We previously wrote about the 4 Essential Elements Your Digital Storytelling Strategy Should Include. Today we’ll be sharing how you can get started on your digital storytelling journey.
Before we get started, let’s recap what digital storytelling is about.
Digital storytelling is a simple, creative method in which people with little or no expertise in computer filmmaking learn how to convey a personal tale in the form of a two-minute film using mostly still photos and narration. These films are then available for streaming on the internet or aired on television.
Digital storytelling may be used to express creativity, as a study tool for local health concerns, or to preserve a community’s identity or as a type of oral history. Digital storytelling as a strategy combines approaches for developing reading and storytelling abilities with an introduction to fundamental Information and Communication Technology (ICT), through group activities and individual procedures that foster confidence and self-esteem.
On the surface, these digital stories are all unique, individualised audio-visual portrayals of people’s lives, yet their creation is influenced by the communal experience in the workshop. Each narrative depicts how someone imagines their role in the personal and public worlds.
You can watch a summarised video of what digital storytelling is all about!
Now, let’s dive into the 7 steps to create a great digital story.
1) Start with An Idea
Every story begins with an idea, and digital stories are no exception. Digital narratives can be either fiction or nonfiction. Make your concept tangible by creating a proposal, crafting a paragraph, drawing a mind-map, or using any other pre-writing technique.
2) Research/Explore/Learn
Whether you’re creating a fictional or nonfictional digital narrative, you’ll need to investigate, explore, or learn about the topic in order to build a foundation of knowledge for the story. As they go deeper into a topic, you will learn about both validating information and information bias.
The organisation is critical at this point. Mind-mapping can help you keep track of knowledge. Outlines, index cards, and online note-taking tools are also effective. If you can arrange your information digitally, the next stages will be a lot easier.
3) Write/Script
Nothing is more frustrating than a blank piece of paper when you’re attempting to write. That is why we strongly recommend the two pre-writing processes outlined above. If you have a proposal, it may be turned into an introduction with a little modification. If you really researched and examined a topic, the body of the script should fit together like a jigsaw piece. The components are already present; all that remains is to fit them together.
4) Storyboard/Plan
A good story begins with a strong script, but it does not end there. This is the point at which we transition towards visual media literacy. The first step toward combining sound and sights is storyboarding. It is the strategy or blueprint that will guide your picture, video, and sound decisions. Simple storyboards will only include images/video and the script. More complex versions may incorporate transitions and background music.
5) Gather and Create Images, Audio and Video
This is the “stuff” that allows magic to happen and your writing comes to life. You may gather or produce photos, music, and video using your storyboard as a guide. Everything you select will have an influence on and create the tone for your digital story.
Introduce visual hierarchy, tone, and illustration ideas. This is also an excellent time to examine Copyright, Fair Use, and Creative Commons.
6) Put It All Together
This is where the magic happens: you’ll find out if your storyboard needs to be tweaked and if you have enough “material” to make your masterpiece. You’ll find yourself going back and rewriting your storyboard.
7) Share
Your story is now available for the rest of the world to see. Because internet sharing has become profoundly ingrained in our culture, we may as well embrace it.
Conclusion
Creating your own digital story can seem tough and overwhelming at first but with the right help, you can get started on the process and create a compelling and engaging story.
Check out our two-day course – Professional Certification in Digital Storytelling where you will:
- Unlock the 8 must-knows of digital storytelling
- Learn how to script and plan a compelling story
- Learn entry-level video production skills
- Understand the value of each video editing feature and its impact on your story
- Craft digital stories you can use for social media, teaching, and presentations
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