3 Easy Tips for GREAT Storytelling
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- Опубліковано 5 січ 2018
- We spend our whole lives telling stories, but it's not always easy to say why they work or don't work. Here are 3 tips that will help any story you tell.
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Jeff's book "Edit Better: Hollywood-Tested Strategies for Powerful Video Editing": amzn.to/2wHIDZb
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Story Greenlight founder Jeff Bartsch edits TV full-time in Hollywood for ABC, NBC, Apple, Universal, Disney, ESPN, MTV, and many others. His commentary has been featured in the USA Today, Time Magazine, the Associated Press, and multiple textbooks.
Also, if you like the lighting fixtures in the house, they’re custom, handmade works of art. Go here to see more: / jdavidtaylor
Instantly raise your video and story game by DOWNLOADING THIS FREE CHECKLIST: 27 Questions to Craft the Perfect Video - app.convertkit.com/landing_pages/356863?v=7#
I am SO happy that Tim Schmoyer shared your channel on his Twitter.. oh my goodness, I am HOOKED! Your channel (at least the 2 videos I've watched thus far) is pure gold!! I can't wait to watch all of your videos & continue learning from you. :)
Loving these vids. Keep them coming. We find that flash backs to relevant previous footage helps build a deeper connection with our audience. Pro tip back at ya 🙃
Establishment shots are a great way to give CONTEXT in a VISUAL way. Showing a few landmarks gives instant information where the characters are at. Quick and simple. And to take this even further you could start in a subway and show a local newspaper which gives the information of the location.
Thanks for the tip
Great stuff as always. I just went through my scripts to check if any of these tips were included. Super helpful Jeff!
I’m obsessed with your videos! Love this. Thank you!! 🙌🏼
Loving your videos. Great info in all of them!
Shorter is better as long as you can complete the thought within that time, i usually find a short piece of music that i can build around, great tips. Realizing ive been using these techniques for a while! This is a great refreshing reminder. Thanks!
Story Greenlight nothing i can think of off the top of my head, nothing extremely new just yet, lots of times i stay within the fundamentals, begining has to have a hook with something eye catching, reel the audience in with clues and contenuety to the theme through out the video and surprise them with the show in the end with what they are subconsciously thinking, kinda hard to explain but i enjoy storytelling, there are so many ways to do it but the theme of conflict action solution always works.... if you were to be so kind and look at my "Beyond Beads: Hero" video you will get a taste of my video editing style, its only 1min 45 sec and is the perfect example of what i enjoy creating everything ties together. Let me know what you think coming from a professional...
Some tips/techniques that I find useful:
1. Unless you're cutting a music video, don't cut to music too tightly. Edits become predictable and boring.
2. As others have said, key things short, but let the shot dictate how long it needs to be. Fast cutting works fine for some shots, but other shots (drama, comedy, reactions) need time to play out.
3. Regarding most edits, I like to start late and leave early. Dragging out the beginning of a shot can kill its impact and hanging too long can make the shot drag.
4. Think of all your edits in 3s. Each clip should somehow connect with the one that precedes it and the one that follows. Don't get hung up on individual clips or the edit sequence won't flow.
5. Show your work to people you trust for feedback and try to re-edit to make it better. Don't seek out people who will always praise your work (you won't improve) and avoid people who always have toxic critiques (passion killers).
6. Keep shooting/editing.
Dave Patterson wonderful tips. Thanks
Dave Peterson Your comments will go in my YT book of tips..thanks
Great tip about review and reviewers
Love this, and the "short is better" tip" at the end. I do comedy and when I look back at a video i finished, I'm amazed (and ashamed) how often I can then spot the self-indulgent or soft spots, EVEN when i went after then with a machete over and over when I was editing. Great Stuff. Thanks. - PS as a muddling amateur self-taught Premiere user (I saw you use it in the no-known-ending-vlog video), hearing from a pro on just how you organize/sort/work timelines/whatever/optimize your workflow is a video I would kill for. There's never enough time in life, and if I can find tips on how to do the editing better/faster/less-messy, I love it. Thank you again
Thank you!! Nice tips !!
Very helpful! Feel free to make more of those videos :)
Love this Jeff, thanks!
Thank You for the helpful tips.
Thank you so much. This was incredibly helpful.
Awesome! Glad to hear it, man!
Thank you for this excellent succinct video on storytelling.
Always great advice from you.. Thank you so much!
Absolutely. Glad you’re here, Luka!
Love your vids man! I came to you through Tim Schmoyer. Do more please! I took a college level film class in high school, but that was 15 years ago. Now I'm doing a UA-cam Outdoor channel. Your tips are picking up right where I left off, and helping me brush up on forgotten skills! Thanks again!
My editing is somewhat held back due to software. I have been fortunate enough to get a very nice Apple desktop, but due to lack of funding I'm stuck using the free iMovie. A lot of what I do isn't planned or scripted...I just go out and fish. A big problem for me is getting an organized plan in order for the days shoot. A lot of times I get in the field to shoot, and the fisherman in me takes over, and filming becomes secondary.
Just found this video, Jeff. Love your work. Gonna make a great difference in the work I'm looking to do on my channel. Thanks for sharing your great ideas with us all :)
Very cool! Glad you're here, Debbie!
Hi and thank you for this informative video that says it all in a succinct way.
Thanks for the great tip Jeff! Much appreciate the regular content!
MY TIP 1: Record as much footage as possible, and build a story later if you havent done so beforehand. You can always write a small voice over script you can do over the videos you have shot. An example would be little 5 second clips with your phone at your family Christmas (other religious event) Party. I have a video called "What is life" on my channel that I did this exact tip with.
TIP 2: If filming family etc, always interview them. Ask them questions relevant to the day/occasion etc. Even if you don't use it, it's a golden nugget that if you don't capture it, you will never have it.
Couldn't agree with you more. Thinking before you shoot also reduces the amount of rubbish filmed. Like Werner Herzog says, we are not garbage collectors. Keep the videos coming :) Weird enough I had a notification from you the same second I was watching one of your other videos just now. When I went on holidays in Europe years ago, I collected a little bit of footage and trying to create a story around it now is difficult. Maybe that could be one of your next videos. What to do if you have clips, haven't really thought of a story beforehand, and need to create one while editing. I.e. using voice over, visual queues like filming writing something on paper (Casey Neistat style) etc. :) Anyway have a good day!
Great info. Thanks
Great video! I struggle with my family events/vlogs. Usually don’t know how to end. Would love a video about how to sequence a vlog type video with examples.
Great stuff Jeff. Thanks for this.
Story Greenlight the balance between telling the story and showing the story. Like, how much dialogue versus how much b - roll.
Jeff thanks for sharing these important principles of storytelling.
Absolutely!
Thanks Jeff, these videos will once have 1.000.001 views, they're incredibly helpful
From your lips to the Algorithm Gods' ears. 😬
Gotta know when to pause. The pause is one of the most important parts of storytelling!
Nice work man! Thanks for your insight
For sure!
2020 here and still very relevant video. great tips for story telling. Thank you!
Awesome. Make sure you check out the video that just dropped on how to level up your content - that’s your next step!
I would love to see a video on how to improve at speaking a written story already created. Also, to answer your question a great pause in a story can really help.
Pauses are seriously underrated. 😬👍
thanks for the tips
I've started using storyboards. Helps me loads!
I have a mountain biking channel and I've just started using storyboards to turn the mountain bike ride into more of a story. At least that's what I'm working towards. The storyboard just helps me know before hand some shots I want to capture and at what frame rate etc. Like cinematic 3rd person shots at 23fps of me climbing up a steep hill depicting the struggle at the start. Then some nice POV action shots on the bike. Some more 3rd person shots of me descending fast at 60+fps so I can slow it down in places. Its just help give some structure without making it scripted or unnatural. It also should serve as a reminder to set the camera's up correctly, something I often forget.
Jeff great video and great tips! And it's a small world - You're in California and you have family in Ohio and we're originally from Southern California and we now live in Ohio. And yes the winters are very beautiful here. Thanks again for your videos!
Sincerely,
Eric & Tara
jeff i really do apreciat you giving us these tips ..you have no idea how much you have helped me ...i still have so much to learn and so much more to put in practice but every time i watch these i grasp a little more ....one of these days i will make enough money to pay the 97 bucks ..and i know it will be well wourth it
Awesome! Glad it's helpful.
I grew in Kentucky on the Ohio River. Those shots take me back to my old romping grounds. Thanks for the upload, great info btw! Thanks! =S= Sha
Thank you
"Thanks for the amazing storytelling tips! Your 3 easy tips were so practical and insightful. I'm already seeing how they'll help me improve my storytelling skills. Your explanations were clear, and the examples you provided were very helpful. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge and experience with us. The overall production quality of the video was fantastic. Thanks again for creating such a helpful resource!"
Glad to hear it, Jose!
Great content! You have a new subscriber!
Thanks
I love these videos
Great content; Keep it coming!
For me, it's about feeling very behind technically in post-production. I am inspired by a lot of great work and I'm just crazy motivated to learn more and more right now. But I know it's not about just learning to press more buttons; it's always about telling stories WELL. I appreciate someone like yourself with a great background willing to share what you have learned here.
Thanks for the tips :)
The topic of storytelling is where I am weakest (honestly didn't even think about it until now). It is hard for me to tell a good story when I don't know what will happen as I'm fishing. I'm tempted to "find a good story" in the clips while I'm editing, but don't want the audience to feel it is contrived. Thanks!
very helpful!
Glad to hear, Erik!
Love your style. You’re going to do super well, keep going,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,!
Thanks, Jennifer! Work in progress. 😊👍🏼
Great job 👍
I really appreciate you taking time to read my description. What I feel I'm really struggling with is transitions. I want to make all my footage smooth. I did watch your video on smooth clip however it's a little different with a cooking channel. I do add a type of vlog into my video so people can get to know me better. I just need my whole video to flow better.
Hey Jeff, you deserve a bigger audience. Great content man!
Please you send the more tips about storytelling and also about the small talk
I am truly still learning! I have no Idea sometimes what I am doing but I am making progress. Thank you again for all the great tips Much Love #BE Yourself!
You've got a great message, Al. Keep doing your thing, man.
Thank you so much!
Can you give an example of a video that does the opposite of constantly revealing new info?
I am having a hard time wrapping my head around what the concept means.
-I am a new subscriber - love what you are doing.
Thank you Thank you thank you
wow thank you
Most welcome.
#qotd what should you do if you go to edit your video and find some didn't come out (audio didn't capture / video is poor) and you can't go back to your shooting location?
Thanks for sharing, great channel, subscribed to your channel.
Sweet! Glad you're here, Murat.
Hold on I had to pause to get my note book and pen. ( yeah I have to write this stuff down on paper none the less) okay un pause. Great video I think it's time to binge watch
Great video
Thanks Nabeel!
My tip, take Dan O'Bannon's advice on page 63 of his screenplay book where he compares his system vs others. Their systems are 'striving' based. His is 'fight' based. Think of every scene as a fight. Doesn't have to be repelling a siege. Might be a waitress sloshing coffee. It makes it easier to do the beginning, middle , end thinking as a chain of 60 to 90 fights. Or, it's easier for me. I was very pleased that I came up with this exact idea about two weeks before I read it in O'Bannon's book. A warm fuzzy of confirmation enveloped me. My other big tip, almost every interesting story consists of a build to a showdown. You can cite some movie and think "That was no showdown." No, it probably was if it paid of in a satisfying way.
Good stuff, plazpastic. Cheers!
Unable to download checklist 27
Cool
Jeff, thanks for the great tips, and nice DP work. I linked from Stage32.
My tip: know where the story starts, then I write an epitaph for my story.
Ginny Monroe #Masterplayer #Seamaster
Hey Ginny, very cool! I'm not familiar with Stage32 - what's the link?
In response to your question, while studying script writing some years ago, I found Blake Snyder's "Save the Cat" really offered a fresh perspective to making a winning film/story. And while the UA-cam world doesn't get into tools like generating a Framework, Treatment, Trailer, etc, one of Blake's high-level concepts still applies. We should always be mindful of how we can "sell" the video's NAME and ONE LINER (tagline). In other words, having the greatest film/story/episode/YT post ever produced, if our suspects/prospects/target audience just don't get it (or even pop up on the radar screen), no one will be interested to even try the proverbial taste test of your "story well told" (to quote Robert McKee). Bottom line, start with the end in mine - not just you the cameraman, actor, director ... but you the Executive Producer/Marketing Promoter - if your target audience won't nibble on the bait, don't bother putting your heart, soul, time and money going down the production rabbit hole!
"Save the Cat" is great. Good thoughts!
1 tip we have is to pick a central theme and make sure each part of your story connects to that.
It would be a nice idea to put a link to your book Edit Better: Hollywood-Tested Strategies for Powerful Video Editing in all of yuor descriptions. Be nice to talk about your book
as it pertains to the Thing under the Thing . You are brilliant you have so much to offer. I am finding al the puzzle scattered on the floor. I want all the pieces to be put on the table so
that I can put the puzzle together table of cotents of all that you have to offfer on your website. :) Yes, I watched the video with the puzzle. I am watching all of your content one video
at a time love your stuff I love the way you explain things shown on screen in written form brilliant.
The best way is to join the email Insider list - there’s a sign up for that at the bottom of www.storygreenlight.com. 😊👍🏼
Nice video!
I always keep stuck in visual techniques when trying to improve my editing and forget about story so quickly, while it's the most important factor of every part of the process.
Talking about music... I've seen the trend of cutting to the beat rising up like crazy. But I've always prefered cutting first and letting the edit decide what music will come, not the other way around (while that sometimes might work well too). I'm talking to composers right now to fix this in the most professional way by adding their talent to my work and giving clients the chance to buy tailored music to the stuff I edit.
If anyone will buy that is not the question, but what do you think about it? I'm pretty sure you cut to the beat a lot and I assume you're required to do so often times in your television work and not given much choice (correct me if I'm wrong!).
While I know that cutting to different parts of a beat is helpful to not bore the audience (now I remember that you taught me that), I think it's mostly lazy and uninspired. And I say mostly, not always. It can be great.
Also, I saw the amazing offer you're making on your book, where one get can get it for cheap on your website. I am super interested in that physical book option (or VIP) because I really want a physical copy, but there are only credit card options available, and I don't have one at the moment :/
Any chance you could extend it to Paypal somehow?
Agh, and last question (this is getting big). I make subtitles for most of the videos from one of my greatest learning resources out there, This Guy Edits. Doing them has helped the channel reach out to a larger audience (those with hearing problems), at least we hope so, and has helped me, by going through everything word for word, better understand the videos.
I do those for free but I consider it rather a "thank you" than anything else because I like to support channels that give out valuable information for free. Whether it be with a financial goal or not - it's information that I'd otherwise have to pay for. I left film school because of people like Sven and you who give me way greater advice on how to improve my editing and storytelling.
So if you're interested, I'd be happy to help the channel out that way. I only do this actively for Sven so far, just because I love his content so much, you would be the only other channel if you'd be interested.
Not that I'm begging to help, I mean it does take time for me to do those subs, so consider if you really need or want them first. However, I'd be happy to help!
I purchased Jeff's book and it's amazing, my second time listening to it on Audible. You will never get all the info from one person, but listening to 10 books over time you will build up your own style, etc. At least that's what I am doing.
I’m guilty of wandering and letting the video be long. Funny how going shorter takes MORE work and preparation. It’s a good exercise I could stand to focus on more.
It's like that cliche example of somebody like Sir Isaac Newton writing a letter and saying, "If I had more time, I would have sent a shorter letter."
Like these videos! Can you make a video about how to make blogs interesting? We usually dont do too much vlogs, because everytime we do them it somehow is just random footage of the day and we are having trouble to add them up into a story when we hit the editing section. Can you give tips on how to do great storytelling while blogging?
VISUAL storytelling + shorter is better: This could've been applied to your first tip starting at 00:26 which for me felt way too long. Visuals play a good role in storytelling as well and this is called SHOW - DON'T TELL. Using visuals can make your projects a lot shorter because saying something can take a long time. You could've done something like this: "We are spending our holidays in a house middle of the woods in Ohio" *fast forward to the house* shorter.
Do people know what the word context means and is context the same as story? I
First time story teller and I am yet to come with the story
I can understand the perspective of the video dragging. I think it would have felt snappier for various reasons.
I think your point was to tell the story visually and audibly. And the visual parts at times made it seem like it was dragging especially because it was basically a tip video.
But I think you messed teaching and experience together well and it was aspirational to do both.
If you told them separately, I think the person may not have felt that way.
Yeah, my learning curve is always shifting. Learn, grow, repeat, yes? 😊👍
Always. And done is better than perfect via P McKinnon.
my story is a christian story the title is the birth of jesus i tried my best ti say tge story my parents were lustening they said its not very good and i deliever the words very fast abd this video helped me thank you☺️😁❤️🥰
We could talk on the please subscribe thing. Bill, you need too more, but proper. You got this make a video thing bro
Yeah, there's been a lot of learning since this video. :-)
He looks a little like Jacob dylan
Huh. Yeah, I could see that.
Story Greenlight haha 😆
Story Greenlight fantastic video, by the way
Cheers!!
What do you do if no one you personally know is willing to tell you the truth and no one subscribes or gives feedback even to help you out ? Sorta the predicament I’m in
That's where community comes in. Check out a group on Facebook called #nosmallcreator - super active, supportive place for creators. We all grow when we're around people who get us.
Story Greenlight yea was on there and it seemed like a lot of negativity was rampant on there so I left
Lol born and raised in ohio, im not a fan of the weather
I'm perfectly fine with Southern California weather myself.
First, always set up your context where your characters are and what they are doing. Explain more rather than less Beginning Midlle End Where does the start begin? Where do the beginning end and the middle start, where does the middle end and where does the end start, and what is the moral of the story? Constantly Review New information. This is what unlocked all the doors for me. What I did was I created one minute Video, each one-minute Video, said what it is about, and talked about each point for one minute. Then, at the end of one minute, say, "in the next Video. I will talk about this," say the point, and keep going until you have completed the story. In the next Video, the training wheels on the bicycle. At the end of the Video. I will remove this "in the next Video, discuss this, and add transitions for each one-minute Video. Some videos add the thing of the thing.