So, just a reminder, for those of you who are new around these parts, that I also write a column for the POV blog on PBS.org called Outside the Frame, exploring the intersections between documentary storytelling and the web. In particular, I have a bee in my bonnet about the need for documentary filmmakers to make better use of the web – not just for distribution and marketing, but as a creative outlet.
In other words: make more multimedia documentaries. There’s more demand for engaging online content these days than there is for documentary films, and the web offers unique storytelling opportunities — and our culture needs more of the stories that only documentary filmmakers tell. So let’s put the peanut butter together with the jelly, if you know what I’m saying*: find ways to elevate the art of multimedia documentary, in part by getting more filmmakers excited about the web’s creative potential.
Here’s my latest column, which uses OnBeing, a web project from washingtonpost.com, as a multimedia documentary case study.
*If you don’t know what I’m saying: I’m saying peanut butter is like filmmakers and the web is like jelly, and we need to put them together, like in a sandwich. Except instead of a sandwich, it’s a multimedia documentary. Not necessarily a documentary about peanut butter and jelly, but possibly. Because there’s nothing wrong with a documentary about sandwiches.