Digital Storytelling and Podcasting

Transcript

1. DIGITAL STORYTELLING ASHLEY BUTLER – DIGITAL MEDIA INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGIST
2. WHO AM I? (AND WHY AM I TALKING TO YOU?) • Ashley Butler • Work in the Center for Innovative Pedagogy (2nd floor of Edwards House) • Background: • Background in teaching English with Rhet/Comp focus—different types of writing for different audiences using different technologies • Finding the right tools for your message
3. INTRODUCTION • What is digital storytelling? • Examples of digital stories • Best practices and constraints of digital storytelling • Resources and tools for completing a digital story
4. DIGITAL STORYTELLING What is it and how do we do it?
5. DIGITAL STORYTELLING • Tradition of “digital storytelling” began in the early 1990s • Began from community theater and a desire to make art creation accessible to all • Guided by values and ethical practice • “Everyone has stories to tell” • “People need to be heard” • “People see, hear, and perceive the world in different ways” • “Technology is a powerful instrument of creativity” • “Sharing stories can lead to positive change” https://www.storycenter.org/ https://www.storycenter.org/press/
6. OFTEN DOCUMENTARY-LIKE IN STYLE • Aesthetics often resemble documentary— zooming/panning over still photographs and artifacts • Given the focus on making this technology accessible to all, traditional digital stories (film) are generally MUCH shorter • Might chronicle a particular aspect a larger story, or view it through a particular lens • Can often be more personal • A film does not always have to be the final product (social media, blogs, maps, etc.)
7. WRITTEN VS DIGITAL STORY
8. WRITTEN VS DIGITAL STORY Listen and watch for the different topics broached in this digital story.
9. WRITTEN VS DIGITAL STORY
10. WHY DO IT? • Brings the story to life • Humanizes your content • Multi-level and multi-modal narrative • Brings your content to new audiences • Makes you think critically about all the components of the story you want to tell and ways you can do that through words, sounds, music, and visual components • Engaging – you have more tools to set the tone.
11. WHAT IS DIGITAL STORYTELLING, REALLY? • Multimedia movies that combine photographs, video, animation, sound, music, text, and narrative voice (Stonybrook Libraries) • Short movie which uses images, voice, and music to tell a story (The Ohio State U) • The use of computer based tools to tell stories (U of Houston)
12. OTHER DIGITAL TOOLS TO CREATE STORIES • Social Media • Civil War Reporter on Twitter – www.twitter.com/CivilWarReportr • Titanic Real Time – www.twitter.com/titanicrealtime • Maps • Placing Oral Histories StoryMaps https://storymaps.esri.com/stories/2017/oral-histories/index.html • From Naptown to Indy https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/fe79c0d72625474ba5d2cb7cc4f65036 • Fort Custer Memorial Path https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/5d36aa6154824c00b47bbfcbe2d9b966 • 9 Steps to Great Storytelling with Maps: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/429bc4eed5f145109e603c9711a33407 • Blogs • Snow Fall: The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek: http://www.nytimes.com/projects/2012/snow- fall/?forceredirect=yes#/?part=tunnel-creek
13. DIGITAL TOOLS TO CREATE STORIES • Twine Interactive Fiction • Cape: http://ifarchive.org/if-archive/games/competition2015/Cape/Cape%201.0.2/index.html • Oral History • Undergraduate Research Projects Using Oral History http://ohla.info/student-projects/ • Podcasts • https://classic.stitcher.com/stitcher-list/all-podcasts-top-shows
14. QUESTIONS SO FAR?
15. SO HOW DO WE DO IT?
16. FIRM GRASP ON RHETORICAL SITUATION • Author • What experiences, beliefs, backgrounds, biases are you bringing to this situation? • Topic • What needs discussed? What is the best way to address this topic with my skills, purpose, and audience? • Purpose • Are you trying to entertain? Inform? Shock? Persuade? Education? Call to action? • Audience • Who are you trying to reach? Age, social class, education, past experience, culture/subculture, expectations Rhetorical Situation Author Purpose Audience Topic EVERYTHING EXISTS WITHIN A CONTEXT: Historical context. Current events. (Time, Place, Conversation)
17. EMBRACING THE PROCESS • At minimum: • Narrative • A way to digitally record it • In reality, a series of steps:
18. EMBRACING THE PROCESS • But even more than that… Write for Sound. Plan for pacing. Figure out what absolutely has to be said, vs what can be illustrated through other media. REVISING. Traveling. Learning the hardware to take high quality images, audio, and video. Asking permission for found items. Consider pacing. REVISING. Create plans for what images you want to use to illustrate your story. REVISING. Learning how to use editing software. Pacing everything. Making critical cuts. REVISING. REVISING and REFINING.
19. EMBRACING THE PROCESS • But even more than that… Write for Sound. Plan for pacing. Figure out what absolutely has to be said, vs what can be illustrated through other media. REVISING. Traveling. Learning the hardware to take high quality images, audio, and video. Asking permission for found items. Consider pacing. REVISING. Create plans for what images you want to use to illustrate your story. REVISING. Learning how to use editing software. Pacing everything. Making critical cuts. REVISING. REVISING and REFINING.
20. STORYBOARDING & PLANNING FOR VIDEO Scene 1 Scene 2 Scene 3 Visual: Visual: Visual Narration: Narration: Narration: Accompanying Audio: Accompanying Audio: Accompanying Audio: Notes (Duration, Transition, etc.): Notes (Duration, Transition, etc.): Notes (Duration, Transition, etc.): Copyright/Citing Info: Copyright/Citing Info: Copyright/Citing Info:
21. STORYBOARDING & PLANNING FOR VIDEO Scene 1 Scene 2 Scene 3 Visual: Visual: Visual Narration: Narration: Narration: Accompanying Audio: Accompanying Audio: Accompanying Audio: Notes (Duration, Transition, etc.): Notes (Duration, Transition, etc.): Notes (Duration, Transition, etc.): Copyright/Citing Info: Copyright/Citing Info: Copyright/Citing Info:
22. OUTLINING & PLANNING FOR AUDIO • What equipment will you need? Where will you find it? • Where will you record? • How can you best share responsibilities among your group members? • What will your subject/topic be? • Will you need to contact interviewees/contributors and set a time that works for both of you? • How much will you need to script? • What do you need to make sure you get your points across? • How can this medium enhance the existing resources out there about this content? • Where will you store your files? • How long will this take to do and do well? • Who will you go to for help?
23. OUTLINING & PLANNING FOR AUDIO • Appropriate and Consistent Narrative Style & Structure • Get a lay of the land—what are people doing that works well? • Figure out your style – what you decide will govern the elements you need to include • Radio show? Discussion-based? • Who’s talking? (Host/guest) • More lose in terms of scripting and structure • Reporting more like a journalist? (Like NPR, for example) • Pay special attention to how you structure your reporting, your interviews, and your sound effects • Might require a bit more storyboarding and planning • Heavy on research or more of an essay/narrative format? • Consider how to be most effective with your audience in terms of sound and additional audio • Also requires more storyboarding and planning • Write in a way that feels personal…like you’re speaking one-on-one with someone
24. OUTLINING & PLANNING FOR AUDIO • Appropriate and Consistent Narrative Style & Structure • Use a script or outline to remain in control of your content… • TIP: Script the opening/closing. Outline content (Narration, interview, music, sound effects, etc.). Use bullets and notes to avoid stilted language. • …but make it conversational • TIP: Read it aloud before recording. Read it aloud to a friend. Have a friend there when you record, holding the microphone. • Write for the ear, not for the eye. • Text written for the eye: complex because readers can linger • Text written for the ear: needs to be simpler—moves at the speed of sound. • TIP: We rarely talk as formally as we write—write for the way you talk naturally. • Lean on both sound and the absence of it (Silence! Pauses! Pace!)
25. OUTLINING & PLANNING FOR AUDIO • Effective Transitions and Adequate Context • Help your audience! Meet them where they are. (Mobile...) • Using acronyms? • Establish the full name first, at least • Avoid unless you’re certain your listener will understand them as readily as words • Using discipline or subject-specific jargon? • Explain, define, and limit. • Use the “coffee shop” test—how would you explain something technical, scientific or medical to a non- expert or someone who is not as immersed as you? • Strive for clear and direct…instantly. conveyed. meaning.
26. BUT WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO PULL IT OFF? • #4 Effective Transitions & Adequate Context • Help your audience! Meet them where they are. (Mobile...) • Using acronyms? • Establish the full name first, at least • Avoid unless you’re certain your listener will understand them as readily as words • Using discipline or subject-specific jargon? • Explain, define, and limit. • Use the “coffee shop” test—how would you explain something technical, scientific or medical to a non-expert or someone who is not as immersed as you? • Strive for clear and direct…instantly. conveyed. meaning. A Note on Accessibility While digital storytelling and podcasting can be more accessible formats for content (both in terms of delivery method and information digestion), we want to be mindful of making this content accessible to all, as much as possible. Just as we can create audio versions of written materials to enhance accessibility, we can and should do the same to aid those with different abilities—especially for materials being widely shared. Making transcripts available is a best practice in podcasting. Making captions available is a best practice in digital storytelling.
27. STEP 5: GATHERINGVISUAL AND AUDIO ELEMENTS • Use a combination of elements based on: • Access • If you don’t have easy access to what you want, you might have to get creative! • What is appropriate • Really think about what elements you can use to best illustrate your story and move it forward
28. ANATOMY OF A DIGITAL STORY • Some elements you can think about including: • Maps • News Clips (Video, Audio, Clippings) • Historical video footage or audio clips • Interviews • Original Recordings/Readings • Art produced or inspired by your subject • Music produced or inspired by your subject
29. ANATOMY OF A DIGITAL STORY • Some elements you can think about including: • Maps • News Clips (and clippings) • Historical video footage • Interviews • Original or Dramatic Recordings/Readings • Art produced or inspired by your subject • Music produced or inspired by your subject Keep in mind that these might require contacting libraries and archives, digitizing a physical document, or requesting permission from others before using them. These things take time and planning to pull off!
30. USING FOUND AUDIO AND VISUAL ELEMENTS • Before you begin, make sure you have some idea of what kinds of elements are free to use and which (and how) you have to cite! • Credits! Episode notes! • This is largely dependent on how you’re sharing what you create…so discuss this with your professor • Try to find items in the Public Domain, if possible. If not, use items with a Creative Commons license or ask for permission • For more on copyright: http://kenyon.libguides.com/copyright
31. BUT WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO PULL IT OFF? • #4 Effective Transitions & Adequate Context • Help your audience! Meet them where they are. (Mobile...) • Using acronyms? • Establish the full name first, at least • Avoid unless you’re certain your listener will understand them as readily as words • Using discipline or subject-specific jargon? • Explain, define, and limit. • Use the “coffee shop” test—how would you explain something technical, scientific or medical to a non-expert or someone who is not as immersed as you? • Strive for clear and direct…instantly. conveyed. meaning. A Note or two on “Found” Sound Be careful to avoid copyright infringement if you *are* sharing these broadly. We can absolutely talk more about this if it’s a concern. If you find sounds online from things like the news or in other media (tv, movies, music), I can work with you to help you download those in a safer way than some of the free tools you find on the internet. Don’t kill your computer over this project…
32. FAIR USE CONTENT: CREATIVE COMMONS • Creative Commons provides free, easy-to-use copyright licenses to make a simple and standardized way to give the public permission to share and use your creative work on conditions of your choice. • https://search.creativecommons.org/ Think of this as a one-stop shop!
33. LICENSING From “Six licenses for sharing your work” at https://wiki.creative commons.org/imag es/6/6d/6licenses- flat.pdf This will show you how you can use a piece of found media
34. FREE & PUBLIC DOMAIN IMAGES & VIDEO • Pixabay • Pexels • Wikimedia Commons • The Commons (Flickr) • Getty Open Content Images • Getty Images List adapted from The Edublogger: https://www.theedublogger.com/2017/01/20/copyright-fair-use- and-creative-commons/ Also includes video! Also includes video and sound!
35. FAIR USE & ARCHIVAL PHOTOS • Shorpy Historic Photo Archive http://www.shorpy.com/ • Mashable Retronaut http://mashable.com/category/retronaut/ • Internet Archive https://archive.org/
36. CC & PUBLIC DOMAIN SOUNDS & MUSIC • Some video editors have built in sounds and music that you can use. If not, here are some alternatives: • SoundCloud Creative Commons: https://soundcloud.com/groups/creative-commons • Jamendo: https://www.jamendo.com/en • Incompetech: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/music.html • Freesound.org: https://www.freesound.org/browse/tags/sound-effects/ • PD Info: http://www.pdinfo.com/index.php • BenSound: https://www.bensound.com/ Also searchable with in Creative Commons! Requires attribution!
37. QUESTIONS ABOUT GATHERING MEDIA?
38. WHAT ABOUT THE CREATING YOUR OWN?
39. CREATING QUALITY VISUALS • Photo, Video, and Sound • Creating: • Quality camera • Quality tripod • Quality Mic • Quiet Space • Consultations and advice!!! • TEST for remote interviews!
40. CREATING QUALITY VISUALS • Photo, Video, and Sound • Creating: • Quality camera • Quality tripod • Quality Mic • Quiet Space • Consultations and advice!!! • TEST for remote interviews! The quality of your narration makes ALL the difference…this is the single best thing you can do for your narrative!
41. BUT WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO PULL IT OFF? • Sound Capturing and Editing Options Audacity (Mac and Windows) http://www.audacityteam.org/ download/ Garage Band (Mac) Levelator (Mac and Windows) http://www.convers ationsnetwork.org/l evelator Cleanfeed (Browser-based) https://cleanfeed.n et/
42. VIDEO EDITING • WeVideo • Web-based • Real-time collaboration • Low learning curve • Robust, but simple
43. QUESTIONS?? butler1@kenyon.edu