This paper addresses how students design multimodal digital text when making digital stories in school. Drawing on the perspective of 'multiliteracies', multimodal analysis of video recordings was used to understand the data. Findings revealed that: (1) multimodal digital text making requires particular digital and modal text-making skills and knowledge, such as knowledge of photography, film, film editing, image searching, and audio recording; (2) students' prior knowledge was crucial for mastering the digital and modal affordances offered when making digital stories; and (3) making multimodal digital texts in school offers increased opportunities for students to perform and succeed in text making. These findings point to the need for schools to offer education that makes it possible for all students to gain knowledge and master skills needed for contemporary text making. Such knowledge goes beyond skills and practices needed when making paper-based text, and borders on other disciplines such as art and technology.