Tips for Digital Storytelling
Bull, G., and Kajder, S., (2004.) Digital Storytelling in the Language Arts Classroom. Learning & Leading With Technology, 32, 46-49.
Had I read this article before embarking on the production of my first digital story, the guidelines provided would have been very useful. In retrospect, they are, perhaps, doubly useful in that I can get a feel for which parts of my exploring did not work so well, and compare it with suggestions that would make for a simpler yet more sophisticated story. The tip that strikes me as particularly challenging and yet essential is the idea of economy. Reading this made me realize that I tried to fit more images into two minutes than a brain could comfortably process. I see that there is a subtle skill in picking out just what is essential for getting the mood and message of the story across. It is a skill that shouldn’t be too foreign to most of us in this culture, where the thirty-second hook has been perfected in incessant television advertisements. I can appreciate also, however, the personal nature of the digital story, and the suggestion to use one’s own voice in the telling. This transforms the endeavor from one of advertising imitation to personal expression. If I cannot coordinate these skills in a two-minute film, I imagine it would be much more difficult to try it on a film of some length.
Had I read this article before embarking on the production of my first digital story, the guidelines provided would have been very useful. In retrospect, they are, perhaps, doubly useful in that I can get a feel for which parts of my exploring did not work so well, and compare it with suggestions that would make for a simpler yet more sophisticated story. The tip that strikes me as particularly challenging and yet essential is the idea of economy. Reading this made me realize that I tried to fit more images into two minutes than a brain could comfortably process. I see that there is a subtle skill in picking out just what is essential for getting the mood and message of the story across. It is a skill that shouldn’t be too foreign to most of us in this culture, where the thirty-second hook has been perfected in incessant television advertisements. I can appreciate also, however, the personal nature of the digital story, and the suggestion to use one’s own voice in the telling. This transforms the endeavor from one of advertising imitation to personal expression. If I cannot coordinate these skills in a two-minute film, I imagine it would be much more difficult to try it on a film of some length.
posted by Ms. Herr at 8:09 AM
1 Comments:
Are you in film school?
Post a Comment
<< Home