The story headlined Behind the Curtain at the Paris Opera appeared in The New York Times Sunday, Sept. 8. I get the print edition of the Times ONLY on Sundays dellivered to the door of my apartment in New York City. So I first read this story in its printed version.
However, knowing that the story was given a double-page treatment in print, I figured that it was well done for mobile as well, and so I turned to my iPhone to read the story there.
My observations:
- There are two different versions of this story prepared, one decidedly for print, one for mobile.
- The print version gives us an instant wide view of the entire photo essay.
- The mobile version opens with the same headline, BUT adds a summary graf. Notice that the photo selected for the first screen is NOT the lead photo for print. But it is an image that marries better with the headline: Behind the Curtain…..
- The lead photo for the print version is NOT the lead photo for mobile.
- The texts are not exactly the same in both versions.
The photograph of the writer appears as part of the byline for the mobile version, but not in print. We know that those who read digitally enjoy seeing the headshot of the writer!
- The mobile version is done in a linear way, allowing for the narrative to lead us to the photo.
- The texts are not exactly the same in both versions.
The takeaway
One size does not fit all. Notice the comparison above. With print, we get an overall view of the entire photo essay at a glance, with our eyes looking over the two pages for about 28-32 seconds. When we look at the first screen of the mobile version, we give it a mere 4 seconds, so that headline and first image must seduce us totally. These do!
Newrooms where editors and designers work together to accommodate the various platforms give the same story different treatment.
This is what I teach in my workshops. It is what I introduce my Columbia students to in the first day of class.
Indeed, it is more labor intensive to handle the same story differently for various platforms. We don’t have a choice. We live in a multi platform world and will continue to do so for years, with new platforms surely coming into existence.
How the story had a “third” life
When I got to Europe, I saw that the same story of the Paris Opera House had a third life , so to speak, in the way of a double spread but with black and white images only, as it appeared in the international edition of The New York Times.
The text had been condensed as well in this version.
One story, at least three versions. This is the world of multi platform journalism effectively at work.
My interview with CNN en Español
I was a guest in the program Encuentro, hosted by Guillermo Arduino daily at CNN en Español. The interview was about how we read on mobile devices and my introduction of my new mobile storytelling book, The Story, to a Spanish-language audience.
Mario’s speaking engagements
Keynote Luncheon Speech: Ad Club of Toronto, Newspaper Day
October 25, 2019
Keynote presentation: Business Information & Media Summit (BIMS).
November 12, 2019
Order print edition of The Story from Amazon
You can order the print edition of my new mobile storytelling book, The Story, from Amazon already here:
Pre-order The Story
The newspaper remains the most powerful source of storytelling on the planet. But technology threatens its very existence. To survive, the Editor must transform, adapt, and manage the newsroom in a new way. Find out how, pre-orderThe Story by Mario Garcia, chief strategist for the redesign of over 700 newspapers around the world.
Order here:
https://thaneandprose.com/shop-the-bookstore?olsPage=products%2Fthe-story
The Story will also appear in print
I am happy to announce that we will, indeed, have a print edition of my mobile storytelling book, The Story. I thank you for expressing your interest to our publisher, Thane Boulton, of Thane & Prose. Now the print edition will be a reality, and you can already see the cover and back cover here:
An interview of interest
http://www.itertranslations.com/blog/2019/3/11/fd60ybflpvlqrgrpdp5ida5rq0c3sp
TheMarioBlog post # 3109