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Storytelling:The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly#bHereMainSt

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jstephenconn/5340093717

This Webinar is made possible through a partnership between partnership between theMuseWeb Foundationand the Smithsonian InstitutionsMuseum on Main Streetprogram.1

#bHereMainSt @MuseWeb

Selwyn RampProject DirectorHeather SheltonDigital CuratorSelwyn@MuseWeb.us@SelwynRampHeather@MuseWeb.us@MuseumsAgo

www.MuseWeb.us/be-here-main-streethttp://www.slideshare.net/MuseWeb/be-here-main-street-project

Photograph by Selwyn Ramp

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What is cultural storytelling?And how is it different from other stories?

To put it simply, cultural storytelling are factual events/content told in creative and immersive ways. Voices lending to a bigger picture of a place. Their voices shouldnt be the only one talking about a certain location but about the feel of a place, what it is to be there- what the culture is, what makes the place unique. Like this picture of a homemade pesto burger Its about how it tastes how it looks, how it smells 3

Cultural Stories Are:

Not always based on hard factsCan be told by anyonePerspectives & experiencesOffer a sense of time & placeRich & descriptiveTotally individualized & unique

Differentiate between cultural stories and those that they might find in history books. 4

What are the elements of a great story?Includes town name and stateCreates a sense of contextProvides rich, descriptive detailsCovers topics and subjects that can be linked to larger stories: TOURSSound and imagery match mood and tenor of topicNarration is natural and enthusiastic

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Capitalizes on students passions!

This is something you can do no-matter what & when. Even if you are not involved with the YAG project until 2019!

Its about sharing passion about elements of the broad national themes from MoMS exhibitions. Ask the meeting participants to think about how local stories will connect to the MoMS exhibit.

Think about how your local stories can help your communitys connect with the national

When we talk about being a project for cultural storytelling, we mean that we want you to inspire others with your passion to an aspect of your specific history and culture. We dont want to hear dry facts. We want to hear the context of behind facts. Is there music that will bring the story to life, or can you tell us about the personalities of the people you are talking about dont just talk about what Thurgood Marshall did, talk about who he was as a person. Help us imagine the times and the people in our heads what is the story behind that architectural style, how did that artwork get here, what is the story behind it?

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These are good stories!

See if you can figure out why.

Newspaper InserterEagle River, AlaskaSmall-town Life During Ice StormFirst Job

All of these stories share common elements.

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What elements did these stories share?

Recounted a personal experienceTopic about something he/she new bestNatural speaking voice

2-5 minutes in lengthReferenced locationMade you think about another time or place

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story?... How about a more traditional approach?

Producers must be passionate about the topicAre concerned about lengthResearch matters but reading of a script is not engagingEditing to know the most important parts of the storyContext is keyRich details and character/place development matter

Even with documentaries, you should be aware that:

Not all teachers are keen on the idea of free-form story collection. Some projects are going to require much more planning. Cultural stories can, of course, be both spontaneous or well rehearsed.9

Examples of good documentary-stylestudent stories

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ihBjSJRvPEhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqRQnki51fI

These stories are great! Two things to think about in the first example is the use of the students name and the inclusion of popular music.

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More Than the Story . . .

Students to consider topics not studied in school as valid and worthwhile?

Students to think beyond themselves and their school?

Students to cross generational, gender or racial lines to collect or record the story?Did the Process Encourage . . . ?

Students to make use of local resources like libraries, archives, museums?

Students to experiment with new technologies?

Students to be open to peer editing, review, and screening of stories?

Students to consider themselvesexperts on a topic?

Building Confidence, Skills, and CommunityStudents to consider multiple points of view on a given issue.

Whats the purpose of this project? Just to collect stories? 11

story?... How could yougroup great stories?

The whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts. Stories grouped around a theme create a greater narrative, a cause, a movement.Stories around a singular theme, age group, place Stories that build one upon the otherStories that examine a topic from multiple perspectives

So Grouping of stories- What happens to individual stories if you group them together with a theme? you build an overarching . Theme, a cause you could almost listen to them like a novel that is being red to you. 12

Good stories create contextand can be connected online, developed into a collection, playlist, or series

At the core of the program, is the goal to connect communities to each other, but also to others. Using the power of storytelling development/partnerships development.

Storytelling has the possibility to do this because you are no longer talking about culture, but about the community and everyone has some kind of interest in it- because they are part of it.

As Seph Rodney wrote in the introduction to the Storytelling Handbook: We have always told stories. In inventing stories, we invented ourselves, through telling them to each other, we make a community. [now more than ever] We need the light and the warmth of stories authentically told and shared. We need them especially from community members who are not typically heardthe citizen storytellers, corner oral historians who have a wealth of lived experience not found in official records or broadcast reports. Our technological tools now allow us to give local voices a new platform; we can pin content to geolocated areas that are triggered through smart phone apps. This initiative is a new and unique form of storytelling, yet it is also part of a deep tradition of making a world for ourselves in which we dont just survive, but we thrive.

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Think about a tour a group of 8-15 stories that are connected by a common theme.

A typical stop on a tour is between 1-3 minutes.

TYPICALLY not necessarily.As we can see- a tour, or collection of stories for example in Minnesota - there is a collection of over 100 stories recorded.

We are probably all familiar with the typical museum or city tours. A grouping of 10 to 15 stories, connected together through a predefined route. Most stops are typically soundbites of 1 3 minutes.

It is probably not hard to imagine that this is possible to do with a smartphone

But what if we think beyond the typical- imagine a city, a community, or even a country to be covered with soundbites of 1 2 minutes, and instead of the content creator to be leading the way- the end user decides the route, and whatever story is near you, and relevant to the location you are in, simply starts playing. and you can create if it were a soundtrack of the city.

THAT is what technology nowadays allows us to do, and the best yet- it is openly available for anyone to use.14

TYPICALLY not necessarily.As we can see- a tour, or collection of stories for example in Minnesota - there is a collection of over 100 stories recorded.

We are probably all familiar with the typical museum or city tours. A grouping of 10 to 15 stories, connected together through a predefined route. Most stops are typically soundbites of 1 3 minutes.

It is probably not hard to imagine that this is possible to do with a smartphone

But what if we think beyond the typical- imagine a city, a community, or even a country to be covered with soundbites of 1 2 minutes, and instead of the content creator to be leading the way- the end user decides the route, and whatever story is near you, and relevant to the location you are in, simply starts playing. and you can create if it were a soundtrack of the city.

THAT is what technology nowadays allows us to do, and the best yet- it is openly available for anyone to use.15

Be part of a larger community.

Upload to the Museum on Main Street Website

Tag outside content to Be Here: Main Street#bHereMainSt

What makes for a badstory?

What makes for a less successful story?Speakers talk over each otherStudents include last names and addressesRecorded in a loud place where background noise cant be editedToo focused on editing bells and whistlesnot as much on contentUses unlicensed audio or videoAsks yes or no questions of interviewees

Ugly? Maybe not, but some stories are less successful than others. 17

These are not-so great stories!

See if you can figure out why.Yes or no questions!Reading scriptBackground Noise!No mention of location

Therefore, this story is about Becky and Don, and was originally recorded for the Minnesota Humanities Center in conjunction with Water/Ways Exhibition of Museum on Main Street. Please listen & look at the pictures

Though we cannot go to the physical location that this story is about, I have added some pictures that I was able to find online about the river and location they are talking about.- because this story was geo-located to a specific location, and I was able to easily trace where it was of relevance.

Which of the two stories we listened to was more interesting? and did the visual clues help you to relate to the story better?

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Questions?

And thats all she wrote! Does anyone have any questions?19

#bHereMainSt @MuseWeb

Nancy ProctorExecutive DirectorSelwyn RampProject DirectorNancy@MuseWeb.us@NancyProctor

Heather SheltonDigital CuratorSelwyn@MuseWeb.us@SelwynRampHeather@MuseWeb.us@MuseumsAgoContact Details

www.MuseWeb.us/be-here-main-streethttp://www.slideshare.net/MuseWeb/be-here-main-street-project

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