Derek Seals is one of those people who just knows how to tell a story. The multimedia work he’s produced for the Detroit Free Press since 1999 is award-winning and powerful. He says he thinks about visual journalism as if he’s preparing a meal.
“I’m looking for visual breadcrumbs, offering the audience food for the eyes,” Seals said. “A good story feeds the brain and the eyes.”
His building blocks of visual storytelling make a terrific checklist for the beginning multimedia storyteller.
- Shot variety. Seals says you need to “cover the world” when you capture the visual elements of a story. “Don’t simply shoot straight on. Get down on the ground, stand up on a chair, don’t just shoot on eye level.”
- Focal length. When shooting stills, Seals says you need to experiment with varying focal lengths.
- Zoom with your feet. An oldie but a goodie here — forget the digital zoom, says Seals, you need to get close to your subject to get great detail shots.
- Be patient. “Let the moment happen,” Seals says. But to do that, he says you have to know your gear so well that you are instantly prepared to capture that moment.
- Shoot wide, medium and tight shots. These are the core of visual variety, great for building sequences and Seals says you can never have too many close-ups for the editing process.
Following Seals’ advice on the front end will pay off exponentially when you begin to craft your story.
“Visuals have to have a purpose; they have to say and mean something,” Seals says. “our job is to get people to be transfixed by their screen.”
Photo by Derek Seals for Freep.com.
This story about Red Wings’ No. 1 pick Joe Murphy going from hockey star to homeless has multiple examples of classic visual sequences and shot variety.
But what does Seals say is most important? “Learn to shoot with your heart; you’ll move people’s souls.”
