The goal of video storytelling is to produce a compelling piece that impacts the viewer. What is the best way to accomplish that? Pick a singular character to focus on.
Recently, we partnered with Read Charlotte to follow one such character. Mary provides the main voice in the piece to express why volunteers are important to Read Charlotte and how they can leave a lasting impact on a child’s life.
Read Charlotte is a ten-year (2015-2025) initiative that unites children, educators and partners to improve children’s literacy from an early age through third grade. Their goal is to double the percentage of third graders reading on grade level from 39% in 2015 to 80% by 2025.
Creative Specialist Austin Huddy joins Co-Founder Jarod Latch to share the thinking and execution behind the video.
The Idea
Austin’s goal was to tell the story and express emotion by eliminating sound in the first 30 seconds of the
piece. This was done to captivate the audience and leave them wanting more. What is Mary’s role in this organization? Why is everyone greeting her while smiling ear to ear?
By having an introduction that allows the viewer’s mind to wonder is an effective way to strike up interest right off the bat. On the flip side, having the message be too direct out the gate can squash this curiosity. In the case of Read Charlotte, we wanted to create the opposite. We wanted to arouse curiosity not only about the organization, but also have the viewer ask — how can I help?
The Execution
The success of this particular project stems from the time spent on pre-production. Austin met with the Read Charlotte team and the main character, Mary Bowman. The presence of the main character, who is speaking and driving the video, in the creative meetings really helped set the tone for the project.
Why is pre-production a critical piece in the puzzle?
- Meet the key characters and understand their purpose
- Creative gets to know interviewee and vice versa, creating comfortability between all parties
- Establish the tone and emotion that will be driving the project
What our Partners are Saying:
“There are lots of video storytelling companies out there but there just isn’t anyone who does it quite like Spiracle. I knew this latest piece would be great but (as usual) Austin and team exceeded all of my expectations. It’s the perfect example of how they are able to capture something that easily could have turned out sort of ordinary — tutors, kids in a school, etc– and make it extremely powerful. It has moved every single person who has watched it thus far.
The process of working with Spiracle is always collaborative and they truly listen to what we think we want out of it, but I also believe giving them the freedom to be creative is what takes it to the next level. That’s when the Spiracle magic really happens.”
– Elise Esasky, Communications Manager at Read Charlotte
