I shoot videos and landscapes when I travel overseas. Obviously, I cannot shoot to a script or have much of a plan, since this is an unplanned vacation.
How would I construct a story from random scenes in Berlin, Warsaw, Vienna, Budapest, etc? Usually I end up with a string of shots without any story. This is not what you recommend in your book.
My friend Wendy will be travelling with me, but how could I include her in the video? Shots of her looking at the Danube from Buda and from Pest don’t seem to have much interest. Shooting her eating sauerkraut, etc. wouldn’t cut it either.
Any ideas?
–John
What’s great about your question is that you know there should be a story to your video, you just don’t know how to get to it. Which leads us to this: how do we “storify” video when we can’t plan?
To come up with ideas, let me suggest variations on the idea of brainstorming. Examine your shooting situation by asking questions of yourself in different ways. Then make quick lists of ideas (in your head or on paper), choose the best one(s), and shoot. Here are a few methods to help you storify fast:
Lens in: There’s a whole post elsewhere about the idea of looking closer at the details of what you’re shooting to find story. If you become extremely interested in what you see, “zooming in” like a lens does (only, you know, metaphorically), your audience will be fascinated by your interest.
What if you become intensely interested in Wendy eating sauerkraut? What utensil does she eat it with? What food goes with it? What is the restaurant like? Is the sauerkraut different at different restaurants? What does she love about sauerkraut? What’s her earliest memory of eating it? What does her face look like when she likes it? When she doesn’t?
If you dive in to explore one of these detailed observations- say, her earliest sauerkraut memories- you can discover a story she can tell as she samples the local cuisine. And you wind up with a great 2 minute documentary about Wendy.
Look for the Obstacle: Every day of travel has a challenge- a place you can’t find, a new food you aren’t sure you like, strangers you meet. If you’re lucky there are physical challenges- a journey by canoe, a hike or a hang-gliding session. Try building stories around these challenges. Figure out who the hero is and think beginning/middle/end of that specific challenge.
Create a Journey: Think about each separate piece of your trip as a journey. For example, setting up your trip is a journey, from “I have an idea” to “The plane takes off.” Surprise Wendy with an unexpected gift, and track the story of getting it. Or tell the story of a single day in Pest, from wake-up to bedtime, and let chronology guide your tale.
Interview strangers: Open your circle beyond just you and Wendy. Become very interested in someone you meet. Everyone has a story- what can you learn about their lives, or the way they see the world? Seek out street food recommendations in Budapest by asking humans and shoot it. See if you can get yourself invited to a bar or party. Or just ask their view on local culture, their lives, or how they see America.
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Steve Stockman is a writer/ producer/ director in Los Angeles. How to Shoot Video That Doesn't Suck, available in 9 languages, is the best selling video how-to book in the world. You can find the updated (2017) edition from Workman Publishing wherever you get books, ebooks or audiobooks. 