Drew R. Keller
Uses videos, photos, audio, and text to communicate through narratives that can be accessed by a worldwide audience via social media distribution.
The landscape of web-distributed video can be broadly divided into three motifs: Entertainment, Newsgathering and Business Communication. From YouTube to Vimeo, Netflix to Hulu, Justin.tv to Facebook, online video is a storytelling revolution. Or is it? How do storytelling choices affect message reception? Storytelling has been part of the human experience since the formation of language. Today, the technology that surrounds the “tell” of a story (the modes and channels of communication) directly shape the immersive experience felt by the viewer, while leveraging the lessons of narrative and myth. This course focuses on the decisions we make when we tell our stories. This course is both theoretical and practical. You will be afforded the skills to create and distribute video stories. Additionally, you will be expected to display critical thinking around point of view, audience targeting, ROI success criteria, methodology, brand voice and production standards. You are expected to exercise the craft of content creation while at the same time critically evaluating and deconstructing content you see in the marketplace.
Student learning goals
Identify and define how storytelling is shaped by both content and context;
Manage the strategic decisions required to choose the best production and distribution paths for video content via emerging and social media;
Identify an audience and choose the best strategic distribution path (including mobile, transmedia, point-of-sale, web, intranet) for delivering a message;
Create content woven into the fabric of a brand’s voice;
Define user engagement and call-to-action triggers in video content.
General method of instruction
Lecture, discussion & group project
Class assignments and grading
• Group Video Channel Project 40% • Written Proposal 30% • Weekly blog assignments 30%