6 / AI in global and independent journalism
Empowering independent creators to tell powerful stories.
Hi there,
Happy new year and best wishes for 2023!
AI assisted creativity is arguably one of the greatest (or at least noticeable) disruptions we've seen amass mainstream adoption in 2022.
R&D teams at the New York Times have developed workflows enabling them to generate 3D scenes within hours on impossible deadlines. It might seem that the obstacles and expertise needed to produce interactive stories are increasing, but in my opinion this isn't the case.
I believe independent creators and small teams are uniquely positioned to leverage these tools more efficiently, without the burden of larger technical or political processes agile individuals can adapt to exponential change and harness these resources to produce incredible work.
As no-code solutions and creative tools become more accessible the challenges of mastering technical skills that are unrelated to storytelling or journalism might be on the verge of disappearing.
I'll be striving to navigate these developments for my own use in visual storytelling, all the while publishing actionable insights on how to leverage these resources.
Visual Spotlights
The Pudding recently announced the winners of this year's Pudding Cup, worth the detour! These projects are particularly inspiring to me as they are independently published by passionate individuals.
Our Spotlight of the Month is the Pyramids of Meroë project by Google Experiments. The explanatory scroll uses a combination of cinematic camera movements, technical illustration and 3d imagery to engage readers into a fascinating history lesson.
Insights
This week I published a short article on the differences in Explanatory and Exploratory storytelling. Admittedly a light take on the subject, but the first of many insight articles that will aim to synthesise learnings from projects, interviews and academia.
I recently had an incredibly instructive discussion with Brian Storm. Brian is the founder of MediaStorm and a huge source of inspiration for the narratives I hope to produce, as such it was a privilege to learn from his experience. Sharing one of many quotes from our conversation with you here and highly recommend his workshops for anyone interested in interactive storytelling.
Social media platforms come and go, over decades it's a risky and tiring strategy to willingly give them all of your content. Separate the data from the presentation, reach your audience where they're present but offer a deeper experience on a domain you own with technology you control.
Stay tuned for takeaways from an upcoming interview with Theresa Malone, currently the Head of Visuals at the Guardian.
Handpicked Obsessions
The MediaStorm Tools, to be used in an upcoming studio production combining video and interactive storytelling.
Produce bedtime stories with AI
A good example of how one person can perform tasks that would take days or a team, in very little time with AI.
How will 3D data interfaces and stories look with the release of smart glasses?
Thank you for reading!
If you find this newsletter helpful, please consider sharing it with colleagues or friends who might benefit.
Yours,
Tom
Concise and thoughtful - thanks!