Writing the Digital Story

7/23/2019 Writing the Digital Story

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/writing-the-digital-story 1/9

Writing the Digital Story Ja g Ga rcia © 201 6

OVERVIEW

In this lecture we begin the process of writing the digital story. Thestyle we’ll follow below will be a sort of checklist, if you will, to facilitatethe development of an idea, or plot line, into a narrative that will beinteresting and engaging to the viewer.

For this lecture please have a scratchpad ready. This can be a real-lifepen-and-paper, an app, or some form of software. Just have it on hand.

BASIC STRUCTURE

The most simple story structure is also the most common !eginning,

"iddle, #nd.

In this kind of structure it is easy for both storyteller and listener tounderstand how a series of events relate to the ne$t %or previous&series of events. This kind of structure also removes ambiguity withregard to how a particular narrative will develop ' not that it removestension or makes twists impossible ' but that the linear nature of thestorytelling keeps listeners or viewers focused on the development ofthe events.

Freytag’s Triangle ' the visuali(ation of the story telling arc we’ve all

come to know - illustrates clearly how elements and events on a linearstory structure interact to derive the story line.

Jag )arcia *riting the +igital tory

http://www.ohio.edu/people/hartleyg/ref/fiction/freytag.html




In this kind of structure an inciting event or moment happens causingyour character to move forward towards the goal %at the end&. longthe way there are complications, challenges, or blockages that preventhim/ her from simply achieving the goal.

t the middle portion there is a moment of doubt of the character’sability to overcome the challenges, or maybe the character is no longersure about wanting to proceed, either way it’s a 0tipping point1 thatmarks the character’s possibility of success or failure.

The end, then, is when the issues arising from the challenges areresolved. *e also look for closure, reali(ations, and transformations inthe character. *e answer the 2uestions did he succeed3 +id he fail3 Ifso, so what3

Freytag’s Triangle, thus, has become the foundation upon which

modern stories are built and storytellers are trained. For the purposesof the course we’ll use the basic beginning-middle-end structure indeveloping the story script for later recording.

This lecture’s ob4ective is to guide you in developing a story that isinteresting, engaging, and more importantly achieves the ob4ectives ofthe lesson or instruction ' essentially a simple story, well told.

THE HOOK

*hat makes a story interesting3 *hat makes the viewer listen or stay3

*hat causes a person with no knowledge of the topic to remain for theduration of the 0show13

The short answer is 0keep them interested1. !ut how3 *e begin byhooking them in.

The 0hook1 is the st paragraph of a story, or the 5rst scene of a 5lm.It’s what triggers the thought 0whoa, what happened there31 in theviewer’s mind and causes them to stick around to discover the answer.For a digital story ' with only 677 words in the whole piece ' needs tohook the audience or viewer in with the st sentence.

8ere are some memorable st lines from famous 5lms

• 0Today is a good day to die1 %Flatliners&

• 98ello. "y name:s Forrest, Forrest )ump. ;ou want a chocolate39

%Forrest )ump&

• 0<lease, ir, I want some more1 %=liver&

• 0I want to tell you about the time I almost died9 %Fallen&

Jag )arcia *riting the +igital tory >

http://www.shortlist.com/entertainment/films/50-best-opening-lines-in-movies




?e@ect on the list aboveA what emotions or thoughts do they openup3 *here do these lines lead to3 s a member of the audience howwould hearing %or seeing& lines like this make you feel3

uch is the value ' and power ' of a good hook.

cratchpad e$ercise

• *rite out your story topic or sub4ect

• *rite out at least B opening lines as if we were already writing

our script

• ?e@ect which one makes you want to continue about the topic3

=ne3 Two3 Cone3

• If nothing works or if the lines aren’t making you 4ump into the

topic try these tipsa& Dreate a sense of mystery 0I have a secret to shareA1

b& sk a 2uestion 0have you ever danced naked under therain31

c& "ake an incredulous statement 0liens built the pyramidsand I can prove it to you.1

d& Ese their imagination to your advantage 0<osit thereforewe the e$istence of potatoes in the hot, universalsunshine1

THE GOAL

)oals are the ob4ect, state, or phenomenon that your character isaspiring for. *ithout a goal there is no story because your characterhas no reason to move forward.

I have 4ust one pointer for story writers when it comes to determining agoal "G# IT =HI+.

Imagine a solid, concrete bo$. Hike that. omething that can be held,lifted, measured, weighed. n ob4ect that can be counted, 2uanti5ed,de5ned.

;our character’s goals must be 2uanti5able because it will be clearwhether or not he/she has actually achieved the goal %makes senseright3&.

Het’s take, for e$ample, a beauty 2ueen. If we ask her what her goalwas she would ' with her biggest smile, no doubt ' declare 0*=?H+<#D#1. *onderful. pplause. *ipe away tears of 4oy as she’s fetedwith her crown and sash. Dlap, clap, clap.

Jag )arcia *riting the +igital tory 6



!ut how do we de5ne world peace3 8owdo we know when she’s achieved worldpeace3 8ow many armies should standdown, how many wars should stop, how

many petty criminals should repent3

0*orld <eace1 in this instance is nothingmore than a concept ' a cloud ' thatcannot be de5ned, controlled, or held. sa story goal it’s super@uous because, technically, your character willnever achieve it.

o what do we do to help this poor, hapless, glori5ed !arbie +oll3 *egive her a solid goal. 0*in the pageant1, 0catch the criminal1, 0bringmy parents back together1 are all solid, 2uanti5able, concrete goals

that allow a story to develop along clear lines and with de5nite andmeasurable steps. If your character is able to achieve world peacealong the way, then bravo for her.

THE CHALLENGE

?emember that every story has a character, and that character mustface a challenge.

In a digital story it’s important to get two things very cleara& *hat is the character’s %your& goal3

b& *hat specifcally is the problem/ challenge3

The simpler and more concise the answer to both 2uestions the easierand clearer it will be to tell a story.

Dlear goals and challenges also make for clear solutions and actions toovercome those challenges. ?emember our Finding Nemo e$ample3*hat was "arlin’s goal3 To 5nd his son. *hat was the problem3 It wasfar away in ydney.

In the above e$ample the character’s goal and the reason why the goal

is dicult to achieve is simple and very clear. *hen you nowsuperimpose the dierent challenges or events it makes achieving thegoal %via the story& much more interesting and e$citing. Jelly5sh,turtles, schooling 4acks, vegetarian sharks, and forgetful reef 5sh are 4ust decorative elements that make for a bright, fast, and e$citing tale' but strip all them o and the core goal remains solid.

Jag )arcia *riting the +igital tory K



I have to emphasi(e this again keep your story core solid. The cleaner,sleeker, and clearer it is, the easier it will be to write the story.

cratchpad #$ercise

• *rite out your topic on the top of the page ' this will help youfocus

• =n one side of the page write out the word 0"e1

• =n the opposite end identify the )=H.

• nswer this 2uestion why can’t you go directly to your goal3

*hat is blocking your way3

• ?e@ect is the block clear enough3 ;ou have a solid goal, do you

have a solid block3

WRITING THE STORY o now let’s begin writing the story. digital story is no more than 677words long, it’s meant to run for not much more than > minutes frombeginning to end, and is a personal narrative ' given all that it’simportant to keep the story concise and direct to the point.

nother item to remember is that ;=E ?# )=IC) T= ?#+ ;=E?D?I<T. ;ou will want to allow for dramatic pauses, changes in mood ortone, and even moments of silence or 4ust music. 677 words in >minutes is actually a lot, don’t worry.

The guide below is 4ust that )EI+#. It assumes that a simplesentence is 7 words long ' that means that the whole script shouldnot be more than 67 sentences long. ;our mileage may vary but forthose giving digital storytelling %or any kind of storytelling for thatmatter& a try I think this will help.

SectionGuide Posts

“Budget !o"sentences

Jag )arcia *riting the +igital tory B



The 8ook )et them interested sentence

The Incident o what’s the problem3 *hy are wehere3

>-6 sentences

The )oal *hat are we out to achieve3 *hat isour target3 *hat is our perceivedsolution to the incident3

>-K sentences

The Journey of challenges facedand challenges

overcome

;our character is facing a challenge 'what is it3 8ow does he overcome it3+oes he succeed3 +oes he fail3 *hathappens after3 nother challenge3

7->7 sentences

The Tipping <oint Is there one last challenge3 Is it toodicult3 *ill he fail3 *ill he succeed3*hy should he move on3

B sentences

The ?esolution Dhallenge overcome 8ow do youfeel3 *hat’s going through your headas you reach your goal3

6-B sentences

The Transformation

;ou’ve reached your goal. *as it allyou e$pected it to be3 +id the valuechange3 +id you change3 *hat have

your challenges taught you3

>-K sentences

SCRIPT #OR$ATTING

There is no hard-and-fast rule on script formats for digital stories. omepeople prefer to write in a more literary paragraph form ' this isespecially bene5cial during recording as it is easy to read. Filmmakerstend to gravitate towards a more 5lm script format %dividing eventsinto se2uences, and describing a scene as it’s about to happen& ' thisformat can be 2uite bene5cial if the story is going to feature materialthat has to be shot or produced separately.

In my e$perience, though, the most eective method is a >-columnscript format.

>-column separates udio from Lisuals, the tabular format alsoallows the writer %or director& to visually align sound to a visual item orcomponent. For instance

Fishy TaleLersion *ritten by <edro <enduko

AU%IO VISUALS

"D %fade in& low, ominousL= I am always aloneA

LI+ gloomy, darkish dock scene

L= it’s easy to see why peopleavoid meAL= I am the ngel of +eath

LI+ shadow walking downalleywaysLI+ hooded 5gure with facehidden

Jag )arcia *riting the +igital tory M



In the above e$ample the writer speci5es music %"D& type and whatvisuals %LI+ N video& will go along with the scene or se2uence. Thevoice over line %L=& also comes in at this point. It’s also easy to see

how this kind of formatting will make the assembly process even easierlater on.

The advantage, also, of a >-column script is that it can already act as asort of storyboard. writer can place in the actual or peg photos orvisuals that would be necessary later on. It’s important to note that ascript is never a 5nal document, but must be allowed to evolve oradapt up to the point of recording or even editing. Geep copies of allprevious versions to facilitate revisions or keeping track of changesmade over time.

Fishy TaleLersion >*ritten by <edro <enduko

AU%IO VISUALS

"D %fade in& low, ominousL= I am always aloneA

LI+ gloomy, darkish dock scene

FO echoing footstepsL= it’s easy to see why peopleavoid meA

L= I am the ngel of +eath

LI+ shadow walking downalleyways

<IO hooded 5gure with facehidden

Jag )arcia *riting the +igital tory P



In this Lersion > I added visual pegs ' not the actual footagethemselves, but enough of a cue to allow the person in charge ofvisuals %director, photographer, or editor& to determine if the visualdesign works or needs further work. In this version you’ll also note the

inclusion of sound eects %FO& and a change from Lideo %LI+& into aphoto %<IO&.

Lersion 6, for instance, may already include speci5c footage fromimages gathered and curated speci5cally for this pro4ect. gain thescript and format is @e$ible, use it in a manner that best suits theindividual or team producing the story.

#ORU$ ACTIVITY & TALKING POINT

This talking point is meant as a sounding-o board for your intended

story. For the purposes of interaction between peers please do thefollowing

. t the designated forum thread please post your topic, your goal,and your challengeA these should not be more than sentenceeach and will 4ust allow your peers an opportunity to understandyour story

>. Domment on at least one other person’s posting ' be constructive.6. !egin your story writing processQ use a designated forum thread for

2uestions and peer support.

CONCLUSION

tory writing should not be a daunting task. greeably fnding a goodstory is far more dicult ' but the actual writing process should not beone.

The guides above are meant precisely as guides ' they’re @e$ible andnot set in stone. *ith practice it will be possible for you to develop

Jag )arcia *riting the +igital tory R



stories out of events the same way you do when you share yourpersonal adventures to a captive and listening audience.

RE#ERENCES

B7 !est =pening Hines of "ovies.http//www.shortlist.com/entertainment/5lms/B7-best-opening-lines-in-moviesFreytag’s Triangle.http//www.ohio.edu/people/hartleyg/ref/5ction/freytag.htmlFreytag’s Triangle image courtesy of www.no5lmschool.com

Jag )arcia *riting the +igital tory S




http://www.nofilmschool.com/




http://www.nofilmschool.com/

Documents

Writing the Digital Story