Visual Storytelling

During fall break for Ohio Northern, the ONU chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America took a trip to Boston for PRSSA's national conference. During the conference we saw a lot of great speakers, but there was one that really stuck with me. As the title of this post suggests, it was about visual storytelling. The presentation was given by Morgan Spurlock, the creator of "Super Size Me."

He spoke to us about a whole range of topics, like perseverance, but the one that I enjoyed the most was his bit on visual storytelling. Because of my interest in video and his experience in the field, it was something I was excited to hear about. The presentation didn't disappoint.

Nowadays, Spurlock works mainly with companies and organizations producing short form documentary style videos. A lot of his videos are meant to evoke a strong emotional reaction from the viewers to help get their point across. I'm including one of the videos he showed us at the presentation in this blog, and I highly encourage all of you guys to watch it before reading the rest of this post.

It demonstrates the effect a well done video can have on us. How even though we come in not knowing who the people are, in three minutes, we feel and can empathize with what they are going through. We get a glimpse into their lives, and even if it's only for a short amount of time, you feel like you know them as people and can understand their emotions. It leaves a lasting impression on you. That's the power a well told story has.

The message the video is trying to get across, is only strengthened by how each shot is established and each one gives not only context to the situation, but lets you, the viewer, see all of the emotions throughout. The visuals in your video should be able to tell a story by themselves. This video does that exceptionally well.

The art of visual storytelling is something that I struggle with in what I shoot. It is not an easy task, and it takes a lot of planning to pull off well. But when it is done well, it's something your viewers notice and appreciate. You can turn off the audio and just watch the video and the message and impact can still be felt throughout.

One thing Spurlock mentioned was, people are built to process visual information, we're not built to read and understand words on a page. The feelings and emotions that a well put together video can evoke are incredible and it inspired me to want to produce more of this type of short form content. I hope it inspires you guys to explore the world of video a little more and maybe start creating your own videos.