Most of these techniques work for audio or photo essays, but some are specific to projects that draw on visuals.
Elements of Storytelling (adapted from the Center for Digital Storytelling)
- Audience - Stories have a particular audience in mind.Purpose - Stories are trying to accomplish a task (inform, educate, entertain, scare, etc.)
- Content - Content must be meaningful. Digital content adds to the story
- Voice - Stories are told from a specific perspective(s) and uses the tellers voice to enrich the story.
- Technology - Technology is used to extend the story.
- Connections - Good stories connect with the participants.
- Economy - Stories tell enough to get the point across and no more.
More Ways to Use Fiction Techniques in Non-Fiction
- Create anticipation: Set up the action to come.
- Create propulsion: Make your scenes have consequences.
- Compress time: Limit the amount of time you cover.
- Let emotion and event, not the passage of time, prompt your story.
See the full article for details.
Eight tips for telling your story digitally
Here are a few tips from this article, but see the full article for more helpful advice.
Point of View. Telling your digital story from one perspective can help you decide which content to include and which to leave out. To determine your story’s point of view, ask yourself what your story’s message is, why it’s important to tell it, and who your audience will be.
Dramatic Question. A dramatic question is posed by the narrator at the beginning of the story to create tension and draw in the audience. A dramatic question is usually not an actual question that the narrator poses; rather, it is an intriguing statement that causes the viewers to ask themselves a question.
“‘I was seven years old when I met my father’ is an example of a dramatic question,” said Spagat. “It hooks you in and motivates you to listen to the story until its conclusion.”
Emotional Content. Stories that include incidences of loss, redemption, crisis, or change are key to keeping your audience engaged and interested. “[Emotional content] is what everybody can relate to and what makes stories so universal,” said Spagat. She noted that it can be helpful to create a story about an experience that has already been resolved, as perspective plays an important role in being able to clearly examine your past emotions.
Voice. A good narrator can help give your digital story direction and personality and can make it more powerful than using text only. Weinshenker suggests adopting an informal tone when relating your story, as if you were talking with someone over a cup of coffee.
Soundtrack. Music can be a great way to establish mood and complement your overall message. Choose carefully, however: the wrong music can actually undermine your story.
Instrumental music is often the best choice, as lyrics can interfere with your narration or contradict your message, notes the Digital Storytelling Cookbook. Yet no matter what music you include, make sure you keep it at an appropriate volume to avoid drowning out the narrator’s voice.
Economy. Keeping your script brief (between 250 and 350 words) can help you decide what content to include. “Economy of words plays an essential role in making digital stories short and sweet and emotionally compelling,” said Spagat. “It forces the writer to cut out all the extraneous stuff and focus only on the language that supports the central focus of the story.”
Pacing. Just as a glacial pace can bore viewers, a rushed story can overwhelm them. To hold your audience’s attention, strive for a happy medium; vary the amount of time that images stay on the screen, and use effects such as pan and zoom when appropriate.
