The Filmmaker as Detective: Finding Story

I get what you’re saying about having story in video, but I’m stuck.

I’m doing short videos about the sales team for my company website.  Do I need a story?  How do I create one?

–Tracy

A story needs a hero, a beginning, middle and end. The easiest way to put it all together is to go in that order.  Start with the hero, then use your inner detective to find the story.

Anyone can be your video’s hero.  They don’t have to fly or wear a metal suit.  But they do have to be interesting. As the filmmaker, deciding who is MOST interesting is your job.

Start with your gut– after all, it’s your video.  Who seems interesting to you?  Once you have a list of suspects, it’s time to play detective.  Research them.  Interview them.  Learn everything you can about the candidates.  Let your curiosity guide you as you learn more about their stories.

What are their goals in life? What are their goals for the customer or the company?  What do they need to accomplish to live up to their own vision of success?   What’s their struggle?  Everyone has a story.  Your job is to ferret it out.

Now choose the best stories from among your potential heroes– the strongest beginnings, middles, and ends– and be honest about what interests you.  A sales video about a guy who overcame a horrible stutter to be the best salesperson on the team will be much more interesting than the story of the nice woman who goes out with her nice clients and has a nice dinner.  The bigger the hero’s goal– the greater the potential for failure or huge success– the better the story.

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