Now we will take a closer look at the production process because it is here that we can examine the main tools for implementing a multimedia story.

Imagine that fieldwork is complete, and you have collected all the material according to the developed concept. You are now ready to proceed to the active phase of product development.

At the production stage, you will encounter five main phases of work. They do not necessarily need to follow one another in the sequence outlined below. It is also worth noting that they can occur simultaneously or repeat several cycles.

The product type should, of course, be considered at the concept stage, but this choice is also influenced by two factors:

After collecting content, it is crucial to bring all the materials into an organized system. This will make it much easier to organize team work, find the necessary content segments, and edit them.

Distribute all material types into corresponding folders with intuitively understandable names so that all team members have access and can see the overall picture.

Structure is the development of the storyboard stage and represents the overall narrative logic—the sequence of key messages through which we guide the viewer from the entry point to the exit point. It is best to write down the main messages and key points of the story on paper, lay them out on a table, and with the team create several assembly options.

At this stage, you get a diagram consisting of conceptual building blocks.

These building blocks can then be expressed in any type of media (text, sound, video, photography, archival document, etc.). How exactly to express each block—with a sound track or a photograph—is determined by the author’s intention and the specifics of the collected material. Structure is like a Christmas tree, on which we hang content episodes, i.e., fragments of different media types collected during fieldwork.

A prototype is a schematic view of the project or part of it, implemented using technological solutions similar or identical to the final ones. A prototype allows you to test the viability of decisions made at previous stages. It helps evaluate the amount of text, image sizes, the placement and content of navigation elements, etc. In short, a prototype helps test the effectiveness of the project and its compliance with the conceptual design at a stage when it is still possible to make adjustments without difficulty.

Testing the prototype allows you to verify how user-friendly and functional the product is and whether it achieves the set goals—leading the viewer to the planned effects.

Experience Time — the time required to achieve the planned experience.

Composition is developed in two interconnected directions — logic and aesthetics.

The rules of working with visual aesthetics are reflected in the so-called formal theory of composition, which defines the scenario for perceiving all visible elements, regardless of what these elements represent or mean. The axioms are presented in order from general to specific. They are usually considered separately but work together.

1. Level-based perception of composition.
2. Grouping composition elements by common attributes.
3. Order of attention shifts.
4. Relationship between placement and meaning.
5. Attention fixation on composition centers.
6. Attention shift along known parameters and directions.
7. Change of attention shift order in different cultural contexts.

When the form of the product is defined, we understand what types and volumes of content we will use to build the narrative. At this stage, it is crucial to rationally allocate the team’s workload: each specialist should be aware of the amount of raw material available and the format of the finalized segments that will be used in the project’s final assembly.

Typically, the editing of materials is divided into five streams, each managed by a separate specialist in the team:

1. Working with texts
2. Working with video
3. Working with audio
4. Working with photographs
5. Working with graphics

In the editing of materials, it is essential to follow the overall narrative concept based on the structure and composition. Often, materials are edited independently of the overarching concept, based on the perceived value of a particular content fragment rather than the coherence and integrity of the entire product. When editing materials and preparing them for the final assembly, focus on the project’s overall result, readability, cohesion, and compactness.

This is especially relevant for text fragments. In multimedia projects, text ceases to be the main narrative element, where sound, images, and video merely illustrate paragraphs. The length of text segments should blend seamlessly into the overall fabric of other content fragments and, together, occupy the viewer’s minimum necessary time while conveying the main messages of the project.

During the material editing stage, it is once again very important to return to ethical principles. Editing, processing, proofreading, and any other forms of modifying the original materials are crucial boundary areas of the project authors’ responsibility. At this point, physical changes are made to texts, images, and audio. These changes alter the contextual integrity and continuity of the documentary narrative and enter the sensitive zone of the authors’ ownership over the private lives of other people. The approach to editing is highly subjective and lies on a fine line between author’s intent and ethics.

After finalizing and refining the prototype stage, we can begin assembling the entire project, filling the developed structure with content.

The final layout phase brings us as close as possible to the project’s launch and, more than any other stage, is strictly constrained by the publication deadline.

Therefore, it is essential to allocate enough time for final proofreading between the absolutely finished version and the actual publication. This period is often consumed by the rush of last-minute layout tweaks, the editing of additional fragments, editorial changes, or even additional shoots with the protagonist. However, it is crucial to protect this stage, as it ensures the quality of the final product.

Every minor inaccuracy, mistimed sound, or photo that fails to load due to incorrect formatting may seem insignificant. But these issues matter only to the authors, who know how things should be. The project audience, however, is in a completely different relationship with the project — they are still indifferent to it, and every rough spot can disrupt the viewing experience and the impression on the viewer.