Catherine Chambers, Senior Producer at The Open University explores why storytelling is the key to engaging learners with short form video in informal and formal learning.
About the author: Senior Producer at the Open University, Catherine Chambers produces short form content across all subject areas for multiple platforms, including iTunes, YouTube and FutureLearn Moocs. Prior to this, Catherine worked for the BBC in radio production and as an AV Producer on BBC 5Live, producing the popular Kermode and Mayo film review and on campaigns including Wimbledon 606 and Sports Relief.
‘The only true voyage of discovery, the only fountain of Eternal Youth, would be not to visit strange lands but to possess other eyes, to behold the universe through the eyes of another, of a hundred others, to behold the hundred universes that each of them beholds, that each of them is’ – from The Prisoner (1923) my Marcel Proust, translated by C. K. Scott Moncrieff
This quote from Proust’s À la recherche du temps perdu is apropos to the role of video and visual storytelling in teaching and learning. Video can take viewers on a journey of discovery they may not otherwise have had access to; visual storytelling can transform that journey into a rich learning experience. The simple narrative structure – the beginning, middle and end – has provided the staple storytelling framework for centuries but the craft of storytelling can take many different forms. In the context of short form video it involves being creative with visual tools in ways that inspire audiences to think differently and perhaps question their deep rooted perspectives; enabling them to engage with subject matter with new eyes – in only a few minutes.
… Visual Storytelling transports learners to places (and contextualises events) in a way the written word cannot
Short form video has become increasingly popular in the digital age. Modern technology has enabled an explosion in online learning (for example the rise of MOOCs – Massive Open Online Courses), giving the learner more control over their learning and influencing how people choose to learn, with video playing a key role in the online learning experience. This is not surprising when we consider that seventy percent of learners are visual learners – that is to say they learn through visual aids such as images, diagrams, charts, film, and infographics, animation photographs for example. Video itself accounts for over fifty percent of internet traffic (predictions suggest this will rise to seventy percent by 2017) and there is now an expectation for content to be delivered in visual form.
Video is a valuable tool for teaching and learning for many reasons; making the inaccessible accessible, transforming complex, difficult or even dull subject matter into engaging thought provoking content, in developing analytical, observational and critical thinking skills, and in retention of key learning points. Short form video can add great value when it comes to revision, for example in the form of bite-size approaches to concepts and theories; conversely it can also be used to capture students at the beginning of a course, with an introduction to key themes or ideas or as a trailer/course marketing tool to attract potential students, among many other uses. The Open University’s 60 Second Adventures series, which combines character driven animation with comedic script to engage learners across a range of topics, were initially produced as part of an informal learning public engagement content strategy. These animations found their way from MOOCs to course modules when educators of MOOCs recognised their value – and the value of humour - in formal learning.
Visual Storytelling, in its many forms, transports learners to places (and contextualises events) in a way the written word cannot. From historical events to space missions to the natural world (would the story of the flightless Barnacle Goose chicks making the leap down a cliff face in Life Story be as gripping on the page as on screen?) visual storytelling brings learning to life. But while not everyone has a Frozen Planet sized budget, it is possible to create engaging informative and educational online visual content through being creative with simple formats and having a clear content strategy or vision, whether for one learning video or an entire MOOC or YouTube channel.
… as learners become increasingly time poor, the requirement for short form video in education increases
The increasing popularity of video as a teaching and learning tool has been accompanied by a re-invention of that staple of teaching and learning: the lecture. RSA Animate have transformed spoken word lectures into powerful works of visual storytelling, with hand drawn animation emphasising the key points from the accompanying audio commentary. Khan Academy, a not for profit organisation, has over 500 million views on its YouTube channel through simple tutorials with Khan’s handwritten scrawl and guiding voiceover, produced using screencast software. The high profile TED Talks format is based on powerful ideas presented in the form of talks (in effect mini-lectures) expressed in eighteen minutes (with a catchy tag line: ‘Ideas Worth Spreading’), offering a veritable feast of thought provoking content. It works because of the simplicity in delivery and presentation and illustrates the importance of performance.
Performance is an art in itself. A strong on screen performance lends an air of authenticity to the speaker and increases audience engagement. Performance, once mastered, can by a powerful storytelling tool in terms of connecting with the audience. The growth in online video in education has seen the emergence of YouTube stars from the academic community. From Harvard’s Michael Sandel’s lavishly produced Justice series to University of Nottingham’s popular Periodic Table videos with zany looking Professor Martyn Poliakoff, academics have shown they can shine on screen, with audience figures in their millions. Visual storytelling isn’t all about broadcast production values; it’s about the strength of the idea and how the idea is executed. For academic-fronted videos performance is about personalisation, pace, precision of delivery – and to all types of visual storytelling add to that ‘Planning’.
Planning is crucial for a video production, no matter how big or small, to be a success. The purpose of the video or series, and its intended audience, needs to be identified before production can start. This is sometimes called the ‘takeaway’ – or key message. In course production this would be defined as a learning outcome. It’s useful to have three bullet point takeaways and always keep them at the forefront of the creative vision. The five W’s and H – a creative tool often thought of as the preserve of journalists - can be a useful approach to use in this early process. The 5W’s being ‘who’ ‘what’ ‘where’ ‘when’ ‘why’– i.e. what is the content proposition (add to this learning outcomes), why is the video being produced (relevance, intended audience), who is involved (presenter, production crew) where will it be filmed (location) and when, for example, are there any time factors to consider. The ‘how’ in this instance relates to considerations of genre, format and style, e.g. observational documentary, interview piece to camera, conceptual comedic animation, and personalised, essayistic slideshow.
To answer some of these questions we need to return to the term visual storytelling. Thinking visually is not restricted to a piece to camera either ‘down the lens’ or off camera, the kind often seen in documentaries; although these well used approaches are extremely valuable in the right context, for example to illustrate an authorial presence, an expert in their field connecting directly with the viewer or conveying a message to a wider audience (such as the TED Talks). Video slideshows can be cheaper to be produce and be very effective with dynamic use of photography, voiceover and graphics, while images, a powerful musical score and text on screen without any voiceover can also be effective – depending on the purpose of the video. Storytelling is about narrative however and a narrative should have a structure – even if it is not linear - an engaging narrator, if there is one (in voiceover or in vision), be in digestible chunks and the pace should reflect the tone and mood of the narrative. Above all it should have a powerful hook or opening sequence and an element of intrigue.
OU Enterprise Development Academic Richard Blundel nominates the co-founder of the Kwendo Kor charity,
Maryam Bibi as his 'Unlikely Leader' (image cortesy of Rose De Larrabeiti / Whistledown).
With the average YouTube video clocking in at four minutes and users often only staying for half of that, content should ‘hook’ the viewer in from the beginning. An example of a hook might be a famous quote, a powerful or controversial statement or question on screen, a historic piece of archive footage or a powerful visual metaphor. The opening clip of an episode of BBC2’s Horizon showed the vastness of the sea accompanied by an powerful voiceover conveying a sense of intrigue: ‘Nothing is More Seductive than the Unknown, nothing more compelling than a place of danger that lies beyond normal comprehension…’ before cutting to an image of space, revealing the subject matter: Black Holes (Horizon, Swallowed by a Black Hole, BBC2, 26 June 2013).
As learners become increasingly time poor, the requirement for short form video in education increases. This does not signal the end of hour-long debates or discussions – rather it demands consideration about how long form content is presented online. This requires a different approach to that of original short form assets. Short form video is an art in itself; for bespoke content creation it is less about cramming as much as possible in two and a half minutes, rather it is what you leave out, that matters. Editing an hour-long video into bite-sized chunks ensures key learning points are communicated and makes it easier for learners to digest the content and allow time for reflection. However in terms of long form content, context is everything. Content must be self-contained but remain in context of the larger whole.
… the growth in online video in education has seen the emergence of YouTube stars from the academic community
When we think visual, we may think images – but sound is equally if not more important. While audiences may tolerate lower quality images they will not tolerate poor quality sound. Audio is also a powerful storytelling tool in its own right. While not everyone is comfortable on camera or confident in producing a good on screen performance, audio, for example, voiceover on a slideshow, animation or slide cast, is more likely to connect with auditory (as well as visual) learners, who learn through listening and who are more likely to engage with a persuasive narrator/voice over. For example in the Khan Academy videos, Khan is never on screen but his warm baritone voice creates a sense of intimacy and connection with the viewer. While not everyone is blessed with the assured tones of David Attenborough or John Peel, natural passion can go a long way to creating an engaging presence; it is still a performance. On this point, it is worth spending time rehearsing a script aloud before recording in the studio, underlining key words and practicing the emphasis on these words – and recording this on a phone in order to have a sense of pace and delivery. Too fast and the learner will be unable to keep up, too slow and they’ll have switched off.
The key elements of short form visual storytelling are explored in a one-day course at the BUFVC entitled ‘Think Visual’, involving exploring different approaches to learning video through clip analysis and review. A few examples produced by The Open University are listed in the examples listed below:
Catherine Chambers
SLIDESHOW: UNLIKELY LEADERS (The Open University/Whistledown Productions) (2014) http://bit.ly/1CZdu2R Academics provided the audio commentary for their chosen ‘Unlikely Leader’ in this cross-disciplinary series, which focuses on challenging traditional concepts of leadership. With an innovative approach to visual storytelling combining digital images with archive footage, motion graphics, text, audio commentary and a subtle musical soundtrack, this stylish visual approach re-invents the concept of a slideshow as an engagement tool.
ANIMATION: 60 SECOND ADVENTURES IN ... (The Open University/Angel Eye Media) (2011) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zVaFjSxAZs A comedic approach was the basis of the 60 Second Adventures in… animation series, which began with philosophical thought experiments and was successfully applied to astronomy, economics and religion. The vision for this series (over 1 million views on YouTube) was simple – character driven hand drawn animation, finely crafted lightly comedic scripts, recognisable voiceover delivered to precision by David Mitchell, a short duration and a playful series title.
DOCUMENTARY: DESIGN BEHIND THE BIKE (The Open University/Cyclevox) (2014) www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rLdu0AIgHA Specially shot footage and interviews with experts make these short form documentary video interesting historical pieces (History of Road Bike design) for wider audiences, as well engaging to the cycling community interested in wheel and frame design. These videos are double the average YouTube duration – but demonstrate that specialist subjects can engage audiences for longer.