From the monthly archives: September 2007

observations on digital storytelling

on September 30, 2007 · No Comments

To me there is nothing better than a good story. From time to time I’ve been know to pick up a non-fiction book, but even my own vivid imagination is no substitute for the act of witnessing the candid gestures and subtle displays of emotion evoked from a storyteller. Every community has a memory of [...]

To me there is nothing better than a good story. From time to time I’ve been know to pick up a non-fiction book, but even my own vivid imagination is no substitute for the act of witnessing the candid gestures and subtle displays of emotion evoked from a storyteller.

Every community has a memory of itself.
Not a history, nor an archive, nor an authoritative record…
A living memory, an awareness of a collective identity woven of a thousand stories (from the Center for Digital Storytelling).

A friend of ours is a passionate (and talented) documentary filmmaker. And like any documentary filmmaker it’s his life’s mission to capture and share stories through a medium that takes focus, time and commitment. Over a recent dinner, the discussion moved to the rising concern among filmmakers regarding the rapid emergence of social media tools and the potential end to a beloved craft.

In the lengthy conversation that ensued it occurred to me that a critical element had been overlooked. So much time was spent talking about the technology that the underlining principle, or soul, had been completely misplaced. We had missed the quintessential point of many social media mediums and platforms, including digital storytelling, we forgot about “the story.”

I’ve encountered this same train of thought on a series of occasions – a fear, and therefore focus on the technology, and a loss of recognition for the greater underlining purpose. Though in this there’s comfort, especially for anyone intimidated in the slightest by the tools, the story and the art of storytelling is anything, but obsolete.

Storytelling is not a new concept. It’s ingrained in us as we have been sharing stories well before the onset of technology or even the articulation of speech. But what social media, and more specifically digital storytelling, does afford us is a wonderfully unique way to push creative boundaries as well as capture and share a limitless breadth of stories that would otherwise fade with each passing day. We’re simply reshaping the way stories are told as we’ve done for generations past and as we will continue to do for generations to come.

In the vain of digital storytelling check out Danielle Martin, the Center for Digital Storytelling and Stories for Change.

 

gigapan

on September 29, 2007 · No Comments

On Thursday, September 27th 2007, Poynter’s E-Media Tidbits posted an article entitled “Gigapan: Richer Context, Detail from Digital Photos”. “GigaPan is the newest development of the Global Connection Project, which aims to help us meet our neighbors across the globe, and learn about our planet itself. GigaPan will help bring distant communities and peoples together [...]

On Thursday, September 27th 2007, Poynter’s E-Media Tidbits posted an article entitled “Gigapan: Richer Context, Detail from Digital Photos”.

“GigaPan is the newest development of the Global Connection Project, which aims to help us meet our neighbors across the globe, and learn about our planet itself. GigaPan will help bring distant communities and peoples together through images that have so much detail that they are, themselves, the objects of exploration, discovery and wonder. We believe that enabling people to explore, experience, and share each other’s worlds can be a transforming experience. Our mission is to make all aspects of the GigaPan experience accessible and affordable to the broadest possible community (from GigaPan.org).”

Post excerpt:

Words and still images don’t convey the visual impact. Go explore some Gigapan images, and note their extraordinary blend of context and detail. Then imagine what value this could offer in news situations, such as crowd scenes at a political rally, a riot, the aftermath of a storm, or a bridge collapse.

Furthermore, imagine what this technology could do in the hands of civilians and soldiers in a conflict situation, or citizen journalists documenting local events or conditions.

I can only reiterate the sentiments of Amy Gahran. Words alone cannot fully describe the rich, mesmerizing effects of the images and the moments that each photograph captures. You have to see for yourself all that GigaPan has to offer.