Digital Storytelling

1. Digital Storytelling Crafting your story

2. Knowing and writing your story is the first step. How will you use your story? • An introduction to a book or a reading assignment • An introduction to a lesson; i.e., about a point in history • Special content to get across in a lesson

3. Something should happen. Your story should contain: • Beginning • Middle • End • Dramatic quality • Point of view (1st or 3rd person) • Will you use video as the message or the medium?

4. Consider focusing on a character in order to tell your story. An important part of a compelling story is a character to care about.

5. Have a script. 1 double-spaced page of typed script = 1 or 2 minutes OR, 120 words = roughly 1 minute • Tell your story in the simplest way possible. • You may need to narrow your topic.

6. Sound 1. Sound bites a. Single phrases of importance taken from an interview b. Main ideas that express a paragraph in a story 2. Voice-overs - Pre-written scripts recorded onto tape or the computer

7. Sound 3. Nat-sound - Natural sounds that enhance a story 4. Additional audio elements Sound effects Copyright free music tracks Music from CDs - Copyright issues

8. Sound • Choose background music that will not compete with your narration. • Natural sound helps to convey a sense of place.

9. Narration Be aware of voice quality during narration. Use: • Emphasis • Inflection • Variation in speed/ pace • Variation in pitch • Variation in volume

10. Dramatization Helps students: • Retain information • Maintain interest • Create meaning

11. Shooting • Use a steady camera, unless you are trying to convey a sense of dis-ease or distortion • Pay attention to the horizon line and keep it square. Few things detract from an otherwise good picture as quickly as a tilted horizon. Also remember the Rule of Thirds and don't place the horizon line in the middle of the photo.

12. Types of Shots • Establishing – shows setting/ time period • Wide – shows figure and environment • Full/ long – frames entire person • Medium – frames person waste up • Tight – close-up • Action/ reaction – used in sequence

13. Camera Angles • Bird’s eye view: suggests fatality • High – from above: suggests inferiority • Worm’s eye view: disoriented, self-conscious shot • Low – from below: suggests superiority/ dominance

14. 180 Degree Rule • if a viewer is introduced to a space in which person A is on the right and person B is on the left, the camera should not rotate beyond 180 degrees, because that would invert the relative positions of person A and B (person A would suddenly appear on the left and person B on the right).

15. Framing • Rule of Thirds • Place important elements of your composition where these lines intersect. • Place the eyes in one of the upper intersections. • Place the horizon along one of the horizontal bars.

16. Rule of Thirds http://jl-site.com/Oklahoma/RuleofThirds.html

17. Rule of Thirds http://www.hippasus.com/resources/viscomp/RuleThirds.html

18. Framing • Head room - the amount of space between the top of a person's head and the top of your frame: Less is best. • Lead/ nose room - space in front of your subject. Leave extra space in the direction your subject is looking or moving. • Natural cut-off lines- neck, elbows, waist, knees and ankles.

19. Which is Best? http://www.mapacourse.com/DVpages/headroom.htm

20. Head room should increase with longer shots http://www.mapacourse.com/DVpages/headroom.htm

21. Framing and Primary Movement (of subject) • Figure on right – suggests dominance/ heroism • Figure on left – suggests subordinance/ antagonism • Movement from left to right - natural • Movement from right to left - unnatural

22. Secondary Movement (of camera) • Zoom • Pan • Tilt • Tracking

23. Lighting • 3-point lighting - A key light (the brightest light) is supplemented by a fill light, to one side, and a light in back. This allows subjects in the frame to appear three-dimensional. Otherwise, the subject may appear flat or blend in with the background.

24. Lighting • High-key - comparatively little contrast between the light and dark areas • Low-key - creates a strong contrast between light, dark and deep shadows

25. Let’s do some math. On average, a shot should last 3-5 seconds. A pan, maybe 7 seconds. 20 pictures at 3 seconds each = 60 seconds

26. Editing Say Bear, See Bear! Set a tone through the pace of your movie: • Quick suggests action, urgency, excitement, nervousness • Slow suggests contemplation, romanticism, simple pleasures

27. Start Simple • Start with basic content and sweeten your movie afterwards.