Sure, budget, professional lighting, and celebrity endorsements are all great, but a great story is what makes a production.
Yes, storytelling might sound simple. We all know how to tell stories. And most of us know how to write. But at the same time, there’s a big gap between poor, OK, and fantastic storytelling. Fortunately, some best practices in the industry have been known to work time and time again. We will discuss them throughout this article.
The Ingredients of a Great Story
The best place to start when it comes to storytelling for your brand’s video is with the four P’s, also known as ‘Purpose, Plot, People, and Place.’ Let’s delve into each of the four P’s further, shall we?
Purpose
What do you want your audience to take away from your video? What emotions do you wish to convey? What do you want the viewer to do after they watch the video? It might appear simple, but having total clarity of your purpose is essential. Projects can go awry when various personnel from a company have a different implicit understanding of the team’s purpose. So, put some time aside to clearly spell out your purpose, including action-oriented and emotive outcomes for your brand and how you want the audience to react to the material you will put forward.
Most plots include an element of suspense or surprise. They also need a human element that can be conveyed through a relatable character. There’s often also an introduction that establishes where and when the story is being told and then a conclusion once you’ve completed the dramatic arc.
People
You need to be aware of cultural signifiers your audience knows and appreciates and communicate with various emotions. Consider utilizing many emotions, from love, happiness, fears, hopes, language, and history. Establishing a common ground will create resonant storytelling. Your characters should be grounded in this knowledge for your audience to relate to them. Otherwise, your feelings could feel synthetic, generic, disingenuous, and unbelievable.
Place
Of course, you’ll need to confirm a place from where the story will unfold. You’ll also need to establish an actual location where your video will be shot. Finally, the place also means where your audience will see your story, whether it be a cinema trailer, a TV commercial, a YouTube video, or a specific location important to your brand.
Yes, every video needs a good sense of how it supports and builds on your brand. However, problems arise when your brand becomes the story. If your project focuses solely on your brand, it can interfere with good storytelling. Your audience will feel you’re merely speaking to them instead of engaging with them. If your brand outshines the story’s characters, it can prove difficult to create emotional resonance, which is essential.
The best thing to do is to put a discussion about your brand and its role upfront as a part of the purpose conversation. This ensures that it's appropriately considered and reflected in any decisions regarding plot, place, and people, but doesn’t take over the role of these important ingredients. By employing the services of video production in Birmingham, you can leave these important aspects of purpose-driven storytelling to the professional, while you continue to do what you do best, and focus on building your brand.
