Anatomy of a Good Advocacy Video

At work, we rotate our facilitators for our staff meetings. If assigned as facilitator, the person is responsible for doing some research and sharing a current advocacy video of interest. My turn up, I screened the doGooder Nonprofit Video Award winner, “Protect Our Defenders.” (The video addresses rape in the military.)

Everyone seemed moved. It was obvious by their reaction, why this video was a winner. So, I asked the room, “What moments in the video do you remember or stood out?” Answers: the statistics, the video included a male subject, the rape kit, the Senator’s ending statement.

Photo credit: http://ifp.12writing.com/2011/02/writing-conflict-freytags-pyramid-and.html

Armed with this information, I revisited the 1:45 video. The WITNESS training materials collectively state that stories should have a beginning, middle and end (also see Aristotle’s Poetics).

Using this information, I broke down the elements further, relating them to advocacy videos:

1. Beginning (exposition) = Introduce the issue
2. Transition point 1 = moves story to next section
3. Middle (rising action) = Building blocks of story are added about core problem of issue
4. Transition point 2 (climax) = moves story towards ending
5. End (falling action) = Propose a possible solution/action

Applying the above to “Protect Our Defenders,” I found a correlation between the breakdown and the moments staff remembered.

1. Introduce to the issue 0:00 to 0:42 (42 secs)
Transition point 1: Statistical information was used to emphasize and legitimize the first interviewee’s statement. The numbers directly tied to interviewee’s accusations.

2. Rising action, building up the story about core problem of issue 0:41 to 1:13 (32 secs)
Introduction to middle: This section starts with a male interviewee, males are rarely included in rape issues and using this interviewee helps to pull in the viewer further.
Rising action: Rape kit – The next interviewee describes her rape case. Her story helps raise the stakes of the problem: it isn’t only about rape, but the unwillingness to address the issue even with evidence. (The filmmaker even leaves in a few frames of the interviewee trying not to cry)
Transition point 2: Last interviewee summarizes core problem of issue, “The chain of command has a vested interest in keeping this under the rug.”

3. Propose a possible solution/action 1:13 to 1:38 (25 secs)
Ending: Senator (an expert) on the floor addresses colleagues. She emphasizes the summary made in transition point 2 and adds, “…a problem we can fix.” Then the video cuts to a graphic.

I also applied this breakdown to each of the other winners of the doGooder Nonprofit Awards. Each had similar correlations. Transitions were used to emphasize points and raise the action from section to section. The transitions tended to be key moments that viewers remembered. The pacing moved faster as the story progressed towards the ending. Lastly, because these videos are meant to be viewed online, each included an ending for the viewer to take part in an online action or website.

The ending of advocacy videos is what most differentiates itself from other types of videos. Online or offline advocacy videos call for an action whether it is to fill out postcards at a live screening or sign an online petition or something else.

Try applying this breakdown to advocacy videos you find interesting. Share your results with me at @moneymakermj

Batwoman’s Zero Issue

The new series is following the same illustration style and approach to storytelling that made DC decide to give it a chance on its own. The full page layouts of action sequences, the consistant trasition of Kate Kane to Batwoman and attempting to use the visiual part of the medium to its fullest extent; it’s all there in the zero issue.

At times, especially during action sequences, the paneling issues (difficulty following sequence of events), is still present in the new series. It makes following the story difficult which causes the reader to have stop and have to read a page again. On the positive side, something new is discovered in the reading and because of the talented artistry of J. H. Williams III, as a reader it isn’t too distracted from the story to have to read the pages again.

What I find a little unnerving is the story itself has Batwoman being stalked by Batman. It feels unnerving because I don’t know his purpose or objective for doing this. The unknown, makes it creepy. But this maybe the intent.  Over all the story doesn’t really add much to the readers knowledge about Kate Kane or Batwoman. This, I found a little disappointing, especially since Kate Kane seems to have such a vibrant back story.

I’m still in for this new series and want to see what’s next for this character.  But I can’t say for how long.

Will Eisner’s Chapter Nine

The writing process for a graphic novel. What is it? What does each writer work through to find the story that he/she wants to tell in this medium. Then, what decisions does the writer have to make about imagery to support the story and the dialogue.

In chapter nine of Will Eisner’s, Graphic Storytelling and Visual Narrative, he explains that the writer is writing for the artist. This is an easy thing to bridge if the writer and the artist are the same person. But when they are two different people, similar to film, the visual of what was originally intended could be lost to the artist if the writer does not communicate effectively to the artist’s needs. As with film, there are limitations that a writer needs to remember. In film the limitations may be due to budget, equipment or actors, but with comics it is the fact that the writer has remember that the visual is a still image limited to the artist’s abilities, space and text. Continue reading “Will Eisner’s Chapter Nine” »

Buffy is back and getting what she wants?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer the hit TV series becomes a Dark Horse Comic series still scripted by Joss Whedon.  The amazingly playful nature of the main characters thankfully is not lost in a very new world that they created.  The comics begin after season seven of the TV series and things are a bit different.  The world of slayers has expanded from 2 to 2000.  About 500 are working in Buffy’s organization in various small groupings or cells as the American government has labeled (really targeted ) them.  All willing to fight demons, vampires, whatever evil threatens their world even another army.  A group of slayers and Buffy are hold up in a Scottish castle and Dawn, formerly the Key, is now a giant.  Where is Willow?

The comic runs with a certain amount of familiarity from the TV program but that allows for continuity for fans and a solid base for newcomers.  The characters are drawn to resemble the actors that portray the TV roles but there are slight physical differences so it’s not just Buffy from TV in a comic.  These folks have their own look and are a bit more grown up than their TV counterparts.  Xander for example, one-eyed and leading the group of slayers in Scotland. Yes I said leading.  Deploying squadrons, barking orders and still managing to use his really bad sense of humor to his benefit in leading this band of women who could all kick his butt.  I am so glad he has found his niche as Sergeant Fury and I can stop worrying about his future.  Nice young man with good construction skills which will hopefully satisfy him once Buffy’s destiny is fulfilled is a horrible epitaph. Continue reading “Buffy is back and getting what she wants?” »

Willow deserved better

Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a hit television series that became an action packed Dark Horse Comic series.  As a die hard Buffy fan I was captivated by the Buffy series and ecstatic with a comic dedicated to Buffy’s number one friend, Willow.  Willow the tremendously powerful witch who once tried to destroy the world and is a lesbian who was an integral member of Buffy’s Scooby Gang but had a tremendous individual appeal.  Brilliantly smart and powerful but still Willow, somewhat guillable, kind hearted and possibly evil.

The comic that bears her name introduces us to the idea that a journey must be taken to determine or get to the heart of where her powers come from.  A journey for which she must have a guide and the choice of the guide is her’s.  She is led into another dimension where she meets a group of female beings, guardians you could say, who are there to aid in the journey/quest.  She is led by a snake like creature who appears to have a good intention but she is eventually revealed to be untrustworthy.  Maybe she was part of the journey in the form of a test of some kind but her introduction seems also necessary to introduce a bunch of throw away characters.  The episode ends with Willow denying her one true love, Tara, as a guide and selecting the snake lady as her guide on this journey of wisdom. Continue reading “Willow deserved better” »

Angst, Dream or Wasteland

I happened upon Teenage Wasteland vol 2. of the Marvel comic Runaways by accident. I was trying to decide about whether or not to make a phone call and the book was by the phone. Rather than make a decision I diverted my attention by picking up this book. Was I instantly intrigued by the striking young woman on the cover or so indecisive that a diversion was well received. Whatever the cause I started reading this teen story. Not having read Vol. 1 I had to pick up the slack quickly but was easily able to grasp each main characters backstory. Before I knew it 40 minutes had passed and I had read most of the volume….why?

The story is of six teens bound together in their mutual plight as the children of super villains who have formed a multi-faceted organization of evil know as The Pride. The kids thought their parents were boring, squares, like most teenagers do until they discover a deep, dark secret. Their parents true identities are revealed during an occult like ceremony called The Rite of Blood where a young girl is killed as a sacrifice. The parents then frame their kids for the murder when the kids run away from home. True family values. The kids form a vigilante family so to speak determined to take down their parents and general evil in the city of Los Angeles. Continue reading “Angst, Dream or Wasteland” »

Anyone can create a comic book workshop

What are the how-to’s of writing a comic book?  Scott McCloud’s books take a look at comics and focuses on breaking them down. What makes a comic book and how does it work? In the course that I am taking at the Open Center with Barbara Slate her approach is different. She is having us do a plot chart and character bible. She also has us working on drawing moments,  and ‘seeing’ what the story would look like on cut outs so that we can move the pieces around to see what works or does not work for the story. The feedback and critic are spot on and help for productivity.

The only thing that I am struggling with learning the rules. In a six page layout, what should each page consist of to move the story forward?

Maybe it is the scriptwriter in me, but I want to know that by page fifteen all my main characters need to be introduced, the conflict/inciting incident established and a turning point is happening or about to happen. The one thing that I enjoy about scriptwriting, believe it or not, are the rules. I learned this best when working as a teacher in video production. By giving the students the limit of five minutes of air time for their segment, it pushed them to be more creative and find ways to tell their story within that time frame.

This is what I can not seem to find in writing for comic books, rules. I want to know that the splash page should introduce the audience into the world and the story with as few images as possible. I want to know that page one should not only further introduce the characters, but also the inciting incident or that by page three there should be a turning point and page six the cliff hanger. I have asked our instructor, several times and I do not think that she understands what I am asking or maybe there are no rules? Maybe it’s because she’s learned comic book writing through a different route then a creative writing program, she learned it in the field by going from greeting cards to comics to animation. She’s learned it hands on, which is also her teaching style. This is something I can appreciate since much of what I have learned as a web designer is self taught, but there is something to be said about learning from theory and about the ‘structure’ or ‘rules’ of things. It lends to the adage, “Learn the rules, so you know how to break them.”

Less is more…

I took another look at the panels that I put together and I will be deleting a lot of the moments in the panel, first to go is the crime scene. It’s not needed.

The dialogue is also really bad. I can do a lot better, but have not hashed it out yet. I am realizing how much less dialogue is needed for a graphic novel then for a screenplay or stage play. Both, a screenplay and stage play, rely heavily on the auditory experience.

I’m finding with a graphic novel, the visual is key and works best in conjunction with the visceral relationship between each of the moments in a panel. The text really needs to be exact and precise, completely adding to the moment and the overall panel. Especially for a story like this one that is about the action and plot.

My mentor has been really pushing me to sketch out the panels and I am starting to understand the reasoning for it. It’s like video editing, every moment tells it’s own story but when you string them together a whole new meaning can be developed or it is realized that because of the visceral experience less is needed to tell the story. It’s why a cut in a movie or the jumping of images in graphic novel work. That instinctive understanding by the viewer who fills in all the gaps.

I think this semester I’m going to go back and reread Walter Murch’s book, “In a Blink of an Eye.” I really enjoy this book because it tries to answer the most basic and most important question a person working with images to tell a story needs to ask, “Why does a cut work?”

I feel this would help with a graphic novel because when it comes to the understanding and meaning of images strung together to create the wanted story, an important question to ask is, “why these two images next to each other not work to tell this story?”

So little time, so much work to do, but I’m looking forward to working on this again for this semester.