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Filed under: Business •Production •Web Video •

Compelling Storytelling with a Short Video

One of the most important features of the current media explosion is the number of different channels someone has at their disposal to tell their story or sell their product - and we’re not talking just cable or TV channels! Some are tempted to use the shotgun approach and merely replicate their message everywhere - print, video, web site, Twitter, Facebook, you name it - but the real winners are those who learn to use alternate media channels in a savvy and effective way to raise above the noise and effectively communicate to their target audience. That’s where we come in: We help clients convey their message in a visually attractive manner. But this brave new world will take some education, both for us and for our clients.

This is primarily directed at those who are new to producing video interviews, commercials or documentaries - or as in my case, being stretched outside of your “comfort zone”. I’m not a filmmaker by trade, nor have I had any formal training and have merely picked up my skills through “osmosis” working with other pros or by trial and error. And I observe a lot. I’m a post-production guy of sorts. Not even an editor, but mainly motion graphics, compositing, VFX, animation, titling, etc. I started out with years ago with still photography, illustration and painting and it evolved into making things move and adding 3D depth. I’ve always wanted to do documentaries, but never really knew how to get started. But enough about my background - I really just wanted to establish that this whole video production thing is new and somewhat foreign to me.

I was recently tasked with producing a short YouTube based “infomercial” for a couple of local artists here in Ojai who had written a book about their artwork with their story of creating it. They approached me with their initial concept of just reading a script into the small SD camera and telling the audience what they thought the important points in the book would be and wanted a few pictures from the book in a “sideshow” format and then post it on YouTube. This didn’t really interest me to do at first, since neither of us had a decent camera to shoot with and quite frankly, the idea sounded quite amateurish and I didn’t want to hurt their feelings, so I said it was going to cost them to do this right. That’s all I needed to say. I knew they would either give up and do something themselves or get on board and let me help them produce a quality project that would achieve what they really needed - traffic and sales. They said we have a modest budget, what will it take. We really want this done right but have no idea how! Okay - now I was committed and I better deliver!

Since I’ve been primarily an animator and post-production guy for nearly 20 years, I knew this was going to be a challenge for me, but I was still excited to take it on. Then the video production questions came flooding into my brain… Sure, I’ve been involved with a lot of documentary projects and corporate interviews, etc., but how was I going to cram all of this information into a 5-minute movie? What kind of visuals would I use and how would I segue from one to another? How can I get them to look presentable on camera? Where was I going to shoot this and how could I best present the bulk of their artwork - which was mostly paintings and sculptures?

So many questions, and very little time to really plan the project before the book was to be released…

I knew that I didn’t want the “read the teleprompter and stare at the camera” look, but rather a more sophisticated interviewing style. Nothing too formal mind you - these are, after all, artists!

Preparations for Telling the Story

I first learned about “Digital Storytelling” back in the late 90’s and the term was being touted as the new wave of spreading information that people will actually listen to and assimilate a message - evoking an emotional response and driving a call to action. This IS supposed to be a commercial of sorts - selling not only the book and its contents, but the artists themselves and their experiences. These are accomplished artists, with works hung on permanent display in the Smithsonian. This project had to look professional, but I didn’t have to get all Oliver Stone on it. I knew a local videographer friend that could do the shooting for me - he had the pro gear and the know-how to actually run the cameras and I didn’t have to worry about that aspect of it on this project, so I could really concentrate on the development of the content and the story.

After meeting with the couple to discuss the book, reading their initial script, looking at their artwork and scouting their home/studio for possible shooting locations, I came home and started immersing myself with their topic and the visuals of all their artwork. This was to mentally prepare me for how I would like to interview them. What kinds of questions would I ask them? How would I get them to tell me what we needed for this project? Why was their book important? What would compel their audience to buy it? I decided to check the entire “script” they had created and only pull a few key points from it, along with the other notes I had taken at our visit. But it was actually sitting down and reading through the galley copies of the book that I got the real material for my interview questions. Things that struck me emotionally - and emotions that they shared in their writings. Points of discovery that changed their lives - and their outlook on life. None of this really came up in conversation before. I was going to just wait and surprise them with my questions, observations and comments and see what kind of responses I would get. This proved to be golden!

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