Digital Storytelling

This week has been spent on creating a 2 minute digital short. We were given a few lessons in what makes a good story including -

What is digital storytelling -
-Modern expression of ancient art of storytelling to share knowledge, wisdom and values.
-Stories were told around the campfire, then moved to screen, then to the computer.
-Used by community groups.

What's needed-
-Using low cost
-Desktop computers
-Digital capture devices - cameras and flatbed scanners
-editing software
-personal photo archives - a compelling short multi-media story
-can be published on internet or transmitted on t.v.

Resources - www.storycenter.org - runs many workshops.

You choose the story to tell. You keep control.

7 Elements -

1) A Point of View (personal view)

From the 1st person. Think about a goal and then work backwards.
Sometimes we forget the story, but we remember it's point.

2) A Dramatic Question

A desire-action-realization model.

3) Emotional Content

Moment in a story where we are emotionally engaged. Can happen anywhere.
This effect is a result of a truthful approach to the material.
Examples are death and our sense of loss, love and loneliness, confidence and vulnerability, acceptance and rejection.

4) The gift of your voice

Use your own voice in the voiceover.

5) Power of the soundtrack

We all walk around with a soundtrack running through our head.
They set the mood of our day, can perceive the visual information streaming into our eyes.

6) Economy

Show what is necessary whilst keeping the story visually rich and moving forward.

7) Pacing

The rhythm of story determines much of what sustains an audience interest.


Getting Started
Finding your story -
Start with a small idea.
As you build up your raw material, you are also working your storytelling.
Get feedback, reading material to someone .

Genres of Story
-Character stories - how we are inspired, loved, find meaning. These stories tell us more about ourselves and details of our life story.
-Memorial stories - honouring and remembering people.
-Story about an event in my life - To travel or go on an adventure is an invitation to challenge ourselves, to change our perspectives about our lives, to reassess.
-Accomplishment stories - these stories easily fit into the desire/struggle/realisation structure.
-Story about a place in my life - insights into this place give a sense of your values, and connection to community.
-Story about what I do - we all have unique ways of perceiving and valuing our jobs.
-Other personal stories - recovery stories - overcoming a challenge in life, like a health crisis or personal obstacle is the archetype in human story.
-Love stories
-Discovery stories - the process of learning is a rich field to mine.

We also had a script-writing workshop by Catherine Lindstrum which was helpful. She went over our scripts with us. She emphasized that we need lots of detail to make a story interesting. I rewrote my script to try and adhere to her suggestions. After much deliberation, I have decided to do a piece on Why I came to Wales, and why I have stayed in Wales. It was a challenge to get the photos to fit the script, but I finished my story today. I used Audacity to edit my voice over, and I used Adobe Premier to piece it together with music and pictures. I am quite pleased with the finished product.