My mission this year: practice, practice, practice storytelling methods and pace!
Video storytelling – in 100 seconds or less – is a big part of that passion and mission. The personal goal this year is to have fun and publish (20) of these story-focused videos. I’m learning a lot with accessible, fun video tools on the iPhone (SocialCam and Vine) and iMovie (loving the audio-only content option when importing video). It’s all like a social content lab in the pocket, which has been exhilarating while testing different ways to assert stories clearly and more visually.
What’s been helpful this week to keep the video story under 100 seconds:
Establish three acts at least mentally before heading out onsite to record i.e. an intro of content, middle body of content, and outro of the short piece.
Allocate ranges of time for each of the three segments i.e. 30 to 35 seconds for intro; 50 to 55 seconds of second act storytelling with photos; and 5 to 10 seconds for the closing outro phrase. This may be too structured for future pieces. So far though, it provides useful, time-preserving structure .
My heart leans toward architecture, history, and photoblogging for this storytelling testing ground! Here’s a 100 second video post on the beauty (and agonizing history) of St. Matthew’s Cathedral.
What topic would compel you to share a 100 second story?
100 second story about President Roosevelt and the beautiful design of the Mayflower Hotel
A good friend and colleague recently called me out and said:
“Hey if you like sharing stories so much, why don’t you share more on video?!”
Yikes.
When it comes to storytelling, especially on video, I often make it too complex instead of focusing on the fun in it. Does that resemble your experience at all? Does your own creative anticipation ever trip up intentions or enjoyment for storytelling?
Self-analysis helps the education of any storyteller or speaker. An over focus however on questions like these below can drive one’s storytelling self bananas (…and straight out of the storytelling passion all together):
Is the story human and relatable?
Is it direct, sincere, and relaxed?
Is it energized enough?
Am I too self conscious or artificial sounding?
A footnote:
Considering these questions honestly can be a boon for growing storytelling strength (and joy in the creative effort). But sometimes it can be too easy to resign to the questions themselves — and let the chance to test and share stories openly pass on by. Let us be vigilant! Let us recover and assert the will to share the stories we believe in even if a degree of imperfection may find its way in the process.
New mantra: do not let excessive self-scrutiny smother confidence to create and connect.
So to take a break from writing today, I strolled down to the Mayflower Hotel to observe the beautiful building (here in Washington, DC), share a quick video story for fun, and try out the audio feature on iMovie.
What stories do you enjoy telling? to whom? and what helps you share (vs hide) them?
