Michele Hutchison

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Defining story and narrative

Image retrieved from the internet via The Week (2017) at https://theweek.com/articles/729283/blade-runner-2049-nostalgic-hurts.

During week three of my INFO 5442: Digital Storytelling course, I learned how to develop ideas for a digital story by focusing on storytelling basics, considering and discovering avenues for storytelling, and exploring the elements and structure that define "story."

Discuss the focus of your digital story project, why you chose this focus, and an initial story idea that would illustrate the goal.

Focus

My digital story will focus on the urgent need for sustainable living to combat climate change and resource depletion threats. As Philip Martin reflects, “According to Randall Jarrell, a story is first of all a chain of events that begins at one place and ends at another…” (Martin, n.d.). This story concept relates to how our actions have set us on a path with visible consequences. I chose this focus, ‘creating a story that supports a cause,’ to highlight the critical need for change today for a more sustainable tomorrow as an introduction to my interaction design capstone idea.

Initial story idea

The story begins with a montage of a near-future dystopia, with barren landscapes, abandoned cities, and polluted skies starkly reminding us of our environmental impact. The protagonist, a young survivor, scavenges through this desolate world, uncovering humanity’s past mistakes in remnants like journals, news broadcasts, etc. The turning point comes when they discover a preserved guide to reversing the damage—a plan tragically ignored in the past.

The climax delivers a hopeful message as the protagonist strives to inspire change, illustrating the interconnectedness of actions and motivations. As Beemgee (n.d.) notes, “The events are what the characters do. They do these things because they are in interaction with each other.” The resolution shifts to the present day, showing tangible, actionable steps people can take—reducing waste, conserving energy, etc. The story emphasizes that transformation is still possible if we act now.

In conjunction with your spoken narrative (the story script), you use images, color, music/sound, vocal quality, and tone to help convey meaning and emotion. Based on the story you described in #1, how do you foresee combining these elements to support your digital story's theme and plotline?

Visuals

I’ll start the story by pulling inspiration from movies like Children of Men (2006), Interstellar (2014), Blade Runner 2049 (2017), The Road (2009), and The Book of Eli (2010), incorporating color inspiration from movies like The Matrix (1999), and perhaps pulling images from shows like The Walking Dead (2010–2022), to help the audience envision a world in ruin, highlighting the environmental damage we’re facing. As Edith Crnkovich (n.d.) puts it, “Time and place can also be used to help your prospective customer envision a future with you.” I want the audience to feel the consequences of our actions (or lack thereof).

When the story shifts to hope, the visuals become brighter and vibrant, showing a future of possibility. I’ll use inspiration from movies like Tomorrowland (2015) to show that change is possible; as MasterClass (n.d.) describes, “The rebirth style of plot follows a character’s transformation from bad to good. The character will frequently have a tragic past that informs their current negative view of life, however, a series of events (usually set in motion by the protagonist or a narrator) will help them see the light.”

Sound

The soundtrack will start with negative atmospheric sounds, like wind, distant echoes, and silence at the right moments. Then, the music will shift to peaceful sounds, like birds and light breezes, emphasizing the positive shift toward sustainability.

Vocal quality and tone

I will adjust my voice to reflect the scenes' emotions. Early on, it might be somber, but later, it might become urgent and end with optimism.

A quick reflection on Digital Storytelling in Marketing and Branding, discussing thoughts on using storytelling as a branding or marketing tool.

Storytelling as a marketing and branding tool should not only be used to highlight the business's product or services but, most importantly, be used to stress the underlying brand message and narrative. Hattar (2022) notes this in her article on marketing and storytelling: “Everyone is aware of the insatiable thirst for content that has helped content marketing grow. However, despite the volume, only 5% of it accounts for the majority of engagement…Many estimates say that the average person encounters thousands of ads every day, so there is so much noise that it’s increasingly difficult for brands to stand out…for marketing to cut through all the noise and thrive, it should infuse storytelling in everything.”

This reminded me of my experience as a Graphic Designer in the beauty industry, where crafting compelling brand stories around our products was crucial for driving marketing success and ROIs. While our offerings weren’t vastly different from competitors, our story—emphasizing speed to market and customization—helped us stand out. As noted by Strikingly (n.d.), a brand story is “a narrative that defines the essence of a company, shaping how its audience perceives it.” We built a stronger connection with our customers by consistently communicating that we understood their needs and challenges across ads, social media, and other marketing collateral.

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Digital StorytellingMichele Hutchison