Timing is Everything

I was wondering why, with the advent of video technology, we would want to go through the trouble of handling images and audio separately. Then it occurred to me how much power you really have. I like how the audio can carry you along, while the pictures can take you to 1,000 different places. It's really more efficient and less frenetic than compiling video clips. You can focus on one well-composed image that helps to illustrate the audio.

Viewing various award-winning packages today, I almost feel like I've gone on a trip - from Kentucky to Iraq to Chile and the campaign trail. It's a bit intimidating and inspirational, the talent and skill of these photographers.

I enjoyed the pictures and commentary from the Chiloe montage, but fond myself missing the cutlines below the slides that I had seen in a New York Times multi-media presentation on drug-running in Indian country. But then, the NYT "Campaign Moments" bit, which had excellent pictures and included cutlines, was flashing through so fast that it was difficult to enjoy the overall consumption experience because I was so frantic in reading and listening and watching it was difficult to keep up.

I guess that's an important lesson, timing is everything!

As we push this convergence business, we'll also have to work hard to make sure links work (some of the winners just linked to articles) and that pictures load quick enough to keep up with the audio (another problem with the "Campaign Moments" bit.