What Is Multimedia?

The term ‘multimedia’ by it’s very nature implies that it is a combination of many different forms of ‘traditional’ media – text, audio, photography, video, graphics or animations.

A little bit of this, a little bit of that. What is Multimedia?

This convergence of widely differing but related forms is what I think makes multimedia so special.

The downside of a ‘catch-all’ term such as multimedia is the fact that it is used (and rightly so) by so many different industries to describe their product.

For this reason, it is important to understand how I use the term ‘multimedia’ and how I believe that if used correctly it is a tool that yields great story-telling powers.

The type or source of that story is not important – whether a factual news piece for an international publication or a commercial multimedia production promoting an event or product. The fact is, multimedia has many uses and a great potential for anyone that is willing to give it a try.

The term multimedia and how I use it is also called many other names – here are a few; Audio Slideshow, Multimedia Slideshow, Photofilm, Multimedia presentation. When I use the term ‘multimedia’ – I mean all of the above.

So…what is a multimedia piece then?

Broken down in it’s simplest form a multimedia piece is the combination of some or all of the following; Photography, Audio and Video.
The above forms of content each have both advantages and dis-advantages, the key to a successful multimedia production is understanding and utilising the best of each one to create a piece.

My particular type of multimedia is based heavily around the still image, this is because photography is simply ‘my thing’ – having had a fantastic technical training in photography followed by years of experience, it would make sense that a multimedia piece by myself is hinged around the still photograph.

I often get asked the question by potential clients “why not just commission a video cameraman?” and my answer is almost always the same. Video has it’s advantages, there is no doubting that, however take for example a wedding video, even the bride and groom fast-forward ‘to the best bits’. With multimedia the unique combination of images and short, succinct video allows for a more direct approach to the story,  capturing and re-living the best bits in a tighter more powerful package.
Simply put, if video was a 5000 word written essay, a multimedia piece would be a bulleted list.

Going back to the three components of multimedia – when understanding out they all interact I find it best to visualise the finishing of a cake.

The stills and short snippets of video are the foundation of any piece (the sponge in the cake) – without them there would be no cake.
The quality of the photography and video also matters (think flour and eggs) – without a good foundation the piece is doomed and may never rise, sometimes the audio can ‘rescue’ a piece – but it is no compromise for top quality photography.
The audio is what pulls it all together (the cream or topping of choice) – without the audio a piece will fail and although having a (relatively) smaller input, it has, without doubt the largest effect on a finished piece. A cake simply wouldn’t be a cake without the sweet topping.

The audio plays a vital role – there is in fact a whole industry built around the creation of audio and sound engineering – most actions provoke a sound – from the click of a digital cameras pretend shutter, to the computer generated hum of an electric car engine, even the films and TV shows you watch have most likely had hours of work dedicated to the audio alone.
Take the puddle splash in ‘Zoe’ or the constant hum of the chocolate vat throughout ‘The Art of Chocolate’.
With audio, it is the little things that count.

When you correctly combine the three content forms of photography, audio and video the result can be astonishing, breathtaking even – that is multimedia.