Tips for storytelling with video/picture

You can have an audio clip that plays with the video, you can add in subtitles. I would suggest writing a bit of a script so to speak so you know what to put where.

Like any story, it's about tempo, flow rhythm and acts. How you chose to tell that story. Using the three act technique and so on.

Plan it out before you start your trip -- make an outline and then take copious notes along the way. Write down your shots and remember which ones line up with the story you want to tell. Again, the big key is planning. It's also about ensuring your audience gets the message you want to send.

Sounds like a great opportunity for a documentary!

You've got to let your visuals talk, too. It's got to be a balance between when the visual would be enough and when you'd need words.

He would like to make a short 4 - 5 minute video explaining what we will be doing (riding our bikes from Alaska to Argentina)

Click to expand...

what's your ultimate goal with this? are you planning to make this video as your pitch to create a tv show? or as a pitch to find funds to make the pan american trip and videotape/film it? do you want to go to the reality/discovery channel route or do you want to make a full length documentary? or do you want to make a geography for schooling video?

whatever the answer is -- i suggest you study. there are a lot of adventure type reality tv shows out there. spend some time seeking them out and study them. there are a lot of documentaries out there. rent them and see what makes them interesting. then go back and work on your project.

Without knowing much about your project...

Keep it snappy and short. Four to five minutes is a good length for this but will still be a a bit of work to keep it flowing and paced. Take lots and lots of coverage - shots of you and your family doing what you do - so that you'll have plenty to choose from in the editing room. Aim for at least double what you're planning to cut down to so, in this case, at least ten, fifteen minutes of video.

When you edit, keep your shots nice and tight, don't linger on one thing too long because the viewer very quickly gets distracted. (Professional level videos probably don't go longer than three seconds per clip, assuming a paced, fluid video though there are always going to be exceptions.) Bottom line; one minute of great video is infinitely better than ten minutes of bad.

Get about a minute each of interview footage of yourself, your husband and your kids, answering the same basic three or four questions, making sure to repeat the question when you answer it the first time.

You could then very easily put together something like...

30 seconds of your family on bikes, set to music as a nice, gentle introduction.
Mom answering the first question. "Well, we decided to do this because..."
And while Mom's talking, we show more footage over top.
Dad then provides his answer which will follow on naturally form yours. "I've always loved the outdoors etc..."
More shots overlayed of the kids doing their thing, which leads naturally to
The kids answering the same question.

It's then simply a case of repeating the forumla for each question. Gets lots of footage, shot by different people, keep it nice and simple, short and snappy, a bit of funky music and it'll be fine.

If you're still struggling, I'd say just watch the news! Look out for those four-five minute human interest stories and I'm sure you'll pick up on how they do these things.

I've put together three DVDs for corporate events and youth programmes which work as I've outlined above but I don't have any of them online. If you're still struggling down the line, let me know and I'll see what I can do to show them to you.