Boyd Huppert, known around the country for his program “Land of 10,000 Stories” spoke on maximizing visual storytelling on Thursday at EIJ 2018.
At the workshop, titled “It’s Just Video, Until a Storyteller Creates an Experience,” Huppert focused his time on focus — and how to use new tools to pursue stories in a different way.
“What is the story about?” Huppert asked the audience repeatedly. A story, Huppert said, is much different than an assignment.
Huppert’s advice bled a tangible “less is more” feeling. As he dug into methods to find the underlying story, he emphasized time. Even when you’re on a deadline, letting the subjects express themselves is important to finding the focus of your story, he said. This mentality has defined his approach to storytelling, one that emphasizes the subjects’ ability to tell their own stories.
The audience is also a large part of the visual experience, according to Huppert.
“The most important thing I can share with you today is not to spoil the surprises for the viewers. We have to be really generous and allow something or someone else to deliver the surprise,” Huppert said.
Huppert then led the audience piece-by-piece through a script to identify areas of strength and weakness. This led to a lesson on literary devices for journalism.
Using clips from his work at KARE 11, he framed his words with examples and evidence; each piece demonstrating to the audience why Huppert is at the top of his field.
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