Adam Westbrook on video and soundslides

video editing 101

Adam Westbrook came to BCU to give us a quick lecture about visual narratives, focusing on video and soundslides. He showed us a few examples of visual storytelling and shared with us the basics, like story arcs, sequences, editing. It’s not something we can learn instantly but it’s easy to find references in our video drowned culture. Main ideas: web is not television, though video has a fundamental language that crosses over all types of moving image narratives, from news to cinema, from documentary to animation. And to make it work, keep it simple, and avoid the  technical gimmicks, make it personal and intimate. Other advices include get lots of ambient sound, find color in the character’s surroundings and story.

One of the examples he brought us was this great story.

And the secret to become a good visual storyteller? Practice, practice, practice. Get a camera and just do it.