With multimedia presentations of photojournalism, it's often assumed that after three minutes no one cares anymore. But the production studio MediaStorm is setting out to change that through strong narrative, moving pictures and good production value.
This week's premier of "Driftless: Stories of Iowa" at a posh art space in Brooklyn's DUMBO neighborhood could be a game changer for this growing format. While MediaStorm has often produced 10 to 15 minute works, "Driftless" is a 30 minute presentation of six stories of rural Iowa touching on, among other things, vanshing familiy farms, drunken youth and the migrant worker debate.
The online package took a year and half to produce and it shows. The expert editing, original music and full graphics package on the website make for an engrossing experience. It'll never screen in a theater next to "Star Trek" but it will reach more than just the insular photojournalism community.
"Driftless" is based on the work of Danny Wilcox Frazier. The photographs have already appeared in a book of the same name for which Frazier was awarded a First Book Prize in Photography. Since it was published in late 2007, Frazier has been working with MediaStorm to add another dimension to the pictures.
While the book is incredible for its raw intimacy and visual sophistication, the multimedia package excels in narrative by allowing these folks to tell their own stories. To achieve this, the piece consists more of video than stills. Although, there are times that static video shots could pass for one of Frazier's outtakes until you notice the clouds moving or an eye blinking. It's a powerfully vivid portrayal of life in Iowa.
In terms of multimedia, it couldn't come at a better time. Most multimedia is slated for newspaper websites as an offering that the printed page can't deliver. For reasons like budget, bandwidth and collective ADHD, most multimedia pieces are capped at around three minutes.
When questioned about all the effort placed into the project, MediaStorm founder Brian Storm said, "What we do as documentary photographers is a secret; it's time to announce it to the world."
Take the time to see it for yourself.
