"Good stories surprise us. They make us think and feel.

They stick in our minds and help us remember ideas and concepts

in a way that a PowerPoint crammed with bar graphs never can."

- Joe Lazauskas and Shane Snow, The Storytelling Edge

3.0 Content Production

3.1 The Audio Voiceover
3.2 Music and Sound Effects
3.3 Images and visuals
3.4 Tips for recording with a Mobile Device
additional resource: How to Use Google Advanced Image Search to find Usable Images

3.1 Audio - Voiceover

The voiceover is the backbone of your story. The rhythm of the narrator's voice provides much needed structure. This video provides tips for this important element.

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3.1 - Content Production - Audio voiceover - Digital Storytelling.pdf

3.2 Music and Sound Effects

Usually, the more senses involved in telling a story, the better. Music and sound effects help to build the world where the story takes place, and help to tell the story. Using music that is appropriate to the theme and time period of your story can help to take your audience on an emotional journey. This video explores the various uses of music and sound effects in telling your story.

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Finding music:

It is possible to find music that is free to use online. You will need to credit the musician. For example, the music used for this course was found at Free Music Archive Click here

Public Domain - Music that is old enough, and never had its copyright renewed falls into the "public domain" category, and can be used for free (always credit the musician), for example, some music from the early 1900s. It is possible to find curated collections online of music that falls into this category. For example: Musopen.org

"Royalty free" music is music that can be purchased to use in your projects (you are licensing the right to use the music, but there are rules about how to use it, and how to credit the musician). There are many sites that offer royalty free music.

Other options:

Talented friends and family members may know how to play a tune that could be used to enhance your digital story. Ask around and you may be surprised at the gems that you are given. Just be sure that they own the right to the music and the recording that they offer you, and exactly how they would like their credit to read.

Simple examples of how to credit musicians:

Music by: Name of musician "name of song"

or

Music: "Name of Song" by Name of Musician"

3.3 Images and Video

Your voiceover narration will need to be "covered" by images that are appropriate to the story you're telling. Whether using simple or complex methods, this video explores the choices that can be made when creating or selecting images for your digital story.

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3.3 -Content Production - Images and Video - Digital Storytelling.pdf

A Note on Image Size:

It is important to consider the pixel size of any image you use in your video. You want it to be at least as large as the video format, otherwise it will lose image quality and possibly even look pixelated.

If you are using standard HD format for your videos, the pixel size 1920 (width) x 1080 (height). Think of this as being around 2000 pixels. When you look for photos online, or produce images of your own, they should be at least 2000 pixels wide.

If you decide to use the smaller HD format for your videos, the pixel size is 1280 (width) x 720. So, you will need images that are at least 1280 pixels wide (or 1500 pixels wide if you plan to scale up your images*).

*scaling images: To create movement with your images, you may want to slightly scale up (push in/crop) your images up during the video, so it is best to use images that are slightly larger than the video format size, to allow for scaling up.

Video and Image Sources:

Original photos and video clips of your subject will greatly enhance your digital story, add to the authenticity and demonstrate a unique point of view. So, it is recommended that you use as much original content as possible.

However, if you need to add a clip of video that you are not able to capture yourself, there are a few options:

Stock video and stock images can be found online for use in your project. Various sites make it possible to purchase (i.e., license the right to use) video clips for use in a project without needing to add attribution. Shutterstock is a popular choice for finding and licensing stock video (they also license images and music).

It is also possible to find some stock video that is free to use. Pexels.com is one example of a collection of video clips that are free to use without needing to add attribution. When searching for usable video clips online, it is important to check the rules on each site to be sure that you are allowed to use the clips in the way that you intend to use them, and that you credit properly, if required. If there is not information about using a clip, assume the clip has a copyright and should not be used.

3.4 Using a Mobil Device to Record (Video and/or Audio)

Will you be using a mobil device to record video or audio for your digital story? This video provides tips to set you up for success.

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3.4 - Content Production - Tips to Record with Mobile Device - Digital Storytelling.pdf

Additional Resources and Tools:

If you plan to use any images that you don't create (photos, illustrations, drawings, etc) it's important to be sure that you have the right to use them. This video explains one way to search for images online that are free to use in your project, and how to find out if accreditation or permission is needed.

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