Beginners often assume that good video content is just about recording clips that look nice, but what you want isn’t just pretty pictures. It’s a good story, as even simple images can tell a good story if the content is purposeful and intentional.
Video storytelling doesn’t mean you need a complex or cinematic story; it means your clips should have context and cohesion. You don’t want your viewers to feel like they’re randomly viewing the events of your life; you want them to feel like you’re showing them something on purpose.
The process of video storytelling starts by asking yourself: Why do I want to record this? What am I trying to show? A clear concept can be something simple, perhaps a mood or feeling, a time and place, a specific process, or just a personal anecdote you want to remember and share. This will become the foundation of your entire video.
Next, your video should have some kind of structure. While this can vary depending on your topic and purpose, all video content should at least have the rudimentary elements of a beginning, middle, and end. This doesn’t have to be dramatic (though some stories certainly should be). What’s most important is logical and natural flow. Without some kind of structure, the beautiful clips you’ve shot could just come off as disconnected moments that feel out of place.
Video stories also need to convey emotion, because people don’t always remember the specifics of videos they watch. What they do remember, though, is how it made them feel. That’s why choosing the right tone of music, pacing, and visuals can be a powerful tool. Calmer scenes with slower movement and slower cuts convey a different feeling than rapid cuts with high-energy music.
Another aspect of video storytelling is that you need a consistent visual style. If there is too much inconsistency between your shots with regards to color, lighting, or tone, that may create an immersion-break and make it difficult for the viewers to focus on what you’re presenting. Keeping consistent styles keeps them immersed in your story and on message.
Finally, it can be beneficial to show, rather than tell. Don’t feel like you have to explain every detail of the video to your audience. For example, if you’re recording a busy day, instead of just explaining that it was busy, you can instead use rapid cuts to demonstrate what was going on. Video storytelling works best when the video and images convey the story more than words could.
Video storytelling improves with time and attention. The more videos and films you watch and appreciate, the more you start to understand how stories build emotions, convey concepts, and move along a narrative arc. With time, what you were once just recording clips of becomes shaped into an experience.
Video storytelling is all about clarity; when you understand the specific content you want to portray and create your video to focus on that, even the most simple videos can convey powerful and engaging stories.