Digital storytelling projects have become increasingly common in higher education. On our campus, video essays, StoryMaps projects, immersive 360 video stories, and even short Adobe Spark videos. We've dropped in for several in-class instructional workshops on the subject, and while the content of these sessions can vary by subject matter and medium, three overarching tips have remained central to our message.Have a clear, concise summary of your project
You should be able to describe your video project in one sentence, similar to an elevator pitch. This sentence does not need to be included in your presentation, but it's good to articulate it for yourself. It can help provide focus and clarity as you proceed through the various steps of outlining, storyboarding, and adding media. On that note...Always ask "Why?" when adding content
Once you have your main idea, you can then make decisions on how to present your project. Trying to determine which image to use? How much text? Video or not? Return to your main idea and ask yourself "how would this media help support this idea? Does this clarify my message or convolute it? Of course, you can't answer that question if you don't...Get Feedback
As the creator of our project, we (should) know our message. The downside to being the creator, however, is because we understand what we're trying to do or say, we have blind spots to where the message is not as clear. Your project should be able to stand on its own without you having to explain or clarify it, and you won't be able to test that without getting feedback—ideally from those who are not familiar with the subject matter.Since we are not masters of the medium, here are some additional tips you might find helpful:
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