Day 3 of #12ntc. It’s INTENSE. I’m so fascinated by the sessions. Today I’m at the “Say It In Pixels: Visual Storytelling” talk.
Here’s what I’m gleaning from the presentation.
Ask yourself “What makes people lean forward?”
What’s the Anatomy of a Story?
1. Inciting Event, identify problem and introduce hero,
2. Climax, send hero out into the world,The Revealing process. Don’t give out the lead right at the top. Let someone experience the story the way YOU experienced it. Let it grow into a surprise.
3. Resolution, resolve tension and draw a conclusion.
Tell a story that people can identify with. Everyone has a story.
60% of our brain is used for visual processing. Use that 60% to make the donor a hero.
There’s a picture of a person torturing a dog in Bolivia. OUCH!! It’s awful. Shocking.
“People will never forget how you will make them feel.”
Cara Jones talks about Three basic principles for Storytellers for Good. @stories4good
Cara was a news reporter, but found so much focus on what is tragic, and wanted to help tell nonprofit stories.
Principle 1: Aim for the Heart. The heart is like a net for a person. If you can land something in the heart space, it just sticks. Users will share it because they want to share the feeling the video has created. Come back to “What makes me feel something?”
Principle 2: Let Characters Lead. When we’re telling stories, we often get lost in how many people we are helping, the huge thing is at stake. So tell the individual story. Mission statements do not tell the story. Look for people who are: Genuine (able to be vulnerable) Outgoing, Articulate, Lively.
Principle 3: Remember Structure/Build to a Surprise. Spielberg says people don’t know how to tell stories anymore. They usually have a beginning that never stops beginning.
Mark Horvath, founder of InvisiblePeople.tv has some good tips on making videos.
He made a video for fundraising for Sudan that raised $4 Million but it’s so bad he won’t show it to us.
Don’t market to yourself. Think of Aunt Ruby. Put up 90% of what you create.
Where can you learn?: Watch 60 minutes and 20/20 and watch how cut and dried it is, that will help you learn how to tell stories with video.
How to Ask Questions: Don’t give them questions in advance. They’ll rehearse, and it’s not as emotional. Go with the agenda, but don’t be so rigid in your interviewing that you don’t go off on the rabbit trails with them. He takes notes while he’s listening to people because he doesn’t want to interrupt them. He will jot it down to come back later.
He never puts words in somebody’s mouth, but he will ask questions that have what he needs in them. So NOT “I need you to say that you were at the shelter” but “Remember the first time that you came into the shelter, and you took the bus here, and you felt so low and lonely, can you tell me about that?” Mirror the emotions that you want as you ask the questions. Affirm the person. Look in their eye. Nod. There’s a theme of RESPECT.
Check out some powerful visual stories on http://InvisiblePeople.tv
What about White Savior Syndrome? Asks someone from the Global Fund for Women. They want to tell the stories of people in their programs, but they see that not reflected in what they’re learning. You’ve got to have the respect factor in creating a story that’s true. You need to help your donor get there, get the donor to relate, without falling into that White Savior Syndrome.
Find someone who does speak english, so at least the donors can understand them without that barrier.
You don’t need words sometimes to have that powerful emotional connection.
Nancy Farese of PhotoPhilanthropy says:
“What is the hope/despair continuum? Chain them into participating. The quality of the photography is very important, and the second is the emotional connection. Communicate with people as human beings on an empathic level. Irrespective of the hierarchical viewpoints, we respond to images that we can relate to, and as a photographer those are the images that you’re looking for. You can find images of joy even in the most distraught situations.”
Mark Horvath says:
“You might want to produce backwards. Have one video for thanking donors, and one video for focusing on the people in your programs. Have a campaign and a strategy. If you ask for two things, you’ll get none.
Don’t speak, POINT. Instead of speaking on behalf of people, amplify what they are saying. Allow that person to speak.
Tell the story of the crisis by empowering people to tell their story, and that way the issues get transmitted.” -Mark Horvath, InvisiblePeople.tv
Decide if you’re going to make a radio, print, video or meme. How to package things for different formats? Communicate in a series of emails, and each email is a story. Understand what action to take very clearly from each email.
Don’t try to make your viewer feel ashamed to get them to take action.
PhotoPhilanthropy partners nonprofits with photographers. Your cause deserves Good pictures! Be willing to pay for photography. Don’t undervalue the photography. Average day rates for photographers are $400 a day.
When should you use video? When should you use photographs?
Some people think: Save video for motion and emotion. Photos are good for placeholders? Others disagree, that photos bring the most reward, financially. Clickthrough rates for photos are the most successful, more than video. So the answer? It DEPENDS.
Resources for more study:
Telling Stories with Moving Pictures
Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting by Robert McKee
Mazarine, thanks so much for sharing this useful summary of #12NTCSIIP, and for joining us in the session.
You’re welcome Nancy! It was so lovely to finally meet you! Looking forward to hopefully chatting again soon!
Mazarine
PS. You’re a fantastic moderator, BTW