One in 8 Million - New York Characters in Sound and Images - The New York Times
Maggie Worth, the singing waitress, is just one of One in Eight Million people who make New York the greatest city on earth. She's also one of the people captured in the NY Times website devoted to profiling the men and women who inhabit that eccentric, charming and vital place that so many call home, New York City. Here at this site they answer the question, "who am I?" in their own words. Images from a professional photographer help bring their thoughts to life. Another innovative use of the web that I find fascinating. Maybe it's the voyeur in me, but I'm curious about people, who they are, how they live, what they find worthwhile, and how the world looks from their vantage point. And here it all is, featured as an innovative way of presenting the insightful moment. Featuring real people telling their stories. And a new one added each week.
Showing posts with label telling stories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label telling stories. Show all posts
Friday, May 22, 2009
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Art of the Interview
If nothing else, Errol Morris has perfected the art of the interview. And more than that, he has a keen talent for drawing people out. Which means he's able to present them as their real or authentic selves. And that kind of authenticity really communicates, making his work at once powerful and intimate. That's the magic of using real people in video and political campaigns.
The New York Times has an interesting article about the history of using real people in campaigns, written by Errol Morris. In addition to his well-known documentaries, he makes his living producing commercials and political campaigns.
Having worked on many campaigns myself, I know effective interviewing is a subtle art form. You have to use a great deal of skill to create something that seems so real and unedited. You have to gain a person's trust, make them feel at ease, be patient, empathetic and gently lead them to the place where they will let down their defenses and say what is on their mind. It's not something that you can force or fake. And watching the raw footage, you can feel when those moments are there and when they are not.
You have a greater ability to manipulate the words and to some degree the sentiment if you take the person off camera, edit their comments, and add strong images and music. That's what you usually see with politicals, but Morris takes a more pure and difficult approach.
And you can see some of his current work in the political realm at People in the Middle for Obama. No matter your party affiliation, it's worth a look at how he's able to craft a message. Each person is shot against a white background. And their comments are pasted together to create an informational moment. There is basically nothing there except the person and their comments, yet the overall effect can be quite moving.
You can see the same technique employed by Jennifer Crandall and her wonderful people portraits at "On Being" a special video feature of the Washington Post. Jennifer's series has been running for some time and creates an in depth look at character and life story through a similar approach to the art of the intervew.
The New York Times has an interesting article about the history of using real people in campaigns, written by Errol Morris. In addition to his well-known documentaries, he makes his living producing commercials and political campaigns.
Having worked on many campaigns myself, I know effective interviewing is a subtle art form. You have to use a great deal of skill to create something that seems so real and unedited. You have to gain a person's trust, make them feel at ease, be patient, empathetic and gently lead them to the place where they will let down their defenses and say what is on their mind. It's not something that you can force or fake. And watching the raw footage, you can feel when those moments are there and when they are not.
You have a greater ability to manipulate the words and to some degree the sentiment if you take the person off camera, edit their comments, and add strong images and music. That's what you usually see with politicals, but Morris takes a more pure and difficult approach.
And you can see some of his current work in the political realm at People in the Middle for Obama. No matter your party affiliation, it's worth a look at how he's able to craft a message. Each person is shot against a white background. And their comments are pasted together to create an informational moment. There is basically nothing there except the person and their comments, yet the overall effect can be quite moving.
You can see the same technique employed by Jennifer Crandall and her wonderful people portraits at "On Being" a special video feature of the Washington Post. Jennifer's series has been running for some time and creates an in depth look at character and life story through a similar approach to the art of the intervew.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
A Good Story Appeals to Everyone
In today's WSJ, "A new study shows that Coca-Cola's Super Bowl ad starring Charlie Brown was the most talked about ad online" according to a company that monitors blogs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiMf5cCDy1I
The article went on to interview the ad makers:
WSJ: "Coke has long struggled to create ads that resonate with teens but don't rub older drinkers the wrong way. How much did that issue weigh in your head when dreaming up this spot?"
Hal Curtis (the spot's creative director): "A good story appeals to everyone. And a story that is well told appeals to young and old."
Coca-Cola's Pio Schunker: "We are at our best when we speak to universal values that appeal to everyone rather than try and skew it to specific segments."
Understanding the audience and how to best reach them does not lie exclusively in the domain of ad makers. It's something we also deal with. For example, one of the things you could say we bring to the table is an outside-of-the-organization world view. As you know, organizations have their own internal culture, jargon, and priorities. And those don't always communicate well to people on the outside. So while we believe in understanding the world from our client's point of view, we're also able to view their issues with a fresh eye.
You might way we can provide a different perspective. So, whenever I work on a project I ask these questions: Does it make sense? Can an audience not familiar with the subject follow the logic? Does it hold our interest? Is it compelling? Or, to come at it from a different angle, does it tell a good story? That's our job, to make sure that it does.
And then it will have a broad appeal. Which creates a greater impact and makes for a more memorable piece. Like the coke commercial.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiMf5cCDy1I
The article went on to interview the ad makers:
WSJ: "Coke has long struggled to create ads that resonate with teens but don't rub older drinkers the wrong way. How much did that issue weigh in your head when dreaming up this spot?"
Hal Curtis (the spot's creative director): "A good story appeals to everyone. And a story that is well told appeals to young and old."
Coca-Cola's Pio Schunker: "We are at our best when we speak to universal values that appeal to everyone rather than try and skew it to specific segments."
Understanding the audience and how to best reach them does not lie exclusively in the domain of ad makers. It's something we also deal with. For example, one of the things you could say we bring to the table is an outside-of-the-organization world view. As you know, organizations have their own internal culture, jargon, and priorities. And those don't always communicate well to people on the outside. So while we believe in understanding the world from our client's point of view, we're also able to view their issues with a fresh eye.
You might way we can provide a different perspective. So, whenever I work on a project I ask these questions: Does it make sense? Can an audience not familiar with the subject follow the logic? Does it hold our interest? Is it compelling? Or, to come at it from a different angle, does it tell a good story? That's our job, to make sure that it does.
And then it will have a broad appeal. Which creates a greater impact and makes for a more memorable piece. Like the coke commercial.
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