Tag: Digital Story

In her TEDxUniMelb Talk “Why storytelling is so powerful in the digital era,” communications specialist Ashley Fell explains that in this evolving digital era characterized as the “great screen age,” visual storytelling has become more important than ever.

As screen-time increases and attention spans decrease, it is becoming vital to appeal to the visual mind. In fact, our brain responds to, and processes visuals, a whopping 60,000 times faster than text. Because of this, Fell argues that the way to effectively communicate a message or information which can be productively processed by the brain is to use principles of good storytelling.

For Fell, an engaging story, no matter what the medium, includes the four I’s – good stories create interest, they also instruct, involve and inspire us.

Let’s take a closer look at each:

1. Interest – a good story succeeds at maintaining our attention, such as through a good story arc with a rise in tension. We become invested in the action and want to know what happens, how the tension is resolved.
2. Instruct – for a story to have meaning, there has to be some sort of value for the listener which can present itself in the form of a ‘how to,’ ‘lesson learned’ or moral of the story each of which provide a teachable moment that will often be what the audience will remember when the story ends.
3. Involve – making someone feel they are a part of the story gives them a stake in the story itself. Thus, the audience goes from a passive, listening role to an active, participatory one.  
4. Inspire – when a story can create an emotional response from the listener, it succeeds in being more relatable and thus memorable. This is what Fell describes as connecting our minds and hearts. People probably won’t remember your words but they will remember the emotion those words brought out.

“[A good story] connects not just with the eyes of the head but with the eyes of the heart.”

– Ashley Fell, TEDxUniMelb

In closing, remember that stories are visual even without the use of pictures, so choose not only your visuals but your words wisely!

Christmas Day 2021 was different.

Originally I was supposed to be lounging by a pool sipping on a margarita but when the Prime Minister announced that leisure travel wasn’t recommended, my plans changed. The trip was a gift to myself and my husband so we had no gifts to exchange nor did we have family nearby to create new plans with. It was a very disappointing change of pace and I needed comfort.

To cheer myself up on the blustery cold festive day, I decided to stream this “Encanto” movie everyone was raving about and I was not disappointed! At one point, I had the blankets pulled up to hide as tears streamed down my face. I was emotionally invested, toes were tapping to the tunes and I found a new favourite movie.

Encanto is a beautiful movie! The narrative isn’t a typical love story or a complicated romance but it does follow a good story spine as illustrated below:

Beginning:	Introduced to the main character, Mirabel, and learn that she does not have a gift like the rest of her family members do
The Event:	As her younger cousin is going for his gift ceremony, the house starts to crack.
Middle:	Mirabel goes on a journey to try to heal the house by uncovering an old family curse brought on by Bruno (who no one talks about)
The Climax:	The matriarch of the family founds out what Mirabel has been up to and the magic of the house ends, with the house in rambles.
End:	Mirabel is able to mend the connection with matriarch of the family and in turn, magic is returned to the home through help of others.

It’s also filled with a wonderful narrative about:

• People finding themselves and their role within the family
• Relatable in the way characters are portrayed
• Culture of the family
• Normal struggles that many people have in reality (eg. older sibling feeling the weight on her shoulders, the beautiful sister feeling like she has to always be perfect.
• Those sorts of feelings.

Relatability:

As a middle child and someone who became a bit of a “black sheep”, I really relate to the main character Mirabel. The feeling of a lack in belonging even though you know inside that you have potential for greatness. I also appreciate that isn’t a knight in shining armour who “rescues” her from the problems so Mirabel has to face the conflict and find resolutions by meaningful conversations with her family (including Bruno).

Story Writing Magic:

Yes, the house and characters are magical but the true magic is in the story writing and song lyric writing!

The tale is spun using the typical story spine with the main character Mirabel finding her way in her family as the person who doesn’t belong. She doesn’t have a gift like the rest of her family members and when she starts investigating, bad things start to happen and she is criticized by her grandmother for not behaving. Mirabel follows her heart, starts to ask questions and as she gleans clarity, the magical house falls apart completely. But in the falling apart, relationships are healed through honesty and connection. The family is able to put the house back together with the help of the non-magical townsfolk and the magic of Mirabel.

The story is also supported through wonderful musical numbers written in a way to compliment the story and foreshadow conflict with other characters and explain emotions. Each song is filled with upbeat tempos and repeating words that instantly stick in your mind.

Review:

I recently rewatched the movie again and the emotional connection was even stronger. I still felt the same connection to the characters and I noticed even more nuances in the story watching it again.

There is true magic in sharing a story that connections millions of people across the world! Whether it touches their soul, pulls at their heart strings or helps little girls see themselves, it’s a beautiful accomplishment.

Encanto is going on my movie shelf to stay and revisit again and again!