Digital Storytelling for Neighborhood Networks Centers and Consortia

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Storytelling is an ancient art that mankind has used throughout time to convey personal histories, preserve cultural traditions, and instill knowledge and values. While the earliest forms of storytelling were oral, today's advancements in information technology have resulted in a new art form known as "digital storytelling". Digital storytelling refers to emerging forms of narrative that use technology tools to help people tell compelling and emotionally-engaging stories. Digital stories generally consist of text, voices, and images that combine to form multimedia representations of personal experiences and perspectives. Digital storytelling programs give residents the opportunity for self-expression while simultaneously increasing a center's capacity to provide technology education.

The Value of Storytelling

To understand the value of digital storytelling, one must first appreciate storytelling in a more general sense. Through the art of storytelling, personal reflections, shared experiences, and cultural values are explored, helping the storyteller to feel a sense of meaning and belonging in the world. Storytelling can also be an interesting way of discovering how we came to be who we are as individuals, families, and communities, as well as developing insight into the potential of our futures.

Storytelling helps children and adults alike to develop writing and verbal skills, as well as the ability to openly express personal thoughts and feelings. It also helps sharpen the skills of imagination and visualization, empowering individuals to consider new and inventive ideas, and to envision themselves in many different life scenarios. The added value of digital storytelling is that storytellers can learn about multimedia tools within a meaningful context.

The Digital Storytelling Process

Just as there are an endless number of stories to be told in our communities, there are also many ways to approach the process of crafting a digital story. As Neighborhood Networks centers structure new programs teaching this art form, it is important to remember that digital storytelling is not just a technical process—it is also emotional. Therefore, instructors should take into account not only on the technology tools and skills that are available, but also the life experiences of the individuals being taught, when providing guidance and feedback to students. Storytellers often experience feelings of vulnerability when talking about personal experiences, as well as feelings of intimidation from working with new technology when creating digital stories. This requires that instructors be flexible and have the ability to tailor the process to the individual needs of students.

Generally, the process of developing a digital story includes the following four steps:

1. Write and develop text.
2. Collect media.
3. Edit.
4. Get feedback.

Technology Needed for Digital Storytelling

Neighborhood Networks centers and consortia that are interested in starting a digital storytelling program can begin by collecting the technology they will need. Fortunately, many centers already have at least some of the necessary hardware and software. Below is a list of the technology equipment used for digital storytelling:

Hardware:

	Computer workstations with a 40 GB hard drive space available on each.
	Flatbed scanner.
	Computer speakers.
	Microphone.
	Headphones (optional).

Software:

Editing software-examples include Windows Movie Maker, Adobe Premiere, and iMovie.

Materials:

	Blank CDs, DVDs.
	Pens and paper.

Elements of a Digital Story

The core of any digital story is the story itself. Therefore, storytellers should spend a significant amount of time developing and refining their text. Although digital storytelling is a fluid process, there are some basic elements that should form the foundation of any digital story. According to the Center for Digital Storytelling, the seven essential elements of digital storytelling are:

1. A point of view.
2. A dramatic question.
3. Emotional content.
4. The gift of your voice.
5. The power of the soundtrack.
6. Economy.
7. Pacing.

1. Point of View
   A story is not simply a group of events told in sequence. Stories are usually told to make a point. A digital story should communicate a specific realization the creator had as a result of one or more events described in the story. Once identified, that realization becomes the story's point of view.
   
   The connection that other people have with a digital story often depends on whether or not they understand the point of view, or the central premise, of the story. Therefore, it is important for the point of view to be defined early in the process so that every part of the story, and the way that it is edited, can serve to make the central point evident. One way to establish point of view is to tell the story in first person narrative. This invites the listener to hear the story in a more personal context, and increases the listener's attention as he, or she, looks for insights about the storyteller.
   
   
2. A Dramatic Question
   In addition to a point of view, all good stories have a dramatic tension that is established at the beginning and resolved at the end. Since digital stories are only several minutes long, it is important to keep this concept of dramatic tension simple. That is why the Center for Digital Storytelling calls it the "dramatic question," one central question whose answer signals the end of the story. The dramatic question essentially consists of a structural "setup" and a logical "payoff." The setup can be thought of as a desire the narrator establishes early in the story, while the payoff is the satisfaction or denial of that desire. When the narrator answers the dramatic question in an unexpected way, it adds entertainment value and makes the story more moving.
   
   
3. Emotional Content
   Emotional content has more power than any other element to engage an audience in a story. According to the Center for Digital Storytelling, when a story addresses a basic emotional paradigm of life—like love, loss, or acceptance—in a truthful way, the story becomes easier for the audience to connect with and much more compelling. Emotional content can also be the most difficult element to include in a digital story because it requires the narrator to be vulnerable in a way that may be new and uncomfortable. However, stories that are not based on emotional honesty can easily become stale or over-dramatized. Center staff can assist storytellers in being open and honest by creating a supportive environment where they feel safe sharing their personal stories.
   
   
4. The Gift of Your Voice
   There is no more powerful tool that can be used to tell a personal story than the storyteller's own voice. Therefore, voiceover narration is an essential ingredient for conveying the thoughts and emotions in a digital story. Storytellers usually use a script when recording a voiceover rather than reciting from memory because of time constraints. So, to avoid producing voiceovers that sound like they are being read rather than told, narrators should keep their sentences short and speak as if they are having a conversation. First-time storytellers often also need time to do at least several takes of their voiceovers to become comfortable with how they sound and to recite their scripts without making errors. Fortunately, editing software allow narrators to easily record multiple takes and then cut and paste together pieces of different takes to create the best overall narration.
   
   
5. The Power of the Soundtrack
   A soundtrack is comprised of the music played in the background throughout a digital story. Most of us are familiar with the role soundtracks play in movies and television shows—the music helps to establish setting, set the mood, and can even forebode events to come. Soundtracks serve a similar purpose in digital stories. When appropriate music is thoughtfully selected, a soundtrack can further highlight the emotions already being conveyed through words and images. It can even change an audience's normal perception of the story in an interesting and unexpected way, pulling in their attention even more.
   
   Music is so much a part of our daily lives that many people have a natural sense of what music works well with their stories. However, storytellers should still think carefully about the effect they want their soundtrack music to have. One way to ensure that the soundtrack does not overpower the other elements of the story is to avoid music with lyrics. Instrumental music is preferable because it interferes less with voiceover narration, and because lyrical content can often conflict with story content, even when the general mood of a song works. Storytellers also have to consider copyright issues when selecting soundtrack music. Web sites like Freeplaymusic.com offer royalty-free production music that is downloadable at no cost. Storytellers should carefully read the use policies on free music Web sites before including music in their digital stories.
   
   
6. Economy
   Since most digital stories are only several minutes long and space is limited, storytellers have to carefully select the words and images they use to tell their stories. In most cases, words are written to match pre-existing visual images, such as photos from a family album. Because of this, it can be tempting to overcompensate for the story gaps left between photos by using too much text. Storytellers should edit their text and find ways of conveying the same ideas using fewer words in order to avoid being too wordy. Remember that some ideas can be communicated simply with visual images—it is not necessary to explicitly state every thought.
   
   
7. Pacing
   According to the Center for Digital Storytelling, pacing can add yet another layer to a digital story, suggesting urgency in one moment and contemplation in the next. Changing pace adds energy and keeps the audience interested, as the narration and visual images speed up or slow down. Every digital story calls for a different pace pattern, however, each one should include strategically placed pauses to allow the audience to process what they have seen and heard. It is helpful to get feedback from others during the production process to determine whether the pace of a digital story has the desired effect.

Writing the Story

Digital storytelling begins with writing text, which serves as the core of the finished project. It can be very daunting to try to tell a personal story and some people freeze when it comes time to decide what their story's subject matter will be. Workshop leaders should remind participants that a story does not have to grandiose; it can start with a very simple idea. Everyone has a voice, or a unique way of telling his or her story, and this voice should come through as a story's text is being developed. Listed below are some of the types of stories that can work well in the digital story format:

	Character stories focus on our relationships to others, often one particular other, and how those relationships affect our lives.
	Memorial stories serve as a tribute to someone who has passed away, and can be very difficult to write, but also very powerful.
	Adventure stories describe experiences in traveling to other places and what we learn or how we are changed as a result.
	Accomplishment stories chronicle the journey toward completing a goal or milestone.
	Work stories address how our relationships to our jobs, or the work we do as volunteers, and how they affect us personally.
	Recovery stories are about the process of overcoming a significant challenge in our lives.
	Discovery stories tell about experiences in learning new things and what we discover about ourselves in the process.

Getting Feedback: The Story Circle

When digital storytelling is done in a group context, such as a workshop, or in center program, participants can share their stories with one another to get feedback, as well as ideas for adding multimedia to their text. This can be done in a story circle, where everyone reads a draft of his or her story out loud and receives thoughts and comments from the others. Feedback should center on the telling of the stories, rather than the content, and should be constructive in nature.

The story circle is a good opportunity for participants to ensure that their stories have a clear point and voice. Participants should also provide feedback on the general flow of the stories, and can even offer ideas on the kinds of images and sounds that would complement each story. Because digital stories are usually based on very personal experiences and perspectives, it is invaluable to get input from others who have a more objective view on their work.

Gathering Media

Storytellers can begin gathering media after the text of their stories has been written. All media—including images, video, music, and voiceover—should be carefully organized in folders so they can be easily found on the hard drive. Typically, the majority of the images included in a digital story are pre-existing photos from the storyteller's personal collection. Digital photos and images are easy to use because they are already in the required format, while non-digital photos have to be scanned.

Storytellers can also scan other items like letters, drawings, album covers, and even clothing—anything with a flat surface that needs to be represented visually in order to tell the story. It is sometimes necessary to find images on the Web to fill in gaps in the visual story being told. These images can be found on stock picture Web sites like stock.xchng. It is also common for storytellers to end up with more images than they can fit into the story. When this is the case, they must thoughtfully select the images that are most essential to the story.

Storyboarding

Storyboarding is an essential step in the digital storytelling process because it allows the storyteller to plan the story in two ways. First, a storyboard shows the order of events, images, and words. Second, a storyboard shows how images, voiceover, and soundtrack interact. Any visual effects included in a digital story, like transitions between images, are also displayed in a storyboard. This process helps the storyteller assess whether images and music appropriately correspond to the story being told from beginning to end.

Digital storytelling workshops commonly use Windows Movie Maker to compile media and edit digital stories. Windows Movie Maker allows users with little to no editing experience to easily create storyboards by simply uploading images, music, and voiceover into the program. Storytellers can also use the program to change images and add special effects. Windows Moviemaker is included with Windows XP. Therefore, Neighborhood Networks centers with computers that operate on Windows XP do not have to buy additional software in order to offer digital storytelling workshops.

Finalizing the Project

The final step is to should spend time making final edits to their stories. After stories are finalized, they can be shared with the group for feedback and discussion. Each participant should at least receive a copy of his or her own story. However, if the participants agree to it, copies of all stories can be distributed to everyone. Participants can also discuss the overall process of digital storytelling and provide feedback to workshop facilitators on how to improve the program.

Online Digital Storytelling Resources

	The Center for Digital Storytelling is a nonprofit training, project development, and research organization dedicated to assisting people in using digital media to tell meaningful stories from their lives. The Center for Digital Storytelling Web site includes a variety of resources to guide organizations through the process of developing a digital storytelling program.
	MassIMPACT, the Neighborhood Networks consortium based in Boston, MA, sponsors 3- to 4-day digital storytelling workshops in a "boot camp" format. The massIMPACT Web site includes dozens of sample digital stories, including stories created at the 2006 Neighborhood Networks Regional Technical Assistance Workshop (RTAW) Digital Storytelling Boot Camp in Boston.
	Freeplay Music is a large online library of production music that allows users to search for music by style and feel and download tracks at no cost. Users should read the Web site's use policy before downloading music.
	The stock.xchng Web site includes over 200,000 searchable stock photos and images that are collected and uploaded by users and available at no cost.