Creating a video story is both a complex and intuitive process. Intuitive because we have internalized what makes a good short video. We have watched many stories on screen in various formats. Complex because video stories are composed of the nuanced combination of five powerful elements: imagery, sound, music, graphics, and words. It is these two ideas—intuitive and complex—that make video storytelling such an engaging and compelling practice in the classroom.

This video series allows you—and eventually your students—to practice and develop the attitudes and skills of an explorer and become a storyteller. Guided by Sandesh Kadur, you will develop your own video story—a story that means something to you and that could inspire others to take action.

The process is broken down into six steps as illustrated by each of the following videos.

1. Developing Your Story

In this video, Sandesh takes an active role in searching for a character whose story will be impactful. It’s a deliberate choice based on the passion of the person, their knowledge, and their connection to their environment—in this case a river in the Himalaya, which Sandesh also sees as a main character.

2. Pre-Production

Sandesh takes you through the fundamental planning steps needed to prepare for the shoot.

3. Shooting Tips

Sandesh offers a few tips about shot composition and camera movement.

4. Production

It is time to shoot. Here, Sandesh provides a detailed look at what he calls “shooting a sequence” which is about how to compose a series of shots to introduce your story or convey a small scene. On location, Sandesh’s shooting experience provides a visceral sense of the detailed work that goes into capturing all the material that you will need to tell your story.

5. Editing Your Story

Sandesh Kadur puts all the produced pieces together to create his short video story.

6. Showtime

Sandesh Kadur presents his final video story, along with a debrief about the process that he has just experienced. Sandesh talks about how time allows characters to naturally reveal themselves.

We invite educators to register in the free, self-paced online course “Storytelling for Impact in Your Classroom: Video.” This course is one in a series of five courses of the National Geographic Education program Storytelling for Impact. The course will provide educators with a deep understanding of the power of storytelling, the strength of photography as a visual tool with which to tell a story, and the value of photography as an instructional tool in their classroom.

Storytelling for Impact in Your Classroom: Video” was developed in partnership with Adobe, a champion for creativity and the power of storytelling.