STORYTELLING developing a story and the pre-production process

The Video Making Process

• Story Development • Pre-Production • Production • Post-Production • Distribution • Audience Engagement

Story Development

for Video Making • Many types of videos • Small, simple stories with memorable moments • Learn the tools of story development, and be nimble in creating new videos

Things to Consider

When Making Your Video What is the goal of your video?

How will we use and distribute the finished video?

Who is your ideal audience? What is the best story to support that goal?

Who are the best people to tell that story?

What do you want the audience to feel or do after seeing the video?

Things to Consider

When Making Your Video We have designed this webinar for clarity in approach to help make video production attainable for all, but feel free to move the steps around to suit your particular needs. Be flexible!

First Steps to

A Successful Video

• Identify goal of the video and audience(s)

• Create a clear and simple story • Identify the best people/characters to illustrate story

What is the

GOAL

of your video?

To figure out our goal we ask…

What Do You Want Your Audience To Do? Some examples include: • Donate • Enroll their children • Affiliate, stay in touch

• Make parents feel good about their choice

Now let’s see who the audience would be for each of these goals.

Goal Donate Enroll their children

Affiliate, stay in touch

Make parents feel good about their choice

Audience Funders, alumni, families, community Jewish families, alumni, community members Alumni, former staff, other Jewish organizations Parents

Some stories are meant to be life-changing narratives, others are meant to create an emotional foundation or connection, others can present an event to a new community. The important thing to remember is what you want this video to do!

Think about:

Who are you Trying to Reach? These people become our audience for the video.

Some Possible Audiences for Our Videos Include: • Parents/ grandparents/ family members • Donors / funders • Prospective school families • Current students, Alumni, faculty, staff • Community members, synagogues, other schools, neighbors • Others?

Determine a Specific Audience for Your Video

Our Example Video goal is: Recruiting new students to Jewish Day Schools Our Primary Audience is: Parents of potential recruits Secondary Audiences include: Current parents, Alumni, community members, staff, etc

REMEMBER: You will be making your own videos and will have to ask yourself these questions for each video—the answers often change as the videos get more tailored to your specific goals.

What is the Best Story to Support Your Goal?

Some Types of Video Stories

Now that you know who you are trying to reach, there are two things to think about: • what do you want to say? (the messaging) • how do you want to say it? (the story)

Social Justice or Social Change

Documentaries Day in the Life Biographies Alumni Interviews

First person (POV) Testimonial Events (both daily and special) Historical Engagement Introduction or Overview Theme based (I.E. Collaboration at our School)

The possibilities for stories are endless. Do not limit yourself! Use them all at the appropriate times for the appropriate audiences.

Simple Stories Work Best in Short Videos It is essential to develop a clear and simple story to support your goal. The best videos use one or a few characters to guide us through the story. They are short in length and focused on where they take the audience.

Messaging: A Central Question Often Helps Focus a Video

For Example, in our Recruitment Video Example we should ask ourselves: Why do parents decide to send their children to a Jewish Day School? Or another question might be: Why are the values that come from a Day School education important in today’s world?

A good video answers these questions in a visual way with compelling characters. These answers relate directly to the audience and encourages them to embrace your goal.

REMEMBER: SHOW the audience, DON’T TELL!

When Thinking About What You’re Trying to Say

Consider the Following: • A clear and simple story helps support your goal • Good videos use characters to guide us • Good videos are short in length • Engaging videos focus on where they take the audience • Often a central question is used to focus the story

Questions to Help You

Create a Good Story • How is the message tied to the audience? • What are the emotions around these messages? • What values do they express? • What’s the take away? I.E. what are three words that you get from this? “Values create menches” “Academic rigor = success in life”

Who are the Best People to Tell the Story? A good character: • Represents the story well • Is comfortable on camera • Responds in a clear voice with concise answers • Has charisma that translates onto the screen • Engages with the audience • Is willing to be filmed

BRAINSTORM! Take a moment to free associate. Write down words you would use to describe key components of the story you’re trying to tell. Who are ideal characters? What are ideal situations to film?

Viewer Identification with your Video

Engaging videos present the viewer with characters and stories with which they can identify and relate to their own lives. You need to create the feeling that “this video is really about you.”

Viewer Identification with your Video

Engaging videos make you feel something. They elicit emotion and speak to a human truth. Love Pride Faith Hope Empathy

Community Peoplehood Tradition Excellence Respect

Viewer Identification with your Video

Engaging videos make you understand something and leave you with something you didn’t know before. Academic rigor and nurturing community coexist New science curriculum is awesome!

Through compelling characters and visual imagery we create videos that viewers identify with. Through this identification audiences are drawn into our story and will share the video and take the action we desire.

Elements that Help Support a Good Story

Now that we have our goal, basic story premise, best representative characters and action we’d like the viewer to take (attending the school), we need to think about what types of footage that best supports our story. Depending on the type of video you hope to create, there are different styles of videos to consider.

Remember we are making a video, not writing an article. Don’t’ forget to let actions help you.

Show don’t tell!

Other Elements that Help Support a Good Story

Locations Are there any locations that would be particularly appropriate to tell this story? I.E. we might consider a tour of the school, visiting a school event or other representative location.

Senses How can the video engage the senses? Can we find images, sounds, or music that will enhance the story? I.E. Seeing school spirit or religious life might help engage viewers’ senses.

Other Elements that Help Support a Good Story

Conflict and/or challenges Are there any inherent conflicts/tensions in the story that add dramatic interest? Does the story provide challenges that could be explored and/or overcome in the course of our video? I.E. Following a science experiment or play through its ups and downs

Changes or developments Can the video present changes or developments? (the story arc) I.E. A former student can demonstrate how the school taught life lessons beyond academics.

Find a balance of these elements to identify and support the story. Not every video has to have all these elements. The best short videos find one or two aspects to focus on and presents them well.

Types of Images to Consider in Storytelling

What kind of images, compositions and actions will work best with the video story? It’s a good idea to start thinking about visual images and ways of telling the story creatively. A shot list is often a helpful tool to get you to brainstorm creative story elements.

Types of Images to Consider in Storytelling

For example, for our recruitment video, our shot list might have these shots on it: 1.

Wide shot of students entering the building, happy faces

2.

Close up images of students engaged with the teacher

3.

Various shots of a school event, maybe a Jewish holiday

4.

Wide shots, Medium shots and Close-ups of a

family going on a tour with a current student

Other Tips to Consider:

Keep it Simple Try to focus on one main topic (i.e. an event, one person’s story, a lesson, a testimonial). It’s easier to get excited about a video that is focused and easier to focus a video that is simple.

Other Tips to Consider:

Be Genuine Viewers want to connect with the work that your organization is doing. Focus on content that is compelling rather than what’s “cool”. Always be honest and truthful.

Other Tips to Consider:

For Fundraising, Communicate Urgency People will act when you can demonstrate that the issue is urgently important that their donation or support will make a difference in the short term.

Other Tips to Consider:

Leverage the Cultural Moment Is there any particular thing going on that could be explored through a personal video from your point of view? A response to a local, national or global event.

Other Tips to Consider:

Demonstrate How They Are A Part of Your Movement Within reason and when appropriate, it’s nice to make the viewer feel like they are a part of a larger movement or goal. Sometimes text at the end is a good way to show people how their involvement has worked to support your goal.

Conclusion Let’s review.

An Engaging Short Video Has: •

A clear goal

•

A story that represents our message

•

Compelling characters

•

A defined audience

•

Identifies with the audience

•

Thinks about supplemental footage (b-roll) to support the story

•

Has a clear action and points the viewer toward it

DON’T FORGET: Storytelling Begins in Development but Continues Throughout All Phases of Video Making!

Pre-Production

Once you have your story, you are ready to begin the prep necessary to create your video.

Pre-Production is the phase of video making that takes place before you produce your video.

Steps for Pre-Production

• Create a basic video outline. This can be helpful in making sure you get all the story and visual shots you need. • Write interview questions and practice them out loud. Practice helps you get comfortable with the questions before you get to the interview. • Create a working shot list of footage that will support your story.

REMEMBER: We are using a visual mode of communication so think of images and scenes to record that will bring to life what you are trying to convey with your story. Know that these images may change once you are in the field recording.

Preparing for Production • Determine who will help you produce the video. A full crew includes a director, camera, sound and editor. However, you might be the only one there on shoot day—which is normal. Just note that each role is important in creating a “clean” video and don’t overlook the importance of any element (sound, picture, storytelling). • Scout location and make a plan (think about sound, privacy, lighting- how much time you’ll need for shoot and then add some more time!) • Create a schedule for the shoot day. Allow ample time for you to set up and tear down.

Preparing for Production • Get familiar with your gear (practice shooting in close to actual conditions and review the footage). Make sure you are comfortable with camera, sound, tripod, lights and everything else you plan to use.

• Prep the gear in advance of shooting (charge batteries, make sure all the pieces are with the kits-extra bulbs, tripod mount, mic cables, etc.) • Think of the call to action you are hoping to generate with your video. Remember the goal of the video is to motivate the viewer to do something (donate, share the video, LIKE us, join an event, go to our website, etc). Now that you are ready to begin shooting, are there any other elements that would help you get your viewer to take the up your call?

Now that you have a clear story and understand the recommended steps of pre-production, we are confident that you are ready to create compelling, engaging and powerful videos.

So get out there and

GET STARTED!

Don't forget to check out www.dayschoolvideoacademy.org, where you can • Register for next week's training webinar on Production

• Sign up for your free one-on-one consultation about any topic covered in our webinars • Learn about the $50,000 of awards and incentive prizes we'll be giving away during our video contest!