MediaStorm’s Driftless: Stories from Iowa by Danny Wilcox Frazier wins Webby Award for Best Editing/Online Film and Video

The 14th Annual Webby Awards today named MediaStorm's Driftless: Stories from Iowa by Danny Wilcox Frazier as the winner in the Best Editing/Online Film and Video Category. MediaStorm will be honored at a star-studded ceremony hosted by B.J. Novak of NBC's "The Office" on June 14th in New York City. On June 15th, fans will be able to watch the ceremony at the official Webby Awards YouTube Channel. A full list of both Webby Awards and People's Voice Awards winners can be found here. Hailed as the "Internet's highest honor" by The New York Times, The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet, including websites, interactive advertising, online film and video, and mobile websites. The Webby Awards is presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a 650-person judging academy whose members include Martha Stewart, R/GA's Chief Bob Greenberg, David Bowie, Arianna Huffington and Twitter's…

Continue ReadingMediaStorm’s Driftless: Stories from Iowa by Danny Wilcox Frazier wins Webby Award for Best Editing/Online Film and Video

MediaStorm’s Multiclip Workflow

One of the benefits of shooting two-camera interviews is the ability to cut between angles without having to use b-roll to cover an edit.

For an example of this technique see On the Road with Danny Wilcox Frazier, an interview with the Driftless photographer.

Final Cut syncs two-camera interviews by creating multiclips. Multiclips act as a sort of wrapper, bundling two or more angles into one clip so that you can seamlessly edit between them.

(NOTE: This workflow assumes that you have asked your subjects to clap their hands at the beginning of the interview as a way to sync your cameras during the editing process.)

The first step in editing a two-camera interview is to make sure both tapes will be in sync when you create the multiclip.

To do this, load the clip from the first camera angle into Final Cut’s Viewer.

Mark an IN point (I) at the first frame of your subject clapping. You may need to scrub
back and forth with the arrow keys to find it. On occasion, the visual may appear to be a frame or two off from the actual clap. Mark IN based on the sound, not the picture.

Repeat this process with your clip from the second camera angle. Mark an IN where you hear the clap here, too.

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MediaStorm publishes Driftless: Stories from Iowa

Driftless: Stories from Iowa by Danny Wilcox Frazier 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 this out-migration continue their lives, seemingly unchanged from the generations that preceded them, and entombed in obscurity. The tension of contemporary rural life plays out here: the struggle of a family farm to continue, disenfranchised youth, the slaughterhouse, migrant labor, and the aged fading from Iowa's mythical landscape. Through their stories we gain insight to a way of life that is disappearing, a culture that could be lost forever. As "community" continues to be homogenized in zones…

Continue ReadingMediaStorm publishes Driftless: Stories from Iowa

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…

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