Here are a couple of quick wireframes I mocked up for a really cool contest hosted over at MediaShift’s Idea Lab, in conjunction with The Knight Mozilla News Technology Partnership. These ideas demonstrate how new web video tools can transform storytelling in the news. From APIs to Creative Commons, live-streaming tools to interactive maps, we now have the ability to craft stories in new and compelling ways. And when it comes to video, the opportunities are endless!
My idea is a simple one. It’s a singular video stream that calls on related content in real-time.
When a news anchor mentions another subject (person, place, or thing), the subject is dynamically searched for — and the results display in a ticker-style, continuously moving bottom bar. This gives the user the ability to “choose their own adventure” as the story moves along. It also gives the participant the flexibility to craft their own narrative while staying tied to the primary news piece at hand.
The player is portable, scalable, and interactive. Media modules can switch in and out depending on the specific ties to the story. The user can switch to “cloud view” for a more visually-striking and hands-on experience. By integrating links to related subject matter and keeping them in one place, we can create a platform that not only scales for use by different networks, but also encourages access from a myriad of devices.
Above is an example of a non-linear narrative generated by the CLOUD VIEW. Basically, all of the related videos in the series would be randomized into a “collage” of sorts. This collage can be clicked for access to any particular video in the series. It can also be rotated, skewed, embedded, and shared.
What are some of your favorite examples of new storytelling in videos? I’m anxious to hear! Leave your thoughts and comments in the field below. If you haven’t already, definitely check out the ideas over at MediaShift’s Idea Lab. It’s a great post and they have very inspiring examples of news, music-related content, and more as it pertains to next-gen video.