One of the great things about working as a documentary/features producer on BBC Radio 4 is that you’re never expected to treat the audience like idiots, we were always encouraged to have a journalistic vision for each programme and to see that vision through.
The great programme makers go through an internal struggle during the making of each programme. They are plagued by fear and self doubt. It’s the struggle that keeps them sharp, that makes the work seem so vital and for some of us its the struggle that keeps us alive.¬† If you approached programme making with heart, intellect and integrity you were never expected to apologize even if things didn’t turn out the way they had been envisaged.
One other thing we were never expected to do is slap music gratuitously over eveything, infact you knew that there were nine million listeners who were ready, willing and able to rip you to shreds if you bludgeoned the art of radio with such a cackhanded approach … which is just a long way of saying why on earth are so many multimedia journalists and audio slideshow producers whacking music over everything?¬† Generally it shows a lack of confidence either in the production process or the material.
When we admire great web design we say its ‘clean’.¬† Here’s my plea, keep multimedia clean when you have powerful audio, powerful images and you want your audience to do some thinking. Just like this awesome New York Times produced piece built on Paul Fusco’s photos taken from the train carrying the assassinated body of Robert F. Kennedy from New York to Washington.
LUSH.
BC … More of duckrabbit’s work here.
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I love this. Incredible pictures.
But what really brings them to life is that the guy who took them telling us about taking them. Alright… so that much is obvious. But I can’t help being excited by the fact that a world of photographs – that I might never have seen or paid any attention to – has opened up to me via the power of the internet and audio slideshows.
If you like this – check out the link above ‘White on Brunel’. It’s Duckrabbit’s David White talking about his photos taken as a tribute to Brunel – brilliant.
completely agree with you Phil … its a whole different world and way of seeing things … just makes you stop for a second … pause … think and move on