Cross Into the Abyss

(Originally published October 9, 2008)

There’s a strange garden just outside of Boston that’s been grabbing a lot of attention lately. It’s called “Cross Into the Abyss,” and like most things people put any effort into these days, it even has a Web presence. I recently completed an audio/stills piece on the Abyss, which you can see in all its overly compressed glory below. I plan to upload a higher-res version of the file to News-Geek fairly soon.

The goal here was to take a low-budget, NPR-esque/”This American Life” stab at a feature story. I wanted to cover something quirky and interesting. But while these pieces are fun, they can also prove challenging:

- How do you know that what’s interesting to you will interest your audience? Unlike hard-news pieces, features don’t necessarily justify themselves.
- How quirky can quirky be before it becomes crazy? That is, will your audience laugh at you for doing serious or semi-serious pieces on topics they might find… comical?
- Are you introducing bias simply by choosing your angle? Let’s say you want to do a story on how, when Timmy Smith and his parents took in a five-legged dog, the animal changed their lives for the better and made them all kinder, gentler human beings. But what if they all hate the poor mutt and simply can’t find anyone else to take him in? Pick your angle, but be willing to change it (or even your entire story) if the facts don’t fit the idea.

“Crossing into the Abyss” video, images, and audio (unless otherwise noted) © 2008 by Rima Chaddha-Mycynek. Two images from Post Secret and music performed by Piano Tribute Players used under fair use and not intended for profit.