Previsualizing Your Idea
In this sample chapter from Video Storytelling Projects, author Rafael Concepcion emphasizes the value of previsualization with a shot list to plan video storytelling effectively. He encourages intentional work to evoke the desired emotional response in viewers. The use of simple apps like Google Sheets or Excel on a smartphone is recommended for flexibility. Concepcion also advises on organizing scenes and managing shots for a smoother production process, highlighting the benefits of preparation in crafting a compelling narrative.
Once you create a general outline for your story, it’s time to start rendering the story into better focus. A good way to do this is by constructing a shot list, a list of every type of video shot that you think you will need to tell your story. The shot list allows you to look at each point of the story and think about that moment in specific detail. For each moment, you can decide what kind of shot you want to use, what the overall angle should be, and if there is going to be any kind of movement. In short, the shot list enables you to previsualize what you would like to happen in the story and make purposeful choices that reinforce the emotional goal you are going for.
Working with Intention
In my classroom, I often tell students to print out examples of the different types of shots (like those in Figure 2.4 of the previous chapter), and cut them into small cards. When they work on their shot lists, I have them place all of these cards in front of them. As they contemplate the individual events in the story, I ask them to think, “What would be a move I could pull here that would totally impress Professor Concepcion?”
I’ll be honest: This is not entirely meant for me; it’s to motivate them to work with intention. If you’ve ever seen a movie and thought “oh, wow… that was pretty cool,” you can be certain that the filmmaker sat down during their previsualization and said to themselves: “How can I get my viewer—at this specific moment—to say ‘this is pretty cool.’” That is working with intention.
When we set out to create a story, we set out to evoke a feeling from a person for a specific person. From a commercial to a political ad to a news story, our job is to make someone feel something and inspire them to do something with that feeling. We use our available tools—our pillars of what we hear, what we see, and what we say—but each of those tools is used with an extremely specific intention in mind.
As you get better in this craft, this process becomes so automatic it’s invisible. Your reward will be a smile when you see someone react at the precise moment you wanted in the story. You’ll tell yourself “I meant to do that”—and that will be the best feeling.