Want to make a fascinating video that audiences will love? Tell the truth.
I’m not talking here about some kind of boring, literal “truth”– like shooting every single second of a meeting as a record of what happened.
I’m talking about Human Truth. Video that says something true about you, your subjects, your story, or the audience– however that true is actually created for the screen.
Truth is always fascinating. It’s revelatory. It’s relatable. It makes your audience feel seen.
For example: a moment in a home video where Grandpa teaches your 8 year-old daughter how to make his special pizza dough won’t shock anyone. If you capture the simple truth of their relationship as they work together on the recipe, it will make a rich and fascinating home video.
Or Showtime’s Dexter, now in spinoff #3 or 4 (I think). Dexter is fiction– not literally true. But the central story about a serial killer’s constant failure to understand how “normal” people think illuminates the larger truth that nobody really understands how other people think. Was the show about a real guy? No. It’s plot was made up by a team of professional writers, based on a series of novels. But did it tell truth? Yes. Which is the secret to its long success.
If your customers see truth about their needs in a marketing video, they’ll relate to it in a way they couldn’t if they were just being “pitched.” Your funny video sketch will play better at a meeting when it tells truths about the corporate culture around you. A birthday party video that tells the truths about the excitement and the challenges of being 3 years old will be way more interesting than a superficial grin-and-wave from the older relatives.
For your next video, what truths can you tell?
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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 edition from Workman Publishing wherever you get books, ebooks or audiobooks. 
Steve – Thank you for the article. It is so good to step back and remember that the purpose of what I am doing with my work is tell a story and to communicate the truth. It is a great message to hold to while I am doing my work. Thanks,