Digital Storytelling

The University of Houston has a very informative page about digital storytelling (http://digitalstorytelling.coe.uh.edu/example_stories.cfm?categoryid=7). There are many excellent excerpts of digital storytelling on their webpage, but I was especially very drawn to the video called "Music, Music, Music." The video was about music, and how it effects people's brains. In class we discussed the 7 Elements of digital story telling. As I watched the video "Music, Music, Music," I took note of those elements and saw how the creator incorporated all of those elements into the video.

1. The Point of View: The point of view was clearly stated at the beginning of the video by simply stating the title and giving a short explanation- "Music, Music, Music,... about the machines that make our civilization run and the people who's ingenuity created it." 

2. The Dramatic Question: "Do you crave listening to music?" 

3. Emotional Content: The creator makes the video relatable to everyone by explaining how music effects all people throughout civilization. Even the pictures used represent people from every culture and every generation. 

4. The Gift of Your Voice: The voice that narrated the story was of an older man, and the recording effects used, made it sound like he was a radio announcer from the 1940-50's. This created a special affect also emphasizing how music has touched people of all ages and generations.  

5. The Power of the Soundtrack: The Soundtrack used was an old Nickelodeon song. The piano sounded very "old-timy" and helped to reference a few places in the video discussing songs that "stick like glue." 

6. Economy: The content was just the right amount, and was very concise, yet very informative. Many pictures were used to tell the story and keep the audience entertained.

7. Pacing: Many pictures were used, so the pictures changed quite often. The longest amount of time that a picture remained on the screen was roughly 5 seconds. This kept the pace flowing very nicely, and keeps the audience engaged in the video at all times. 

Overall, I was very impressed with this video and the digital story website in general. It gave me some good ideas and tips that will be helpful to me when starting my own digital story.