Multimedia content editors

The production of multimedia specials has a lot in common with the artisanal process. Apart from the narrative work, one has to put the pieces together, which involves web programming. The lack of editors and content managers which can adapt to the needs of each project has obliged people to use a made-to-measure programming method for each job. The necessity demands it, and the …

An exclusive interview with Katerina Cizek

Highrise is probably the most exciting interactive documentary umbrella of the year. One of its sub-projects, Out My Window, has just been nominated for an International Digital Emmy in the Non-Fiction category. And now Out My Window presents its own off spring: Participate which showcases your photos and stories out of highrise windows around the world. Katerina Cizek, Highrise’s Director at …

The i-doc as a relational object

Highrise – multiple bridges into the layers of reality What are i-docs, and why are they more than just documentaries done with digital technologies? You will find all sort of new terminologies that can fit into the i-docs family: webdos, docu-games, collab docs, transmedia docs, cross-media docs… or just interactive documentaries. This can seem all very confusing, but really what …

When documentary space becomes a whole city

Most people would agree with the idea that digital media has totally changed the way we produce, distribute and view documentaries. It is easy to see how digital cameras, digital edit suites and online distribution have become the norm in the documentary world, it is harder to see how much new media has infiltrating the whole concept behind what John …

Storytelling and interactive documentary

When discussing what is new about interactive documentaries, I am genuinely excited by the possibilities for using Web 2.0 to create community hubs through participatory documentary making. The producer/director often assumes the role of a curator and takes responsibility for creating a narrative framework as a catalyst for audience-generated content, leading to the possibility of immediate dialogue with and between …

It is sleek and it works; is this enough?

“Brèves de Trottoirs” (translatable as “Sidewalk Shorts”) is a 2010/2011 stylish French multi-platform documentary from writer Olivier Lambert and photojournalist Thomas Salva. The aim is to portray what they call “daily celebrities” living in  a complex city such as Paris. Their videos of Parisians with interesting backstories has appeared online and on television, and is in the process of becoming …

Fluid interfaces for crossmedia documentaries

I have just been teaching crossmedia documentary production to my undergraduate students in Bristol. Their brief was to create a character-led documentary across the three areas of moving image, sound and interactive. After several years of teaching this module, I have finally seen a good example of a cinematic interface helping to create an immersive framework for engagement with documentary …

Situationist app

A suggestion: In the spirit of John Grierson, the Situationist App enables a ‘creative treatment of reality’ http://www.situationistapp.com/   Try it on for size today….      

A good article about Alexandre Brachet

For all of you who are coming to i-Docs, here is a good article about Alexandre Brachet, CEO of Upian, and guest speaker at i-Docs.  Alexandre is going to speak about participation and collaboration with the audience at i-Docs so… here is a little introduction to a man who has pioneered web-docs in France, a man with flair…  one of …

Welcome to Pinepoint

Check out NFB’s latest production: Welcome to Pinepoint (January 2011!). This interactive documentary tells the story of a city that has been totally destroyed in the last ten years. Although the documentary is fundamentally linear (you can only press the next/previous tab and click on some photos) the quality of the narrative, and of the combination between graphics and video, …