This Emmy Award winning documentary series, run by the New York Times, shares the lives of everyday New Yorkers through pictures and audio, allowing locals to tell their unique stories in their own words.
Launched in 2009, the New York Times’ One in 8 Million project celebrates the lives of 54 New Yorkers, each story narrated by the subject. Aiming to keep the stories as rich and original as possible, the producers chose a simple online interface to share the interviews through the New York Times website. The photo component, which followed the audio in the production process, is simple as well, so as not to distract from the tales themselves. The black and white aesthetic gives the photos a dignity and elegance that matches the richness of the stories. One in 8 Million provides a glimpse into the fascinating everyday lives of typical New Yorkers, showing viewers that everyone has a story worth sharing.
One in 8 Million celebrates “ordinary people telling extraordinary stories - of passions and problems, relationships and routines, vocations and obsessions.”
For the most part, the producers captured the audio first, conducting interviews with the subjects that allowed them to tell their own stories in their own words. The photographer, Todd Heisler, then shot the images with the story in mind, capturing the essence of the person in black and white photographs. Photo editor Meaghan Looram then placed the photos within the audio, creating a sequence that reflected the story but did not match it directly. Putting these stories online allows viewers to interact with the individuals on their own, choosing which stories to listen to.
Digital narrative storytelling can be done with relatively few resources or with extensive costs, as in this case, depending on the scale and presentation of the material.
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