REMORANDOM Readings was launched in late 2024 as a collaboration between REMO as content provider and Radio 2RPH in Sydney for the professional recording of the chapter readings. It’s a cool idea, initially proposed by James France, a foundation REMORANDOM subscriber who also happens to be a volunteer reader for Radio 2RPH, a community radio station that serves its listeners, many of whom have a print disability, with a schedule of readings from newspapers and magazines from around the world.
The collaboration involves Radio 2RPH broadcasting the readings throughout its schedule to fill the small holes that invariably appear in its programming grid, and also making those readings available across Australia to the other radio services that make up the Radio Reading Network. Meanwhile, REMO uploads and feeds the readings to various podcasting platforms as a service to its readers and others. Win win.
Spotify and YouTube both support video, and it seemed a pity to be wasting that that capability. So, the REMORANDOM production team [Ed: aka me] decided that it would design a simple template that would serve as a visual back drop to the readings, using static images of the subject spreads from the relevant REMORANDOM volume.
And that’s where the Ken Burns Effect comes in.
The Ken Burns Effect is a filmmaking technique where still images are animated using panning and zooming to create a sense of movement and engagement. This method is widely used in documentaries and slideshows to bring static photos to life. Once you know about it, and the fact that it has a name, you start seeing it everywhere.
The origin of the effect can be traced to Ken Burns, an American documentarian who popularised its use in his historical documentaries, such as The Civil War (1990), Baseball (1994) and Jazz (2001). The technique allowed him to make static photographs feel dynamic, helping tell compelling stories about periods where video footage was unavailable. Although Ken Burns did not invent the technique, his consistent and impactful use of it made the effect synonymous with his name. The term gained broader recognition when it was incorporated into consumer software like Apple’s iMovie, officially labeled as the "Ken Burns Effect”.
When Apple co-founder Steve Jobs contacted Burns to obtain the filmmaker's permission to use the term "Ken Burns Effect”, he initially declined, saying that he did not allow his name to be used for commercial purposes, but finally he had Jobs give him some equipment and software (which he later donated to a not-for-profit) in exchange for permission to use the term in Apple products.
Burns, criticised by some for not negotiating some sort of royalty for the use of his name, has retorted that Jobs would not have done a deal on that basis and would have just called it the “Pan and Zoom Effect” instead. He is at peace with the decision.
In February 2014, Burns stated in his AMA ("Ask Me Anything", a question-and-answer interactive interview) on Reddit that Steve Jobs "asked my permission. I said yes. And six billion saved wedding, bar mitzvahs, vacation slideshows later, it's still going."
The Ken Burns Effect remains highly relevant today. In documentary filmmaking, it is invaluable when working with still images, such as historical photographs, newspaper clippings or artwork. Its use extends beyond professional filmmaking into modern media, becoming a staple feature in video editing tools for amateur creators who use it in slideshows, educational presentations and social media content.
REMORANDOM Readings on YouTube HERE
Story Idea: Barry Melville and Marty Peploe, Radio 2RPH
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References
wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Burns_effect
cnbc.com/2016/10/27/heres-what-steve-jobs-had-to-give-ken-burns-to-create-the-ken-burns-effect-for-imovie
Images
1. A group men from Company B, US Engineer Battalion, near Petersburg, Virginia in August of 1864
2. REMORANDOM Readings on YouTube HERE
3. Ken Burns editing The Civil War in 1990
4. Video: Ken Burns Effect Demonstration by Tux Designer, 2016
5. Steve Jobs with iPhone in 2003 (check year)
6. Ken Burns Effect software
7. Ken Burns. Photo credit: X.com
