social. Photo: Shameel Arafin / MediaStorm

The First Step in Your Social Media Strategy Isn’t What You Think

Social media is vital to content distribution. Filmmakers, photographers and journalists who don’t use it are missing out on the opportunity to build direct relationships with their audience. But getting social online can feel overwhelming to storytellers who don’t use these tools in their personal lives. In our Methodology workshops, the first questions participants looking to get started with social media ask me are: which platforms are worth my time and what in the world do I talk about all day?

It seems daunting, but the answer to both questions is simple: Listen first.

It’s easy to overlook the value of listening when socializing online or in person. Our instinct is to just dive in. But that’s not a strategic way to build your business. As every great procrastinator knows, new social platforms and tools are debuting all the time and it’s easy for social media to turn into a time suck that steals productivity rather than a tool that promotes your work.

Aly, Cortney & Samia – The women of MediaStorm get social.
Photo: Shameel Arafin / MediaStorm

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Read more about the article User Questions on the MediaStorm Post-Production Workflow

User Questions on the MediaStorm Post-Production Workflow

Marius asks: I’ve previously bought your complete workflow and recently the Field Guide (so much good information guys!!). But I have a question. In the folder structure section you usually create an Z_Version folder and Z_Transcription. What do you put in these folders and why is it a Z? Let me begin by explaining the purpose of the version and transcription folders. At MediaStorm, we transcribe every interview. It’s the only way to make sure that no good bite gets left behind. It’s almost impossible to connect responses from the first minute of an interview with those spoken at the end unless they’re written down. So before we create a multi-camera sequence, we export an audio file of each interview for transcription. These audio files are exported to the Z_Transcription folder and can be deleted at the end of production as they won’t be used directly in the final project. The Z_Versions folder is used…

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Read more about the article Kalish Workshop 2014 Dates Announced

Kalish Workshop 2014 Dates Announced

The Kalish Workshop will be holding its next workshop June 6-11, 2014 in Muncie, Indiana.

This five-day storytelling workshop is taught by Emmy and Pulitzer Prize winning editors. Application deadline is April 1st.

The Kalish Workshop

The Kalish Workshop is an inspirational and intense five-day experience in editing visual storytelling. It is designed to benefit anyone who touches photography with a narrative storyline for online and print.

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Read more about the article W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund Calls for Entries for Annual Grant in Humanistic Photography

W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund Calls for Entries for Annual Grant in Humanistic Photography

The 2014 W. Eugene Smith Grant for Humanistic Photography is now open for entries. Photographers interested in applying for the grant can learn more by visiting SmithFund.org. The Smith Fund also announced that the annual Howard Chapnick Grant for leadership in fields ancillary to photojournalism, such as editing research, education and management, is open for entries. Entries for both grants must be submitted by May 31, 2014.

The W. Eugene Smith Grant in Humanistic Photography is presented annually to a photographer whose past work and proposed project, as judged by a panel of experts, follows the tradition of W. Eugene Smith’s concerned photography and dedicated compassion exhibited during his 45-year career as a photographic essayist. Now in its 35th year, the Grant was established in 1978 in honor of the legendary American photo essayist.

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