Session focuses on the challenges of cross-media as it pertains to journalists and the companies that employ them; the types of training necessary to succeed and tips that will help get multimedia reporters get started.

What is multimedia storytelling? How does a reporter do stories for TV, print and Web? What are the characteristics of the Web, and what multimedia opportunities does it provide news organizations to serve their readers better? Training is designed to get participants thinking about what can be better rather than merely more, in terms of cross-media journalism. Session explores differences in storytelling across media.

An exploration of the strengths, weaknesses and the language of each medium. Examination and examples of the elements of a good story and what each medium does best. Participants will take their own stories and rewrite for TV/radio.

Cross-media reporting on the web requires planning in the form of storyboarding. Participants learn how to come up with a layout for cross-media reporting involving text, video, audio and photo links. Participants create a storyboard, combining text, video clips, stills, graphics and interactivity. This segment provides participants with the basics of storyboarding, which is essential in multimedia reporting for the Web.

Participants learn how to shoot and take stills on digital cameras, how to follow action, zoom in and out, compose interview shots, get the best natural sound and audio during interviews and when to use a tripod. Participants get lessons in how to use a video camera and shoot video then hit the streets to gather news video, b-roll and sot (sound on tape).

Participants learn the basics of working with digital video. They will download video from a camera into a computer, edit a practice story, frame grab, compress and then upload to the web. iMovie is a basic nonlinear editing software that provides nearly everything needed to put together Web and TV video segments.

Telling stories effectively on the web involves audio, video, photos and text. Participants will learn how to set up audio, video, photo and text files. Participants get basic html training in preparation for work with story templates. Participants learn how to create html documents, insert images, text formatting and building hyperlinks.

In television reporting, there are special skills involved to make an effective on-camera report and to get interview subjects to answer questions in front of a camera. This session teaches the techniques and skills used by television anchors and reporters and give participants a chance to experience television news in front of the camera. Participants are required to bring a printed copy of a story they have reported or edited and will use the story as resource material for the exercises.

Teams present their multimedia projects.