More visual storytelling examples

A little while ago, I was looking for tastefully created video with a certain look and feel (see previous post here). I think I found a few more examples that I’d like to share, and i’ll try to keep adding more as I see them.

This one below by Vertical Online hits just the right tone of music, colour grading and multi cam framing that make we just want to hit repeat.

In searching for new inspiration I’ve found myself crushing hard for this crew called Stillmotion, a group of photographers and filmakers out of Canada that are just killing it with their fluid, dynamic movies. 

This last one by Stilmotion is so tasteful it hurts. I went to see this exhibit at the Shedd Aquarium on just this clip alone.

One more example. It pretty obvious that I prefer graded footage to ungraded, so it’s no wonder I’m drawn to warm or ‘crossprocessed film’ looks when I come across videos online. Clearly, almost all the video I see is shot on digital rigs and these filmic looks are all a conceit, but I’m still a sucker for them regardless. In this last example I’d like to highlight the use of motion at different apparent speeds. The ultra slow-mo parts are actually derived from footage shot at 60 frames per second then frame blended to look more like 1000 fps. Apparently Twixtor is the After Effects plug-in of choice for this. Fad? Yes for sure, but done tastefully, it can really make for some arresting images.

Ok… I keep trying to wrap up this post but remember I had one more to add! 

This last one is an interview of a product manager at Adobe shot by Shane Hurlbut. Yawn. But what I really enjoyed about this video was the use of the rich environmental backgrounds and the use of two cameras throughout. Fairly plain jane footage, shot well. Unfortuately, this can’t be embedded like the others but can be seen here.

And… this brings me to these two personal videos I shot and edited that I’d like to share. Neither are particularly rich in terms of visual flair (it’s just grabbed footage of my baby on two different mornings) but it does show the power of picking a soundtrack that can set the pace and tone for the entire video. 

The final video also featured the use of a small hand operated dolly/slider via a miniature toy Red Wagon. If you look very carefully at the slider shots, you can see a very subtle rumble in the video as the camera rolls over on it’s tiny plastic wheels.

Video from mid-term presentation of Smart City class is now up!

My sincere apologies for the poor audio recorded throughout the presentation. 

Why I use video of all my weekly in-class design critiques

Around the time when I was planning out my classes last Winter, I found that the in-class critique were one of the more valuable parts of my role as the teacher in the room. In many ways, these critiques are one of the only feedback loops I can give my students—I like to think of them as my 'deliverables' to my students.

In fact, I'd say the discussion from those critiques is truly where the most learning happens. Occasionally you'll see student scrambling to make an intellectual workaround in their defense of poor work, but on the whole, you can see and hear how students construct their arguments, give reason to their process and receive feedback with maturity. Hopefully, your own memories and experiences of past critiques are not too harrowing. I've heard horror stories of teacher tearing up work with a vicious wringing of hands, with expected crying as a result.  

I see my in-class critiques are a safe environment to learn how to 'screw up with grace' so that when one has to present work under pressure, presentations become a learnt behaviour, like the phenomena of muscle-memory. Ideally, I'm modelling the kind of critiques I'm looking for here—making the presentations less 'defensive' and more 'conversation with a peer'.

One other aspect to the critiques is that they gives my students another chance to practice their ability to 'read the room'. Interpersonal skills, self awareness and the reading of social cues can take a good presentation into a vibrant, back and forth conversation engaging the whole room. Or, conversely, it can take a poor presentation and make it into a total snoozefest. 

So, when I was getting started on my new class for Spring 2011, I had the ambition of recording video of every in-class critique. Crazy right? And since I had no idea if it would work out at all, I just took this semester as a a working prototype to work out it's value first. 

What tools did I use?

I think that next semester I will be seriously upgrading my recording equipment and refining my workflow (HD recording, proper microphones), but since this method was a prototype, I just used the tools I had to hand, namely my MacBook Pro. 

1. Open Quicktime on you Mac
2. Find 'Make new recording' under the file menu.
3. Aim your laptop at your students and use the screen/viewfinder for visual feedback 
4. Press record (and hope that you get a clean audio track without too much background noise)
5. End recording when done
6. Upload to vimeo
7. Post link/embed video onto class blog

Now, my biggest misgiving of the video so far is the poor quality of the audio recording from my MacBook Pro. It's rubbish. My apologies to everyone. If nothing else, I'll get better cleaner audio next time!

So a summary of the reasons to record video of your in-class critiques.

Why record video of in-class critique?

• Makes typically ephemeral critiques tangible
• It gives much needed practice in giving presentations and public speaking
• Allows for students to 'replay' and dissect their critiques for later learning
• It makes everyone in the room take it seriously
• Adds fidelity and recourse for a student and their notes
• It reveals the interplay between student : teacher, student :  student, guests critics :  class
• Allows for anyone who missed a week to catch up remotely (perhaps a live webcast of the critiques could be a possible iteration)
• Gives greater transparency into the class and the teaching at SAIC

A complete library of critiques from my Living in a Smart City class is available here on Vimeo (every one minus week 1).

One bonus video is below: not a critique but instead a video made by one of the student teams to present a concept. A great example of how video can be a great tool to communicate both ways.

Visual storytelling through video

In preparation for a new project for a client, I've been looking for inspirational videos of beautiful, simple, story telling. I'm not a film maker by any stretch but I've experience telling stories using all sorts of different mediums, but live action remains for me, the one with the most promise, the most pre-production jitters and largest final pay off. 

Below are some of the best reference material I've found so far and I'll update this with more examples when I find more.

Please add any others you like in the comments section. Thanks

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By film maker, photographer and designer, Michael Chung. These two pieces were for Elieen Fisher. I love how there's just enough movement in each 'photograph' that you know it's video, but it reads like editorial photography. Incidentally, I used to work with Michael when we were both at IDEO and he is a scarily versatile chap.

By film maker Tyler Manson. Beautifully simple interview beautifully executed. I love the grading throughout that makes the whole piece feel like it was shot during a two day long 'magic hour'. The super shallow depth-of-field also helps keep it warm and dreamy. Perhaps that's what makes it feel like beign the Sartorialist the best dream job ever.