The story is the start and the heart of the process. Each skills workshop starts with a Storycircle. Participants discover the joy of storytelling and learn the basics of script writing using simple exercises. The story they create forms the basis for the rest of the workshop.
The visual content of the story is usually based on still photographs, selected and scanned or downloaded during image capture. Additional material may be generated from video, scanning and photographing objects, documents and simple graphics.
Voice coaching and recording come next to lay down the voice track. At this point most of the ingredients of the digital story have been gathered. The process of compiling them into a short movie is what follows. Each step begins with a short tutorial and hands on exercises in the use of the device and apps.
Image processing. The captured images are resized and cropped during the first stage of the production workshop ready to be imported into a video editing programme. Story titles and credits are created during this day too.
Video editing starts by importing the assets or ingredients – sound track, images and any video – into video editing apps. Images are arranged along the soundtrack to produce the first roughcut or slideshow.
As the workshop advances new images are gathered or generated to complete the timeline sequence and effects are introduced to turn the slideshow into a movie.
The workshop concludes with a presentation or World Premiere of the films. Friends, family and colleagues may be are invited to join the audience as everyone applauds the hard work of the participants.
