Digital Storyteller's Handbook

This book is a gesture of media empowerment, so those with something to say can create meaningful content that will get noticed. The foreword says it all:


Foreword: Who We Are, Why We’re Here


This is the book I wish I’d had when I was starting out as a digital filmmaker. It’s got some old things and some new things, and it’s designed to be practical and easy to implement in your life. It’s not the “Everything You Will Ever Need To Know” kind of book, because those books can be so overwhelming that they don’t get read. But it’s also not the kind of book written for “the complete idiot”, because a complete idiot can’t make a good movie. It’s the digital filmmaking book for the intelligent beginner.


You may be a person who is new to telling stories in a digital medium, or someone who has made some movies and wants to improve the way you’ve been doing things. A poet who has begun thinking in pictures. A business owner who wants to put some videos about what you do on a website. A musician who needs to make a music video. A political or environmental activist with something to say. An artist who’s exploring a new means of visual expression. A wedding/event videographer who wants to improve their game. Or an educator who is seeking a good way to teach this subject to students of any age. 


This book has been written with all of you in mind.


Films usually get made in three big chunks: Writing, production, and post-production. This book is about the first two, with a nod to the third. It’s designed to help you get from the initial idea through production, using modern, accessible filmmaking tools. I’m actually an editor, and there are a lot of books out about editing, so I thought that writing about creating media on the front end of the process would be more useful and more fun.


We’re going to focus on two things: Writing (building a story and script), and what needs to be done to get the story “in the can” (digital production). At the end of the book, we’ll talk about post-production and what you should know to prepare for it, because editors love it when you arrive prepared.


Most of us have grown up watching a lot of movies and TV. Even if we don’t know exactly why, it’s clear when something works. This book is here to help you make the kinds of decisions that result in movies that convey your vision clearly, whether it’s your business or your passion. Making them good is still up to you.