Long-form visual storytelling:“Showing is better than telling”

AJEEP Istanbul AcademyAugust 9, 2014Halima Kazem, Bashir Behrawan & Diane Guerrazzi

Difference between documentaries and news reports

Your hook isn’t right at the beginning. Writer must build to the news hook. Longer format. Not time sensitive. Allows for examination of more parts of

an issue, not usually covered by a short news report.

Create an emotional experience for audience.

Documentaries

Like long-form stories, must stay 100% true to facts.

Using a dramatic script structure, such as the classic Hollywood “Three Act” model may be helpful, but do not change facts just to be entertaining.

Three-act structure

1. An exposition (Runs about ¼ length of story)

Contains the “inciting incident”2. Complications (Runs ½ length of story)

Story’s pace increases, reversals, plot twists.

Drives to an emotional peak necessitating action in third act.3. Resolution (Runs less than ¼ of length

of film)

Three-act structure

Example of three-act structure

1. Most of the exposition &

“Get your hero up a tree.”

2. Throw rocks at him, forcing him higher up the tree.

3. Force him to the edge of a branch that looks as if it might break at any moment, and then you turn the corner to your story’s resolution and let your hero climb down.

Tease

Part or all of the exposition. Opening sequence before the title, only about two minutes long.

Contains the the “DNA” of the film: the themes, the arc, the characters.

May offer highlights of the film to come or get the story underway.

Scene

A consecutive group of shots within a single location.

Contains a beginning, middle and end. Often culminates in a reversal. Reversal is a turning point that

motivates a shift in the action of the overall story

Sequences

Each sequence is like chapter in a book.

Has a beginning, middle and end. Different from a scene because

sequences cover a series of locations.

Main Character

Main character Stakes: what the character could

lose If a story revolves around stakes that

are valuable to the character, then the audiences feels the character’s tension.

Narration

“Fewer words say more” Only tell what can be shown or heard If you have narration, you will need a

script.

Why use an interview?

Sometimes the interviewees are experts and they know important and accurate details about the issues. We want to use their own speech.

Sometimes we use interviews instead video of an event that we don’t have.

Maybe we want to use the hopes, dreams or emotions of interviewee in our documentary.

Sometimes we want to use interview instead of narration to make our documentary natural and emotional.

Exercise while watching doc

Who is the main character? What does he want? What complications arise? What is the resolution? Identify parts of story arc.

Halima’s doc (trailer)

View, discuss. Who is the main character? What does he want? What complications arise? What is the resolution? Identify parts of story arc.

Bashir’s doc

View, discuss. Who is the main character? What does he want? What complications arise? What is the resolution? Identify parts of story arc.

Diane’s doc

View, discuss. Who is the main character? What does he want? What complications arise? What is the resolution? Identify parts of story arc.

Assignment: Interview a stranger

1.Talk to somebody you do not know. (Do not bring a camera, just talk to them.) Discover a few stories unique to this person.

2.Take one of the stories and identify the need of the main character. What does he want or need? What did he do to get what he wanted?

3.Take one of the stories and map it out on a story arc: exposition, conflict, resolution, etc.

4.Share story map with class.

Books used in preparation of this class

“Documentary Storytelling” by Sheila Curran Bernard

“Advancing the Story” by Wenger and Potter

“Video Journalism for the Web” by Kurt Lancaster