Stories Worth Sharing- Poster Girl
In 2010, more soldiers committed suicide than died in combat. Earlier this week I watched Poster Girl, a film about an Iraq war veteran’s struggle with PTSD and her search for healing. It is an incredibly powerful and important film. The story hit close to home. My cousin’s husband returned from Iraq with severe PTSD and has gone through many of the same things as Robynn: Realizing that he was indoctrinated to fight and kill in an unjustified war. Being on full disability from PTSD but not getting the promised payments more »
Why “It’s Time” went viral.
This weekend 6 of my friends on facebook shared the same video. It’s Time is a beautiful video by the non-profit Get Up! advocating for marriage equality which has gotten over 1.8 million views and 13,000 comments in the past 4 days. So why are people sharing it like crazy? Chip & Dan Heath claim in their book Made to Stick that there are 6 elements of ideas that stick. And guess what? This videos got all of them: 1. It’s Simple- It’s a love story. It’s got one core message- more »
Telling a New Story: Black Male Engagement Challenge
Stereotypes are stories. They survive when we hear and believe a certain narrative about who a group of people are and what they do. But storytelling also has the power to destroy stereotypes. When we hear new stories that challenge the story we’ve heard before, it can change the way we perceive one another. Stories like the Welfare Queen/King become ways of justifying structural inequality against those who are already the most marginalized members of society. Stereotypes like this erase the immense effort that is required for people of color more »
Credit Where It’s Due- Stories Worth Sharing
We’ll give credit where credit is due. Despite our previous critique of Invisible Children’s media (specifically how it is much more focused on the donor’s emotional need to feel like a savior rather than including local voices and context), this story is incredibly powerful. The video features the reflections of Sara Jawhari, an Invisible Children intern who expanded her activism and is working to reveal the reality and humanity in Palestine through storytelling. Her story has depth and nuance and demonstrates how IC’s mission is just as much about mobilizing more »
Stories Worth Sharing- Everyday Courage
Good afternoon, friends! It has been a great week for us and we have been thrilled with all the support we have gotten for our reel and Boyu’s Story. Be sure to check both of those out if you haven’t yet. Hope you enjoy these stories we’ve discovered this week- The video is about the Rescue Mission of Trenton and its importance to the individuals they serve. The video is simple, powerful and moving. We found it through this post on The Digital Naturalist which highlights some really great character-centered more »
You Will Have A Story To Tell
Happy Friday! As all of New York City panics in glee over the imminent hurricane headed our way, we’re preparing to spend the next few days inside (and probably filming the rainy action as much as we can) since we are releasing several videos in the next few days… so keep an eye out. But I have to say, I love paying attention to how events like the hurricane become so much about storytelling. The earthquake earlier this week catalyzed a whirlwind of online (and then later, in-person) storytelling- everyone more »
Stories Worth Sharing- Swimmers, Artists & Miners
Happy Friday! Sending blessings to all on this hot (and stinky here in Chinatown) day. May your day be filled with iced drinks, cool water and AC. We’ve been editing up a storm in our studio this week and we can’t wait to show the fruits of our labor in the coming weeks. Until then, enjoy these stories… I absolutely love this story made by California Is a Place (which produces stories in-you guessed it- California). It begins as a story of a synchronized swimming team but expands to explore more »
Stories Worth Sharing
We came across some really incredible stories this week that have completely inspired us as we have continued editing our stories from Ghana. There is some seriously good work below… First is the best NGO video that we have seen in a looong time shot by Still Life Projects. It tells the story of Project Rhino which provides free education for children in Calcutta. What we love about the video: 1. Stunning cinematography draws you in. Shallow depth of field (blurry background) creates a sense of intimacy between the viewer more »
Stories Worth Sharing- Grow, Panos and ‘Gay Families’
If you are in the not-for-profit world you should go take a look at Oxfam’s new Grow campaign, aimed at addressing the global food shortage crisis. Their site campaign aims to draw viewers in by making them feel like they can be part of the solution. They want to make the viewer feel as if they are a part of something big. It follows a trend in not-for-profit media that uses short non-narrative videos with a heavy reliance on advertising techniques- i.e. focus on graphic design and ‘cool/edgy’ editing style more »
Stories Worth Sharing
It has been a very busy and exciting week. Yesterday we shot a video for Achievement First, a network of charter schools. We interviewed several of their seniors about their time there and were very moved by their reflections. We’ll be sharing those stories next week, but until then, enjoy these: Ethan gave me a beautiful book by Elliot Erwitt this week and I have become obsessed with his street photography. Timely, as he just received a lifetime achievement award from the International Center of Photography. Check out this interview more »
