At the end of this chapter, trainees…
Technology
Internet
Face-to-face: laptop, boxes, projector / video screen (trainer), laptop, smartphones (trainees)
Online: laptops and smartphones (trainer + trainees), headsets
Materials (face-to-face)
Board/whiteboard, flipchart stand and paper, cards (if available), markers.
Tools (online)
Video conference: Zoom (Back up: WhatsApp)
Visualization: Miroboard, JamBoard (Zoom offers digital whiteboards as well)
Quizzes: Slido, Mentimeter
Communication: WhatsApp, Email
Documentation, shared documents: Google Drive folder
Analyzing visual language (fundamental)
Group work / 1 hour
Trainees reflect on how constructive and non-constructive/negative messages are conveyed visually.
Objectives
Trainees are able to differentiate between positive and negative messages in visual storytelling.
Duration
Video presentation: 5 min.
Group work: 15 min.
Presentation and discussion: 20 min.
Trainer presentation, Q & A and discussion: 20 min.
Preparation
Choose a visual story, e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch
Prepare task and charts on (virtual) board for 2-4 groups – 2 columns: (+) and (-)
PPT
Group work, 20 min.
Show all trainees a visual story and ask them to look for positive and negative visual messages. Then divide trainees into 2 groups and ask them to make snapshots of the positive and negative visual messages they have identified in the video – minimum 2 snapshots of each category, and put them on the board.
The groups present their results and discuss further on how constructive and non-constructive messages are conveyed visually.
Input / Discussion, 20 min.
Building a constructive visual narrative
Presentation: PPT Reporting a visual constructive story, slides 2-7
Finding visual representations / Building a visual narrative
Individual exercise / 1 hour
Trainees actively search for visual representations for facts, figures and emotions. They reflect on the different steps in the process of building a visual narrative.
Objectives
Trainees search for visual representations and reflect on challenges of developing a visual narrative.
Duration
Individual exercise: 25 min.
Group work, presentation and discussion: 35 min.
Preparation
Come up with a list of words (facts, figures, abstract concepts, words indicating emotions, etc.)
Online/Offline: Prepare a digital board that participants can upload pictures to.
Individual exercise / Group work / Discussion, 1 hour
In case you are working in a trainer tandem: Divide trainees into 2 groups, each run by a trainer. Ask all trainees to individually match the prepared list of words with pictures from the internet and/or quickly take a photograph themselves.
Within each group, trainees present and defend their choices, together they critically reflect on them.
If the trainer is alone, trainees can do the exercise in pairs, otherwise you would need a lot of time for presentation and discussion.
Writing a visual treatment
Group work / 1 hour
Groups of trainees collectively select a scene from a visual story and write a detailed description of what they see. They also reflect on other tools such as a mood board that could be helpful for visual story development.
Objectives
Trainees are able to describe visuals for a storyboard and explain why this description is a useful part of pre-production.
Duration
Group work: 30 min.
Presentation and guided discussion: 30 min.
Preparation
Choose a visual story with strong visual language, e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch
Prepare boards for group work: visual treatment with 3 columns for (1) duration, (2) visuals/sound, (3) goal of visual/sound
Group work / Presentation / Discussion, 40 min.
Show trainees a constructive video report that has strong visual language . Then divide them into groups. Ask each group to select a different scene (20-30 seconds max) and write a detailed description of what they see and hear in the scene. Share/distribute a storyboard template with columns for (1) duration, (2) visuals/sound, (3) goal of visual/sound and ask trainees to make use of it.
Each group presents their scene and collects comments and feedback from the other groups. Guide the discussion and collect ideas for a checklist for good verbal descriptions of visuals that helps them to have a clear image in their mind while shooting film/video or communicating with a cameraperson.
Visual language for a solution-focused story (fundamental)
Group work / 1 hour
On a given storyline, trainees search for images to best illustrate the problem, the solution, insights, limitations and evidence.
Objectives
Trainees search for visual ideas to illustrate the main constructive story elements.
Duration
group work: 30 minutes
presentation and discussion in plenary : 30 minutes
Preparation
Choose a constructive visual story and write down a short storyline that includes main information about problem, solution, insight, limitations and evidence. Example:
https://www.dw.com/a-greener-way-to-cook-and-farm-in-peru
(only part one, until 3:30 )
Group work, 30 min.
Share the prepared storyline which summarizes the main constructive elements of the visual story you have chosen.
Divide the trainees into two groups and ask them to come up with ideas on how to translate the problem, the solution presented in the story, evidence, insights and limitations into visual metaphors, different shot sizes, light, color, background, symbols, focus, unusual and attractive shots, music, rhythm, graphics.
One group focuses on problem, solution and limitations, the other on problem, evidence and insights. Both groups document their ideas on a whiteboard (via images, paintings or verbal descriptions).
[Fictional example: 3 min. TV news report about the current Covid situation at an informal settlement at the outskirts of Lagos, Nigeria (whiteboard)]
Input /Discussion in plenary, 30 min.
One person from each group presents the collected ideas. Trainees then together watch the original video from which the storyline was taken. Discuss.
Being constructive on the filming site (fundamental)
Brainstorming / 40 minutes
Trainees brainstorm all together on what could be understood by “constructive awareness” when filming in a community with the team and doing interviews.
Objectives
Trainees critically reflect on non-constructive situations they might have experienced when approaching protagonists, alone or with a film team. Together they collect ideas to avoid such situations and to improve the relationship with protagonists and their team.
Duration
Think, pair and share; present: 20 minutes
Discussion and further brainstorming: 20 minutes
Preparation
Prepare board for collection of problematic scenarios and for collection of ideas for improvement.
Think, pair and share, 20 min.
Let trainees reflect on their own for 5 minutes, then pair with another trainee and discuss identified problems for another 10 minutes. Trainee-pairs collect their ideas on a board. Let one or two groups then present their findings, the others add what is missing.
Discussion, 20 min.
Together, the group identifies solutions (setting, behavior, timing, wording) for a more constructive approach on filming sites.
Assembling a constructive story
Group work / 1 hour
Trainees prepare an assembling plan for a constructive story on the basis of given filming material.
Objectives
Trainees are put in the scenario that they are actually video editing a story with given material and reflect on how to make choices and assemble it by following constructive principles.
Methods
Group work: 30 minutes
Presentation and discussion: 30 minutes
Preparation
This exercise demands some preparation.
A face-to-face-training will require sufficient time plus the necessary technical equipment (laptops with an editing program), you can ask trainees to physically do the montage. But the learning impact can also be achieved by this kind of “dry run”.
Group work, 30 min.
The trainees are divided into 3 groups and given cards representing isolate parts of filming material ready for editing (soundbites, scene, v.o. text etc.) of a story that has been produced. Each group gets the same set of cards. The task is to assemble the parts following constructive principles.
Trainees don’t have access to the existing visual story itself, but receive the following from the trainers:
The trainees’ task is to edit all the data they have – not by physical montage but by choosing and arranging the cards. They start excluding some quotes and footage (like they would do with their interviews when they film their stories) and discuss how and why they created the sequences that they did.
Input / Discussion, 30 min.
The groups then present their arrangement for the story, the trainers present the original video and open discussion if it was best sequenced or could have been different for a constructive narration.
Being constructive in post-production (fundamental)
Group work / 1 hour
Trainees identify constructive principles in the different post-production stages: editing, narration, graphic symbols, music, colors.
Objectives
Trainees get an understanding of how to apply constructive principles in post-production steps.
Methods
Group work: 20 minutes
Presentation and discussion: 30 minutes
Presentation: 10 minutes
Preparation
Prepare boards for each group, one for editing, one for narration, one for graphic symbols and music, one for data visualization.
Group work, 20 min.
Divide trainees into groups of 3-4 and let each group analyze a different stage of post-production. Ask them to brainstorm ideas on how to add constructive elements to each of the stages: editing, narration, graphics, music, data visualization, etc. Each group presents their results. Others comment or add ideas.
Input / Discussion, 20 min.
Preparing visual story production Presentation: PPT Reporting a visual constructive story, slides 8-27
Trainer recaps main chapter ideas in PPT form if needed.
Homework
The beginning and end of a constructive story
Each trainee chooses one shot for the beginning and one for the end of their individual project, feedback by trainer. (This individual work could also be done in the workshop, takes 15 min., then create 2 groups, each with 1 trainer, trainees present their ideas and get feedback.)
Writing a complete visual treatment for a visual story
Each trainee builds a visual narrative, prepares a visual treatment and sends it to you. You give individual feedback and tips for improvement. Beginning & end of CJ story