Written by Summary: Mark tells simple stories through his videos and uses compelling, entertaining characters to tell them.
This session was presented by Mark Locke, Multimedia Training Specialist, ServPro Industries, Inc.
Video is everywhere and at our fingertips – literally. But of the companies that use video, many aren’t using it to its full potential. Video is all about telling stories to better engage your audience, and this involves using some creativity, character development, and some outside-the-box thinking. Video can be a powerful tool – but only if we use it correctly.
What we need to get started
- First, there must be an idea. Sometimes it is storyboarded and sometimes not.
- The idea must revolve around a story of some sort.
How to take an idea and develop it into stories
- Be creative and use humor where it is applicable and there is certainty it won’t be offensive.
How to tell the story creatively in a script to most engage our audience
- The best way to tell the story creatively is to engage the audience with continuing stories told through humor with compelling characters.
The pre-production process; how a little planning will go a long way
- Design so that every two minutes the learner needs to do something.
- Don’t try to make the video too complicated or too long.
- Try to avoid greenscreen if you can find a set to use that meets the need of the shot.
How to develop characters to tell your stories
Mark uses unique and compelling characters in his stories, such as Bug Tugley, who does sales and marketing training, and Bob The Science Guy, who does production training. His characters really are “characters” in the sense that they are caricatures of real people. This also makes it easier for them to be humorous.
