Suzie Rose

I T 5340 Digital Storytelling in the Curriculum

July 22, 2010

Design Document

This is a story about people and for people; therefore, I chose to include mainly images of people. My audience will watch this video and put into practice its values in a call center environment; therefore my images aim to mimic this environment. This includes a setting within a mock call center, a setting within a customer’s home, and notebook pages with hand written goals on them as if they were written by the main character of the video. I utilized images taken specifically for this project. They are not high quality digital images; they are slightly grainy which brings a sense of realism and informality. This informal style shows that the players exist in average settings performing the same tasks the audience is about to. A polished video filled with glossy stock photos would create a sense of distance between it and my audience.

I chose a pan effect for each image to create a sense of movement without using an excessive number of images. I chose a small sample of images so the audience would have time to focus on and absorb each one. I was drawn to the cross fade transition because it weaves the adjacent images into one another just like a conversation between a call center employee and a customer is woven together. Some of my images were of notebook pages with handwritten goals. For these images, I chose various page turning transitions to imitate the action of an actual notebook.

My selection of music is subtle and soothing. I chose to place the music only at the beginning and end of the video to ensure that the script received center stage as it was read. The last sounds in the video are of poignant “bops” that catch attention and signify change. The change in this case is that the video is over and the audience must transition back to the discussion portion of the course.

I selected the point of view of a call center representative to draw a direct connection between the main character and the audience. Both the main character and the audience will perform the same duties on the job and will experience similar emotions. The main character begins the story as a run-of-the-mill employee who is bored and frustrated with her job; many people can probably relate to this state of mind. The negative influence of her peer motivates her to not behave the same way. The integration of her peer is vital to the story because it addresses the issue of morale. High morale is often difficult to achieve in call center environments, so this aspect provides the audience with an alternative to succumbing to the environment.

The dramatic question, or turning point, to this story is the moment when the customer thanks the employee and the employee realizes the weight of her actions. Her tone of voice shows astonishment and happiness. Her desire to help a customer has, at this moment, turned to insight.

To express emotion, I make use of the facial expressions of people in the photos. The photos are framed tightly so the faces and their expressions are the main focus. The sparse number of photos allowed me to present each image to the audience with enough time that they could focus and comprehend the expressions on people’s faces. This creates a smooth flow and pace to the visual elements within the movie.

I was also able to use auditory means to create an effective pace. The most dramatic use of pacing is when the customer is speechless with gratitude. I incorporated silence before and after the word “silence” to create a sense of emphasis and anticipation.

I used Windows Movie Maker to create this video so it can be published into a common file type and played by a large variety of audiences. This file type also allows me to insert it directly into a PowerPoint presentation so facilitators can continue to keep all their media in a central location.

Overall, I believe the content of the story, storytelling elements, and design choices that I incorporated into this digital story will add strength and impact to my company’s customer service modules.