Looking for stories…

...is the name of a site I was directed to this week.  While the concept may not be original (one story a week) the execution is amazing.  Joan Planas and Ana Salva' have a vision of producing a story a week focusing on people. Plain people who have stories to tell that educate and inform …

Storytelling and storytellers…

Although there are many resources on the web to watch great videos, there's one outstanding one if you are primarily interested in visual storytelling news style. TV News Storytellers on facebook has daily posts from cameramen all around the country soliciting input on how to become better or posts from experts in the field demonstrating …

Old dog…new tricks…

Life is change...sometimes we seek it, but sometimes it thrusts itself upon us. What's up? In recent months I've made a difficult decision - to shift from thirty years working with Apple computers to PCs. The point of no return was Wednesday when my new Dell laptop arrived. With the help of friends (both nearby …

Four levels of storytelling…

Thanks to teachj for this link to the four levels of storytelling. Most high school journalists are on level one, with a few managing to get to level two. Most broadcast journalists are on level three, with some still struggling at level two. Level four is for the masters...the names you remember. Charles Kuralt is …

Editing is akin to weaving…

...especially when you use something like Final Cut. Me, I use FC Express. Most of the goodies at a fraction of the cost. Right now I'm working on a battle - good ole bboyz in each others' faces, )break) dancing their hearts out. Done it before, but this time I wanted to shove the dancers …

Kinetic typhography…

Yesterday I posted an example of kinetic typography...using words only to tell a story onscreen. Well, today Mindy McAdams sent out a link from 10,000 Words via facebook that tells all. What is it and how to do it. Here's an example in of using KT for a news story. I gotta try this!

Appealing to the audience…

This posting comes to you courtesy of a confused mind. A combination of blog-hopping, too much time gardening in the sun, and physically and mentally wrapping up a contest my students entered. So Mindy McAdams had a great blog and link to a Christian Science Monitor article by Robert G. Picard (any relation to THE …

Part Two: a theory of storytelling…

Part One of this series delved into the elements of visual storytelling. Today we'll check out different styles of telling the story and how to determine what might work best for your story. The beauty of storytelling is you can choose which elements to use or not use - and also which elements to lead …

Part One: a theory of storytelling…

What makes a story memorable? Is it the plot; the setting; the characters; use of imagery and figurative language? Although these are standards in written stories, there are additional elements in visual storytelling that must be taken into account. Stories originally were told orally – through words and gestures by common folk and master storytellers. …

48 Hours Kickoff…

Last night was the night. I moseyed down to San Francisco with a load of students, followed by Becky, one of my mothers in tow in her supercharged pickup. We had time for a quick snack (dim sum) and then we were off to find Fat City. Now I've lived and worked the streets of …