48 million views, because it’s a story
One of the hardest things to teach is how to tell a story. I could say “how to tell a story well,” but no, it’s simpler than that. Students just don’t get how to evaluate the pieces, how to hone and polish them, and how to arrange them in a satisfying way. So I’m always on the lookout for great examples of storytelling.
In this blog post, Gary Stein provides a fine lesson in how you shape a good story:
This video is absolutely mesmerizing. To be honest, I can hardly stand this kind of music. Listening to this stuff feels like someone is pouring an unending bottle of maple syrup into my ears. But I keep finding myself drawn back to it. I’m not alone. …
But this is a really different sort of a video … it is not just something oddball or funny. This is an actual story with a beginning, middle, and end.
And it’s a visual story, start to finish. The reaction shots really involve us in a vicarious excitement. I’m going to show this to students and point out that it would be a very different story if the camera were always on the singer. Showing us the audience and the judges pumps us up and makes us stay with it.
(Thanks to my colleague Renee for the tip!)
Update: Meranda Watling gave me a “C” for leaving out vital information: “The story you’re talking about actually is: Susan Boyle, the homely Brit who captured the world’s attention and an ‘extraordinary’ from Simon Cowell on ‘Britain’s Got Talent.’ And link to the video as well.”
Categories: examples, storytelling, teaching, video
Thanks for this Mindy.
One thought, you should probably say what the story you’re talking about actually is: Susan Boyle, the homely Brit who captured the world’s attention and an “extraordinary” from Simon Cowell on Britain’s Got Talent. And link to the video as well as the critique: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY