Arriving
For my final multimedia story, I headed out to Miners Corner Park on a walk to spend some real time outside, slow down, and actually pay attention to what was around me. What started as a class assignment ended up being a genuinely good afternoon.
The Broken Tree
A little way in, I spotted a small broken tree right off the path. Something about it stood out to me. It is not dramatic or unusual, but it made me stop. Nature does not always look pristine, and I think there is something worth noticing about that.
The Walking Trail
This was my favourite part of the walk. The trail winds through some really nice greenery, and in the video, I talk about how peaceful it feels just walking through it. No traffic, no noise, just the path ahead. It is the kind of place that makes you wonder why you do not go outside more often.
The Trees
Further down, I stopped to photograph one of the bigger trees. Looking up through the canopy with the sun cutting through the leaves is one of those things that looks even better in person than in a photo. But the photo still does the job.
The Wildflowers
Right near the trail edge, there was a small cluster of white wildflowers growing through the green. Easy to miss if you are moving fast. I almost did.
The Basketball Court
I did not expect to end up playing basketball, but here we are. There were a few people already on the court, and it just kind of happened. Honestly, one of the highlights of the whole afternoon. It added a social energy to the trip that the quieter parts of the trail did not have.
The Pond
Tucked toward the back of the park, there was a small pond. Quiet, still, and a nice contrast to the basketball court I had just left. I stayed here for a few minutes, just taking it in.
The Playground
On the way back, I passed the playground. Empty in the afternoon, but it added to the feeling that this park is genuinely used and loved by the people around it. It is not just a patch of grass. It is a real community space.
Heading Home
In the last clip, I talk about heading out and what the afternoon felt like overall. It was a good time. More relaxed than I expected, more eventful than I planned, and honestly just a nice few hours outside.
How I Applied Mayer’s Principles
Modality — Instead of writing long blocks of text to describe what I saw, I let the videos carry the narration. Hearing me describe the trail while watching the footage uses both the verbal and visual channels at the same time, which is exactly what the modality principle is about. It reduces the load of reading while still delivering the same information.
Contiguity — Each photo and video is placed right next to the written description of that moment. The broken tree photo sits with the paragraph about the broken tree. The pond photo sits with the paragraph about the pond. Keeping related content together makes it easier to follow and connect.
Coherence — Everything in this post is there for a reason. I did not include every single photo I took or every moment from the afternoon. I kept the things that moved the story forward and cut anything that felt like filler. Less is more when it comes to keeping an audience engaged.
Segmenting — The story is broken into clear individual sections, one per location or moment. Rather than dumping everything into one long block, each section gives you a moment to land before moving to the next. This makes the whole thing easier to absorb without feeling overwhelmed.
Peer Feedback
A few people in my group felt the draft was solid but pointed out that Mayer’s principles section felt a bit surface-level and could go deeper with more specific examples tied to the actual media. They also suggested adding more personal reflection throughout the story rather than saving it all for the end. For the final, I made sure each Mayer principle was connected to a specific moment or media choice in the post, and I put more of my own thoughts and reactions into each section rather than just describing what I saw.
Process and Challenges
The biggest challenge was audio quality. Recording voice memos outside with wind and ambient noise is harder than it sounds. I ended up just talking directly into my phone close up rather than holding it at a distance, which helped a lot.
Editing decisions were also interesting. I had more footage than I needed and had to decide what actually added to the story versus what was just extra. The basketball moment was not in the original plan at all, but it ended up being one of the more genuine parts of the post, so I kept it.