I’m proud of the work, as it’s one of the best videos I’ve created to date. Why is it successful? Several reasons: 1. Authenticity: The shoot had a relaxed atmosphere and this allowed Meghan’s personality to come through. She’s clearly at ease in the video, as she can be seen smiling and laughing and enjoying herself. Meghan’s passion for photography and her love of capturing people is also reflected. You’re seeing Meghan as she actually is, and the people to whom I’ve shown the video have responded to her genuineness. “She’s great!” one individual said. “If I was trying to decide between Meghan and another photographer and I saw this… I’d hire her!” I took that as a high complement because my goal was to create something that would set Meghan apart from her competitors. 2. Preparation: I like to have a good understanding of my subjects before work begins on a project, and so I reviewed Meghan’s information before filming. This included her website, her photos, her blog, and her social media presence. I had a good idea of Meghan’s photographic style, her background, her motivations, and this became the basis of the interview questions. When she and I sat down, we had a thoughtful and thorough conversation, and this was critical as her responses drove the video’s narrative. 3. Editing: Meghan’s business is photography, so, of course, I wanted to showcase her work. I put care into integrating the pictures she took during the styled shoot with the video I shot of her crafting these images. At times, I even matched footage and photography to show the exact moment the photos were captured. This allows the viewer to see the artist at work and to watch as the creative process unfolds.
5. Length: I knew early on that the piece should be no longer than three minutes and the end result came in just under that mark. My experience has been that for a work of this nature, three minutes is an appropriate length – a shorter video doesn’t always allow enough time to tell a story and people might lose interest at some point if the video ran too long. A great deal of information can be conveyed in a few minutes, and here the viewer comes away with a good overview of Meghan’s personality, her work, what drives her, and the way in which she crafts her images.
In summary: I advise that you first determine the tone of the piece before beginning a creative project. In addition, make sure to go in having done some research and pay close attention to detail. Further, be sure to choose the appropriate materials and consider the time and length. This was a video project, but this guidance can be applied in the some way to almost any art form. Good luck!
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My cousin pointed this out recently when we met for dinner. She noted she can tell when I’ve found a prospective story because, as she explained it, “Your eyes light up and you lean in to the other person.” She's absolutely right and for this reason she’ll often joke, “This is off the record…” My story on Detroit City Council member, Gabe Leland, ran in a recent edition of the Detroit Jewish News (DJN). Leland represents District 7 in Northwest Detroit, and he was elected to office in 2013. Here’s how the article came to me, as well as my process to write it: I’ve known Leland for a few years, and I saw him at an event a few months ago. We talked about his time in office when it occurred to me he would be an excellent person to profile. I’m especially interested in what folks are doing in the City of Detroit – the metro area is my hometown – and as a council member he certainly is involved in various aspects of the community. I asked him if he had been profiled by the DJN. He said he had, but it was in the months before he won his election. I saw this as an opportune time for another piece, as he had been in office a few years and would have a different perspective now that he was in office, rather than a candidate.
I followed up with Leland by phone and he talked continuously about community engagement. He spoke about how he made a special effort to reach out to his constituents and gather their thoughts on how the district could be a better place to live and work. And so, we determined that should be the focus of the story.
He invited me to a community visioning session in his district a few weeks later, and I was able to see the interaction between Leland and community members. I had the opportunity to talk to Leland again, and also speak to residents and members of Leland’s staff. Between the previous phone conversation I'd had with the councilman and the information I gathered at the meeting, I now had enough material to write the story. In keeping with the article’s community engagement focus, the published headline read: “An Engaging Figure.” Click on either of the images above to read the complete piece. In summary, my advice for developing stories: 1. Seek new people: put yourself in a position to be around unfamiliar folks – attend networking events, social gatherings, community meetings, etc. I find I’m more open to new concepts when I’m out of my routine and my comfort zone. I’m more likely to come up with notions when I’m around acquaintances with whom I don’t often interact, rather than close friends and family I often see. 2. Ask questions: if you talk to someone for long enough, they'll probably say something that might make for a good story. Everyone has a tale and it’s a writer’s job to extract it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people say, “Why would you want to write about me? I’m not that interesting!” Truthfully, many people aren't interesting all the time, but everyone has had interesting experiences. 3. Accept the writing process: ideas take time to develop, so don’t worry if you only have part of a concept initially. Continue to speak to people and collect information and eventually you’ll have enough for a piece. Also, working on deadline is a positive as it forces you to find an angle. As some point, you have to stop gathering, start working, and go with whatever material you have. Good luck! |
AuthorI'm Eli Natinsky and I'm a communication specialist. This blog explores my work and professional interests. I also delve into other topics, including media, marketing, pop culture, and technology. Archives
April 2021
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