This document discusses how to turn information into compelling stories that resonate with audiences. It argues that storytelling is how humans perceive and understand the world. Stories help with attention, understanding, and influence by overcoming the "curse of knowledge" and resistance to information. The key elements that make a story resonate are themes of survival vs. death, empowerment vs. powerlessness, or connection vs. isolation. These themes tap into human emotions and allow the audience to connect with characters. The document provides a worked example of turning scientific footage into a story and discusses techniques for interviewing subjects and crafting stories from information.
19. STORY ELEMENTS
THE MORE OF THESE
YOU WORK IN, THE
MORE COMPELLING THE
STORY, BUT THERE’S A
TRADE-OFF IN STORY
LENGTH. NOT EVERY
STORY NEEDS ALL OF
• Theme: Why do we care?
• Setting: When and where?
• Character: Who is the hero?
• Something unexpected
• The character’s important goal
• What’s at stake?
• Obstacles and struggles
• Enemy? Allies? Mentor?
• Resolution: Is it a happy ending?
• A point: How has the world changed?
• Sensory details: Help the story stick
THESE.
23. WORKED EXAMPLE
• Themes: Survival v death (saving
endangered creatures and habitats) +
Connection v isolation (beautiful
footage)
• Setting: Qld, starting 20 years ago
• Character: Richard Fitzpatrick
• Unexpected: 1 Pb of jellyfish video.
Using documentary footage for science
• Important goal: Contribute to
understanding and preservation of
ocean creatures and animals
• Obstacles: Accessible storage solution;
Richard’s time is taken up responding
to requests for his footage
• At stake: Valuable footage is not
accessible and at risk of being lost. The
Qld Govt needs it to save turtles on
Raine Island. Jamie Seymour needs it
to develop anti-venom for box jellyfish.
Others need it too.
• Advisers: RDSI, QCIF; Allies: Jamie
Seymour
• Resolution: Accessible storage - yay!
• The point: Footage now available.
Richard can spend his time on research
• Sensory details: Images, “It’s saved our
butts already”
24. A FEW MORE
TOPICS
The Deluge, Gustave Doré (1866)
25. THE STORY INTERVIEW
WHY IS THIS WORK
IMPORTANT?
HOW DID THE IDEA
COME ABOUT?
CAN YOU REMEMBER
HOW IT STARTED?
WHAT PROBLEM WERE
YOU FACING?
WHAT HAPPENED?
WERE THERE
CHALLENGES?
HOW DID YOU
OVERCOME THEM?
WHAT WAS THE
OUTCOME?
26. DELIVERY MODES AND MEDIA -
LOTS OF OPTIONS
IN PERSON
VIDEO
SLIDEDOC
WRITTEN
DELIVERED VIA
SOCIAL MEDIA,
WEB, OR
TRADITIONAL
MEDIA
27. “Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify,
simplify.”
–HENRY DAVID THOREAU