Stories possess a unique power to connect people, especially when video, sound, and artful graphics help convey emotion and narrative.
For me, when video producers and directors (and let’s add editors and clients too) weave “stories” into marketing and sales pitches and pieces, we have the potential to build powerful connections with prospects, clients, and content consumers who are asked to “relate” to what they are seeing on the screen. We ask them to imagine, to feel emotion, and in many cases, take some sort of “action”.
Video is powerful, just as in cinema, because we have the tools of the close-up, the wide shot, the juxtaposition of images, visual subtext, and visual metaphor.
If directors and camera operators do their jobs well, they work hard to fix their lenses on shots that will ignite emotions- any emotions. The best stories do the same work. They ignite our feelings. They connect people, worlds, moods, personalities- the best imagery (in this case, video) makes us “feel”… something.
If we are lucky as video producers to align planets, so to speak, to help viewers “see themselves” in the stories, then we can use video to help clients and viewers aspire and be inspired. Our shots, our voice narrative, actors, graphics- they can join forces to bring remarkable clarity to any subject for any audience.
I often say, “If you can touch emotions, you connect. You can build relationships. You can help prospects, clients, even your own production crew SEE the future they desire.” Stories sell. And stories told with video, like ancient cave drawing narratives, 50,000 years old, capture humanity and the life of our times. It’s what many authors and presentation coaches call Story Power.
Video harnesses story power to deliver ideas with sharpness, details, creativity, and confidence. I know, after 40+ years of holding a camera and lens in my hands, video story power, done well, can fill content appetites in any genre with inspiration and aspiration. Again, stories sell, and stories communicated with video connect with power.
The Charcoal Stick
Thousands and thousands of years ago, cave dwellers used charcoal sticks to tell the stories of their times. Today, video storytelling is “our charcoal stick”, the most powerful medium for creating emotional and scalable connections we know and use.
I won’t even discuss AI and its magic wand for storytelling. My jury remains tongue-twisted and suspended at best on the subject and the transformative nature of AI. Maybe it’s just another charcoal stick, albeit much more sophisticated.
I will say, however, I have watched video (first-hand) evolve for decades from simple corporate presentations to branded content and into deeper narratives for businesses and organizations.
What is Video Storytelling?
Video storytelling uses visual narratives, audio, and emotional elements to communicate a message that resonates with clients and audiences on both intellectual and emotional levels. I like to think that if I do my job well, make solid imagery, and write a terrific script, I will get viewers and clients to “invest” in the content.
At its core, video storytelling combines three essential elements: character, conflict, and resolution. It’s a lot like a motion picture screenplay. Your audience needs someone to relate to (a character or characters), a problem that matters to them (a conflict), and a satisfying outcome (a resolution). Businesses and organizations that utilize video storytelling build the emotional connections that form long-term customer relationships.
Let me press some evidence. I recently directed, shot, and edited two ads for Summit Academy. Located on a 125-acre campus in rural Butler County, Pennsylvania, The Summit Academy is a private, residential school for at-risk young men, ages 13-17, in grades 7-12. The school provides a trauma-informed, multi-faceted approach to rehabilitation and recovery.
In the case of the SUMMIT ads, they align with the video storytelling model and elements: the characters (the students) have had real troubles in their lives. They have faced tough hurdles in getting their lives on track.
There was conflict present in their lives and it was even difficult for some to get into Summit for help. The resolution, or solution, in this case, was Summit and its unique and powerful support network. The school’s system and experience brought resolution to the conflict. All of this story power is told in one simple 30-second television ad, now playing on broadcast TV and online.
Building powerful connections. Using video storytelling to create inspirational and aspirational content for the clients and their market (audiences). And, using the Three Key Elements as structure.
It works for a 30-second ad for Summit, and it can work at different levels for other narratives and marketing stories as well. Whether it’s training, advertising, internal communications, or otherwise, video storytelling is one of the strongest tools available to us to help build connections that last between clients and producers and clients and their target market.
Take a look at the ad.
Your brand has stories worth telling. Let’s create a narrative together! If you like, we can even use a charcoal stick!
