Scene or “Scene”: The Power of Place in Visual Storytelling for Mission-Driven Marketing
Scene or “Scene”: The Power of Place in Visual Storytelling for Mission-Driven Marketing
For the past few months, I’ve been thinking about the fundamentals of storytelling. I’ve been examining the theory and practice of storytelling to get a better understanding of what we do, how we do it, and why. It’s helped me do a better job of leading the team here at Argonaut Productions. It’s also given me a clear understanding of how our process borrows from and builds on those who’ve influenced us.
I’ve been sharing my thoughts here on LinkedIn and on the Golden Fleece blog over at the Argonaut Productions website. It’s led to some interesting conversations with other storytellers as well as prospective clients and long-time partners.
The common theme of all these articles has been “productive tension”. Good storytelling maintains a balance between competing elements and weaves them into a fabric that wraps itself around an audience. The raw materials of good storytelling, the elements if you will, are things like story structure, character development, and setting or scene.
In September, I shared an article about the productive tension between creativity and curiosity in the Discovery Process we use here at Argonaut. In October, I talked about balancing humanity and heroism in character development. Last month, I wrote about using suspense as a strategy and tactic in storytelling. Today, I want to think through the importance of place or scene in the stories we tell.
What Do We Mean When We Talk About “Scene”?
At Argonaut Productions we specialize in visual storytelling for mission-driven marketing. That means that we share conventions with video production agencies and filmmakers. There’s a common language that ties these different services together. At the same time, it’s worth noticing where using the same term to describe different purposes can gloss over the distinctions that make a difference.
The term “scene” is a good example of what I’m talking about here.
If you grab a dictionary, you’ll find that the word scene has at least four or five different definitions. The one that I keep on my desk starts out with the following:
1. One of the subdivisions of a play
2. A stage setting
Both of these definitions speak directly to the meaning of ‘scene’ that matters most in filmmaking and video production. They address the presentation of a story. As such, they presume that the story itself is a settled matter.
Scene in Film and Video
I’ve been looking at how other folks who do storytelling in the nonprofit world talk about “scene”. The folks at CauseVox ran a three-part series on nonprofit storytelling recently. Where and how they set up their discussion of ‘scene’ helps to illustrate the point that I’m trying to make about the importance of the difference between “scene” in presentation and “scene” as place.
The first installment of the CauseVox trilogy talks about finding the story you want to tell. They recommend focusing on what makes an organization different over presenting facts and figures. The second chapter turns to considering the audience and adapting the story to suit their tastes.
When they finally take up the discussion of “scene” they do so by distinguishing between “detail-driven scene storytelling” on the one hand and “big-picture narrative” on the other. They recommend that you “use scene to draw the listener in and engage their emotions” and “use narrative to move things along”.
I don’t disagree with the importance of “scene storytelling” in this sense or question its ability to engage emotions. Still, I think that it’s crucial to recognize that this perspective on scene focuses on presentation and fails to acknowledge the role of scene as place in creating a powerful narrative.
Scene in Storytelling
At Argonaut Productions, we help our clients with more than just video production. We don’t expect the organizations we work with to come to us with a story they want to tell. We want to work with our clients to help them discover and design the story before we dig into the details of how to set up the perfect ‘scene’ to shoot.
So, when I think about scene, I tend to think a bit more broadly. I think about how the ‘where’ of a story influences the who, what, and why.
The folks at Muse Storytelling talk about the 4 pillars of story. Those pillars are People, Place, Purpose, and Plot. The way that I think about ‘scene’ has as much in common with what they have to say about ‘place’ as it does with the way a filmmaker talks about scene.
Let’s go back to the dictionary for a second. When we do, we find that the third definition of scene is:
3. The place of an occurrence or action
Now let’s look at what Muse has to say about ‘Place’. They say that it is “where your story happens” and that “it grounds the story in reality”. To Muse “place is more than just a backdrop-it’s a way to let your story speak for itself, display your character’s authenticity, and foster trust with the audience.”
Does the Difference Make a Difference?
Is “where” a story takes place just part of the presentation? Or, as Muse suggests, does “where your story happens” deserve to be treated as “more than just a backdrop”?
If, as CauseVox believes, the details of a scene are the elements that allow a storyteller to appeal to the emotions of the audience, then where does the scene get that power from? I would argue that all of the power that a scene has to create emotional connections comes from the power of place in the sense that Muse Storytelling understands it.
Powerful Places In Stories We Love
Can you imagine Harry Potter’s story without the power of Hogwarts, Privet Drive, and the Burrow?
Can you imagine Bilbo or Frodo without the authenticity supplied by Middle Earth?
Would the magic of those stories be as instructive and inspiring if it wasn’t part of a place that was set apart from everyday life?
I’ve talked before about Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. When it comes to the power of place, the five books that make up the Tiffany Aching Adventures (a particular storyline in the Discworld universe) are a shining example of how the power of place can come to serve as something like a character in a story.
Consider this passage from Pratchett’s final novel, The Shepherd’s Crown:
Her fingers curled around the odd-shaped little stone, tracing its five ridges, and somehow she felt a strength flow into her, the hardness of the flint at its heart reminding her who she was. I need to keep a piece of the Chalk with me, she realized. My land gives me strength, supports me. It reminds me who I am . . . I am Tiffany Aching, witch of the Chalk. And I need my land with me.
The Chalk is the name of the area where Tiffany’s family has lived for as long as anyone can remember. It’s more than just a landscape. It’s more than just a place for Tiffany’s story to unfold. It is a character in the tale. It is a source of Tiffany’s power. It plays a role in her successes. It protects her from powerful enemies.
When a storyteller appreciates the power of place, they can use that power to weave a stronger fabric. When the power of place supports ‘scenes’ and ‘narratives’, the story is more authentic. The trust that you establish with the audience makes it easier for them to allow and embrace an emotional connection.
Using The Power of Place in Nonprofit Storytelling
I enjoy thinking about the parallels between the work that we do here at Argonaut Productions and the truly great storytellers like Cervantes, Tolkien, Rowling, and Pratchett. At the same time, I can understand why most of our clients want to focus on more pragmatic and practical aspects of what we can accomplish when we work together.
As I’ve been working through this series of articles, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how these insights influenced the projects we’ve worked on and how they are evident in the final edits we’ve delivered.
Every project we work on is bespoke. So, there isn’t a template and it’s hard to hang a description on a ‘typical’ project. But they all start with listening during the discovery phase. We lean into our curiosity to ask questions that help us get to know an organization’s core values. We rely on our creativity to shape what we’ve learned into a narrative.
Where we shoot, what we shoot, and how we shoot it are all part of the creative process that starts during discovery and continues on through pre-production, production, and post-production in the design phase. It’s interesting to look at the different ways we’ve used ‘scene’ as both presentation and a source of power in the projects that we’ve worked on.
Midas “Imagine”
Back in 2015, Midas franchisees started a grassroots initiative to raise funds and awareness for local food banks. The following year, Midas, Inc. provided the support needed to take the initiative nationwide. That included a partnership with Feeding America and help from Lionmaus Media on an innovative social media strategy.
We were honored to be a part of that project. We guided the partners through the discovery process and then the production of a flagship video. Working on a soundstage with professional actors and props took us outside of our comfort zone. But we embraced the challenges and focused on the opportunity to be part of a very special story.
This project gave us the freedom to create the perfect place to serve as the setting. Looking back at what we did, I have to smile at what came out of the partnership. Did the ‘scene’ ground the story in reality? Was it more than just a backdrop? Did it speak for itself and display the character’s authenticity?
Palm Beach County Food Bank
The Midas video is a good example of creating a ‘scene’ out of whole cloth. We worked with our friends at LionMaus Media on another project where we used the power of place as part of a social experiment that helped to make a powerful point.
Palm Beach County is one of the wealthiest counties in the United States. The Palm Beach County Food Bank needed a way to deliver the message that food insecurity wasn’t an abstract concept or a far-away problem. We went to a local farmer’s market where people were enjoying meals from a food truck.
To get the project done, we had to manage a lot of technical, legal, and ethical considerations. All of the extra challenges turned out to be more than worth it. The stark contrast between the setting and the idea of food insecurity tells the story with emotions that facts and figures could never achieve. The video that came out of the process not only performed above expectations as a call-to-action for fundraising during The Great Give—it went global and garnered the attention of media outlets like Huffington Post and The Daily Mail (UK).
Jupiter Medical Center Foundation
World-class care close to home is at the heart of Jupiter Medical Center’s mission. The goal of delivering the care the community needs is what drives them. When they saw opportunities to do more and do better to achieve those goals, they asked the community for help to make it happen.
Not long ago, JMC launched a $500M capital campaign, to establish new facilities and offer new treatments that had previously required a trip to Miami or beyond. The places they were creating to provide the care the community needed were evidence that donors were part of something special. But those places only told a part of the story.
To show the real impact of JMC’s world-class cancer treatment facility, we juxtaposed the places where the work of cancer treatment got done with the places where that work mattered the most. We focused on the impact that JMC’s cancer treatment program had on one patient and their family. The family home was more than just a backdrop. It was a source of power that helped the patient push through a difficult journey.
Connections Education Center
The power of place played an outsized role in the project that we worked on with Connections Education Center. It created the need for the project. I presented both opportunities and constraints that we had to manage in the production process. When I look back at the finished product, I’m blown away by the impact that it had on the story and on the audience.
The first example of how place influenced this project can be seen in the problems that Connections wanted to solve with a video. The COVID-19 pandemic and the quarantines that came as a result, made it impossible for Connections to host their annual in-person fundraising gala. Connections couldn’t just make do without so they decided to go with a virtual event.
They wanted a video that would anchor the virtual event. But how could we tell a story that would be powerful enough to make up for the difference between a familiar event in a shared space and one defined by distance and digital communication? We worked within the constraints of social distancing to take the virtual event’s audience everywhere they needed to be to see firsthand what their support meant to the students and families of Connections Education Center.
Does Your Visual Storytelling Tap Into The Power of Place?
When you look at your organization’s messages, do you feel their power or do they fail to connect? Now think about your audience and remember that they’re moved and motivated and inspired by the same things that inspire you.
Video storytelling has the power to create strong emotional bonds. But getting that kind of result doesn’t just happen.
Are you using all of the resources you have to craft the best messages you can?
At Argonaut Productions we know the value of having a great story to tell. We know that when you invest the time and effort to get the story right, it can do the heavy lifting.
If you want to learn more about what we do and how we do it, contact us to set up an initial consultation.