The Power of Storytelling in the Age of Digital Shorts

Clients expect top tier production at their events. What if we pushed the expectations one step further? One strategy is to utilize production and video content beyond the event itself, to maximize client satisfaction and brand recognition. Here, Anson Mulville, Executive Producer of Production and Content discusses the potential in the meetings and events space for clients to elevate their digital storytelling.

How Video Content Can Reinforce Brand Messaging

It’s human nature for us to desire connection-to each other, to our jobs, the impact we have on others. It’s similar when we consume media. In our world, the focus on visual media comes by no surprise, given its unique capacity to tell a story.

The measure of great storytelling is how well the content engages an audiences’ feelings toward a brand or product. The goal isn’t to sell a product at the end of a video but rather to instil resonance with the brand. What does the brand stand for? What does it say about the consumer who is buying the product? In video and content production, our job is to create a story that triggers these reflections. Ultimately, we hope the audience walks away with a deeper sense of alignment with our vision and to the brand we represent.

What’s There to Love About Longer Form Content?

In the present media landscape, everything shies away from long form content. The assumption is that audiences only want to watch a 15-second TikTok or a 30-second Instagram story. Although short form content has its purpose in particular brand messaging, long form content certainly has an unyielding value in mainstream media consumption. The question to ask should not be how quickly can I tell a story, but what form supports the depth and richness of the story I am looking to tell, while keeping audiences engaged.

A recent example from our production house, Films, is a forty-five minute documentary created for a client. In this case study, long form content was the best way to capture the emotional depth of the subject’s journey and demonstrate the impact of the client’s product. I hope this case study shows future clients to not be fearful of a longer-form story, but rather to see it’s potential for greatness.

Documentary in Action

The most exciting part of working on the documentary was working onsite at a stadium during sunrise. Each of us stopped and took in that moment. It was a perfect morning. The sun was creeping over the edge of the stadium, hitting the seats perfectly. The red of the seats emphasized the deep orange of the sunrise. The stadium was completely empty except for us. Not a sound. There was a giddiness among the team, as we realized that not only were we telling a narrative story but cinematic one as well. In that moment everything clicked, everything flowed, and I knew it was going to be an amazing project.