The 5 stories I watched from Story Center:
Preservation
1890 Stories
Lost and Found
Finding
Resaved --- my favorite
Element #1: Point of View
What is the point of view in each? The point of view is 1st person
Whose voice do you hear? The narrator Marie Lovejoy
Element #2: Dramatic Question
"Shortly after college, I drained my meager back account to purchase a 1974 three-quarter ton, long bed, chevy pickup."
Element #3: Emotional Content
This video is full of emotional content. It's about a young woman chasing her dreams, not necessarily in the favor of her parents. It is also about a father and daughter relationship, which is what spoke to me personally. It's about love and loss.
Element #4: Your Voice
I believe the narrator does a very nice job using her voice. She speaks slowly and clearly, and it easy to understand. She adds exaggeration to her voice in places to make a point and to add emphasis to a particular word. She isn't monotone throughout and her voice pitch ranges, making her easy to listen to and be engaged in her story.
Element #5: Sound Track
Does your digital story have a sound track? How does it add depth to the visual images? Does it distract?
"Shortly after college, I drained my meager back account to purchase a 1974 three-quarter ton, long bed, chevy pickup."
Element #3: Emotional Content
This video is full of emotional content. It's about a young woman chasing her dreams, not necessarily in the favor of her parents. It is also about a father and daughter relationship, which is what spoke to me personally. It's about love and loss.
Element #4: Your Voice
I believe the narrator does a very nice job using her voice. She speaks slowly and clearly, and it easy to understand. She adds exaggeration to her voice in places to make a point and to add emphasis to a particular word. She isn't monotone throughout and her voice pitch ranges, making her easy to listen to and be engaged in her story.
Element #5: Sound Track
Does your digital story have a sound track? How does it add depth to the visual images? Does it distract?
This sound track for this story is "Take Our Time" by Abby Jo and Kristoffer. It starts out light and then suddenly has a louder harmonica solo that caught me off guard and kind of shocked me. After the initial intro, the music quietens so you can hear the voice. Overall, I don't feel like the music is at all a distraction.
Element #6: Economy
Look at the examples in this section and consider the decisions the authors made about length of clips, types of transitions and sequence of events. Are you able (as a viewer) to fill in the missing pieces? Give an example from your chosen digital story.
Element #6: Economy
Look at the examples in this section and consider the decisions the authors made about length of clips, types of transitions and sequence of events. Are you able (as a viewer) to fill in the missing pieces? Give an example from your chosen digital story.
Yes, I was able to fill in the missing pieces. I knew that her father had passed away from the transition of the picture of them in front of a lake to the picture of the tree. She focused on the lake picture for a little while, then slowly faded out; I feel that was major foreshadowing.
Element #7: Pacing
How does the narrator use their voice to pace the story? Give a specific example.
I think that she does a good job using her voice to pace the story. She doesn't speak too quickly, nor too slowly. She gives you time to view the images while talking, and she also pauses to allow for a more dramatic effect. A specific example is when transitions from the picture of them in the water to the picture of them in front of the lake. She pauses her voice for a moment, and that's when I knew something had happened to her father.
Element #7: Pacing
How does the narrator use their voice to pace the story? Give a specific example.
I think that she does a good job using her voice to pace the story. She doesn't speak too quickly, nor too slowly. She gives you time to view the images while talking, and she also pauses to allow for a more dramatic effect. A specific example is when transitions from the picture of them in the water to the picture of them in front of the lake. She pauses her voice for a moment, and that's when I knew something had happened to her father.
Wow....incredibly moving. I like how her travelling mishaps were a metaphor for her own inner confidence, and the way her father supported her even when she felt she'd made a mistake. Telling it in first person, accompanied by person photographs, makes the audience feel like they are within the story. I like how she used zoom and pan techniques to transition within and between images, drawing attention to details. I don't think anyone could watch this and not feel her grief. The title was a mystery for me until we got to the end, and I think it was a clever way for her to wrap things up (but I won't spoil it!). Everyone should watch this one.
ReplyDeleteThis story was told in the first person. She talks about buying a truck and getting a trailer and pulling it along. I am right there with her at the beginning, I have never pulled anything that big and I can't imagine how she did it. "Sometimes the choices we make aren't bad, they are just wrong" is what her dad told her when she was going through a hard time. I feel awful for her that by the time she made it to her dad he couldn't even speak. I can't imagine how she felt. This digital story was so moving and the ending is so sad. I think that the voicemail was the best way to end it. Her pace and the music flowed so well with the images that she had. This digital story is one that will tug at your heart.
ReplyDeleteAmanda,
ReplyDeleteWow. This was a fantastic story. I think i've watched it about 10 times now. The story is beautifully told through the first person narrative, although it has less of an explicit dramatic question, it's easy to understand that the dramatic question is in relation to her father and her choices. The emotional content is not ver hard to relate to, as it seems many people have had that similar connection to their fathers and their ability to seemingly come in to rescue us anytime we need them to. Marie Lovejoy has a wonderful voice, and the emotional context is better understood through her voice. The pacing was good, and it never seemed to slow or fast. Lovejoy used a great track behind the video, and her choice of when to use the soundtrack was very wise. In terms of design, I thought the pacing was very well done. We see a glimpse into her story and there are enough unanswered questions to keep the viewer interested.
Thanks for sharing!!
Michael Gallimore
This is a great story! Nice pick! The narrator/authors voice in this movie truly allows the viewers to experience the emotional content in which she is trying to “get across” and express. I also (in a way) like the ending of this story, not because it is sad, but because it is realistic. It is true and real life. Not every ending is happy. This adds to the realistic and true emotional appeal of the story. The voicemail at the end was a perfect way to wrap it up; the pacing as well as the soundtrack was phenomenal in terms of pacing and placement. You definitely chose a great one to share!
ReplyDelete