Story Objectives & Impact
Why would anyone watch my film?
If you want your film to make an impact, and to be interesting then you have to plan it to be interesting to both you and your audience.
Compelling
What aspects of your ecological restoration (ER) project are compelling, or have compelling story elements? What aspects of the project do you think will engage viewers and make the film memorable? Are there particularly interesting characters? Unexpected challenges? Is there a clear narrative that you can tell?
Think about how you want to tell the story of the ER project. Consider using tactics such as interviews with project leaders and community members, footage of the project in action, and before-and-after shots of the ecosystem. Use visual storytelling techniques to make your film more engaging, such as thinking forward to creative camera angles and editing techniques.
Data stories
If the data you have collected and the information contained in it are crucial to telling your story then it is important to clearly cover the big picture message your data is telling, as well as give examples and drill down into real-world, personal examples (the little stand out pictures).
Describe two possible stories that you could tell of your ecological restoration project including who their characters are and how their stories link. Share in the Padlet below, clearly labelling Story 1 and Story 2. Then go read other posts and comment on which of their stories you found most interesting or compelling and tell them why.
From peer feedback, and your own intuition and compulsion choose your story. Then ask yourself:
Why tell this story?
Why does your story matter? Why does it matter to your audience and why should it? What emotions do you want your audience to feel along the way as the story unfolds? What is the story’s call to action?
If you are keeping a blog as a part of your film-making process, you may want to write one that addresses these questions.