Digital Storytelling

Mister Monkey & the Finite Flying Contraption:
Reflection on Digital Storytelling

(Please note: this post is the REFLECTION on my Digital Story. To view the Digital Story itself, please view this post: https://omygodfather.wordpress.com/2012/10/18/a-picture-storybook/)

My online story is a culmination of a variety of tangible forms of art, translated into an online medium. I have used the major elements of a picture story book (still images and text), used photography instead of illustrations and added an accompanying soundtrack to engage the viewer further and elicit and stronger emotional response. In this sense, the digital story is part storybook/part short film/part photographic story (as many elements of the story are actually not revealed in the text, and rely on the photographs to be communicated).

Drawing on the flipped lecture on visual storytelling I made sure I had a clear idea from the very beginning. As pre-production was already thoroughly thought out, I believe this meant that I avoided any errors during the production stage as I was fully prepared and knew exactly what I needed for completion. During the editing (post-production stage) I utilised slideshare tutorials to work out how to add audio and time the slides in a way that communicated my story in the way I desired.

Composition was very important in my photographs. I used low angles to communicate the height of the balloon and made sure colours complimented each other. I also made sure I minimised reflections so there was nothing to distract the viewer. I drew on my understanding and practice in cinematography to help compose the photographs – they are a lot more like stills from an animated short film rather than stand alone photographs (i.e. the use of close-ups). This flipped lecture was especially useful in understanding key compositional and visual techniques.

Using various elements (sound, photography, powerpoint, audio, text) was an idea I got from the flipped lecture on transmedia.

 

Disseminating and Sharing Digital Story

The flipped lecture ‘A Perfect Storm’ was particularly useful in developing my marketing strategy. The concepts of ‘hypersociability’ and the emphasis on the connectivity of social and media networks online, got me thinking how easy it would be to spread this digital story via the communicative networks I already utilise with friends and acquaintances. For the purpose of this story, my aim is to delight people…and I don’t mind just starting with people I know. If they enjoy it, they may pass the link onto friends. My marketing strategy therefore involves:

1. A Facebook Post via Slideshare

2. Tweet on twitter (#netmed) as well as using hashtags that relate to similar creative media (#digitalstorytelling, #photography, #story etc.)

3. Attach hyperlinks into youtube videos of short films I have made in the past/other creative content.

4. Share the blogpost on Facebook

For the type of audience I am after for this digital story, this is a perfect, personalised marketing strategy. As in the flipped lecture, ‘A Perfect Storm‘ I am utilising the social networks and connections I already have!