_{Telling a Story}

Introduction to Story

So far you have learned about video and DV and why DV is such a great technology. When you finish all the lessons in this book, you will have the skills to produce a video with DV, whether it is a news broadcast, a sportscast, a documentary, or a narrative video.

Where do you start? After you have decided what kind of video you are going to produce, you need a plan. For a video, this plan is a script. A script helps organize ideas, identifies what the video will look and sound like, and makes sure everything is connected and flows in a logical order. Writing and altering a script is much less expensive than re-shooting and re-editing a video. A script also communicates your ideas to people you might be working with, such as camera operators and actors. People make videos without scripts all the time, but they are usually family videos that only family members watch. If you want a larger audience, you need a script.

Elements of a Story

DV and other types of video are tools used to tell a story. You might watch family videos a hundred times and enjoy them, but you do not see many family videos in theaters or on television. If you want other people to watch your news broadcast, documentary, or narrative, you need to tell a story.

But what is a story? People tell and hear stories all the time. Sitting around during lunch and talking about what you did last night with friends is telling a story. A story is simply a retelling of events that happened. Even retelling unimportant events can be considered a story. Sometimes storytellers are so good, that even unimportant stories, such as how they picked their doughnut that morning, make the audience sit on the edge of their seats. Somehow a good storyteller is able to make the problem of picking a glazed doughnut instead of a cake doughnut an exciting story. How does a storyteller do it? What does the storyteller know that helps her or him tell a good story?

First, a storyteller knows that any story is about conflict. If you get up and walk across the room to pick up a pencil and then return to your desk, is that a story? If a reporter stands at the end of the runway and reports on every flight that lands safely, is that a news story? The answer to both questions is no. How interesting is it to watch somebody walk back and forth across the room picking up pencils? A conflict describes when and how things go wrong.

Second, a storyteller knows how to make you care about the story. A lot of movies have great special effects and an amazing soundtrack, but if you do not care about the characters, you do not care about the story, even if it is about somebody saving the world. The best news stories make you think about how the story affects you, and then you care about what is going on. Stories are about characters facing conflicts and having to make choices about the situation they are in. Even if you have not been in the same situation, you can understand the choices the characters have to make. Note that I said characters, not people. Some of the best movies (especially family-oriented movies) are about objects or animals that are given human qualities to which you can relate.

Lastly, a storyteller gets to the point. Have you ever watched a movie and were not sure what it was about when it was over? The movie is so packed with special effects, beautiful people, double and triple crosses, and snappy dialogue that you do not know what is going on. A storyteller does not waste your time telling you anything but the story.

Types of Productions

In this lesson, you learn about two types of production in which scripts are written: news broadcast and fictional narrative. Each of these types of productions are described in further detailed in the following sections.

News

A newscast has to be scripted to run smoothly. The director, the tape operator, the camera operator, and everyone else on the set have to know what the plan is and what is coming next to make things work. They have to know which anchor is taking which story, when the weather reporter is coming on, and when to go to highlights during sports and which highlights to roll. Everything has to be timed to the second to make sure the newscast goes as smoothly as possible.

Television news has followed the same format for years: a news anchor or talking head telling or introducing the news story with video clips of the actual event or interviews to illustrate the story. For example, you should not just talk about a flood, but you should also show the houses floating downstream. You want the audience to experience the story, not just hear about it. The guideline is "Do not tell me. Show me."

This section is divided into two parts: content and style. Content covers what you write; style covers how you write it.

Content

I cannot tell you what your news story should be about. However, I can tell you what you need to include in the story: what, who, where, when, how, and why. The audience has to know what happened, who it happened to (or who did it), where it happened, when it happened, how it happened, and why it happened. You probably have heard this list before. Think of it as questions you need to answer for each story.

You will not always have all that information, but make sure you give the audience as much as possible when you write your story. Take a look at two ways to tell the same story.

"There was an accident on Highway Six today."

What information is included? The only thing you know for sure is that there was an accident. You have a general idea of where and when, but not much more. What kind of accident was it? Did somebody stub his or her toe? Was anybody hurt? You do not know. Now try it this way:

"A truck jackknifed on Highway Six three miles east of Dodge early this morning. State police believe the driver fell asleep and slammed on his brakes to avoid hitting another car. The driver was not wearing a seatbelt. State police are withholding the name of the truck driver until his company has been notified."

What information do you have in this version? You know what kind of accident it was, you know where the accident happened, and you have a better idea of when, why, and how it happened. You still do not know who it happened to, but you know why you do not have that information.

Style

Remember, the guidelines in this section are the basics. Each news station has its own style guide, so make sure you have read and understand what the station wants.

The six points are:

■ Write in a conversational style

■ Use active sentences

■ Start strong

■ Write simply

■ Do not be wordy

■ Write to be spoken

Let's look at each one individually.

Write in a conversational style

The audience listens to the news, so they need to understand it the first time they hear it.

"Because he had a headache, the president of France went to bed early."

Would you talk to a friend like that? No. How would you say it?

"The president of France went to bed early because he had a headache."

Writing conversationally does not mean, however, that you should present your news story like this:

"Dudes, like, last night, man, this dude, the president of France or something, had, like, this nasty, I mean really nasty, headache. He had to hit the sack early."

The best way to write conversationally is to listen to what you are writing. Read it out loud and make sure it is clear the first time you hear it. This advice is not unique to writing newscast scripts; it applies to all writing. Sound professional and conversational, but do not use long sentences and big words to try to sound sophisticated.

Use active sentence

An active sentence follows the basic formula: subject, verb, object (S-V-O). Take a look at this sentence:

"The ball was played with by the cat."

That sentence is not an active sentence but it is a passive sentence. The object (the ball) is first, followed by the verb (played), and the subject (the cat) is at the end. How do you make the sentence active? Write it in subject, verb, object order:

"The cat played with the ball."

Passive sentences are longer, harder to read, and more difficult to understand when heard. Keep your writing active. Sometimes it is okay to use a passive sentence, but not very often. For example:

"Suzie Martin was found early this morning."

The sentence is passive, but the emphasis is on Suzie Martin. If Suzie had been missing for three days, everybody would pay close attention at the mention of her name. You could rewrite the sentence to make it active, but it might lose some of its impact and audience:

"Rescuers found Suzie Martin early this morning."

Fictional Narrative

The story structure of most Hollywood movies is the classic structure, with a clear beginning, middle, and end. The story is typically easy to follow, and you know who the heroes and villains are. Often the story involves some sort of quest, with the villains trying to stop the heroes from achieving their quest. Although this basic form of storytelling sounds simple, there is an art to doing it well.

Long before movies and plays, there were storytellers, such as Homer. The classic structure was developed centuries ago and is still around because audiences relate to it, understand it, and expect it. A story can be told using any number of different structures, but the farther you stray from the classic structure, the smaller the audience becomes. This lesson covers the classic story structure as a starting point.

Beginning - Protagonist and Antagonist

The classic story begins by introducing the main characters and the conflict. The main character is known as the protagonist. At the beginning of the story, the audience needs to have an understanding of what is normal and acceptable in the protagonist's life. For example, the protagonist Suzie has an office with a box of pencils on the other side of the room. She can get up and get a pencil from the box any time she wants. After the audience gets an idea of what Suzie's life is like, the beginning is over, and it is time to introduce the conflict and move into the middle of the story.

The middle starts when the protagonist's world or situation changes. What if Suzie walks over to get a pencil, but suddenly, Mr. X, the bad guy (known as the antagonist) stops her? He tells her she will never be able to get a pencil again because he will stop her if she tries.

You have a conflict when Suzie decides that no matter what happens, she is going to walk across the room and get another pencil. If she decides not to get any more pencils, you do not see the bad guy again, and you do not have a story. Do you have a story if she decides she is going to get another pencil? You do as long as Mr. X comes back. You have heard the saying "it takes two to tango." In other words, to have a conflict, there must be opposing forces. Because of this conflict, Suzie's world has changed, and she will do anything to put her world right again.

Conflict

Most movies have an external conflict, which is something or someone outside the protagonist that prevents them from obtaining their goal. That something or someone can be a bad guy, a huge storm, a monster, etc. Action films usually rely on an external conflict. Some films have an internal conflict, which is something within the characters themselves that keeps them from obtaining their goal, such as fear, a lack of confidence, or simply being tired. External conflicts are easier to dramatize and show, but the most effective stories are usually a combination of external and internal conflicts, such as a detective who has to prove someone is responsible for a crime but is afraid of being wrong because he put an innocent man in jail once.

The Middle

The middle of the story is the buildup of tension between the two opposing forces. It typically is the weakest part of the story. Suzie wants a pencil and continually finds new ways to get one, but the bad buy finds new ways to prevent her from getting it. It is important that the audience believes Suzie will achieve her goal. If the audience does not believe in her, what is the point? The odds against her might be so huge that the audience knows deep down she will never succeed, but they have to at least have some hope. The audience also has to believe that the antagonist could actually prevent her from achieving her goal. Mr. X might be bigger, stronger, and smarter, for example, but Suzie might have more willpower.

The End - Climax

The middle ends when the characters come to a point where there is only one option and only one thing left to do. At this point, the story reaches its climax, and only one can win. It is the final attempt, and either Suzie gets what she wants or Mr. X gets what he wants. If Suzie succeeds, you have a positive, or happy ending. If Mr. X wins, the story has a sad, or negative ending.

A good storyteller knows that when the audience cares about the characters it is because they relate to them and want them to succeed. You might not ever have Suzie's problem, but you can sympathize with her plight because you can envision her struggle as your struggle. If Suzie wins, you cheer because you feel as though you have won.

People also care about characters because of the choices they make. If, for example, Suzie chooses to beat up Mr. X the first time she sees him, you think she is tough. If she chooses to sink back to her desk without doing or saying anything, you label her as submissive. It is important to be consistent with the choices characters make. If Suzy is submissive to Mr. X in one scene, she cannot be tough in the next scene without a reason that makes sense. People expect and want characters to change, but they have to believe the character can change. Remember: Actions speak louder than words. In fictional stories, you have to "see" the change.

Review Questions

Answer the following questions about the reading and email the answers to Ms Davis.
jdavis(at)jacomputers.org

1. What are the three things a storyteller knows?

2. What is conflict?

3. What are the six points of style for clear writing.

4. Describe the development of a narrative story. not just a list, DESCRIBE

5. Watch a movie and pay attention to the points covered in Fictional Narrative. Tell me the name of the movie. Who is the protagonist and what is his or her quest? What is the conflict and what is keeping the protagonist from achieving his or her goal? What are the obstacles the protagonist faces and how does he or she react to them? What is the climax of the story and how does the story reaches its conclusion?