How to tell a story on film: An experiment in ‘blended learning’

A few months ago I was asked to make a short video for a verification course we were about to pilot here at the BBC Academy. I used a lightweight tripod, my mobile phone and a movie app to edit the piece. It was fairly straightforward: one interview, chapter headings and moving screenshots of websites.

The video was intended to reinforce key learning points outlined earlier in the classroom. Although relatively simple, the end product was satisfactory.



At the same time the Academy was having very serious discussions about changing some of its training: placing more emphasis on ‘blended learning’ and digital content. Globally, by 2018 video is predicted to account for almost four-fifths of all internet traffic. According to that same forecast, more than half of the world will have access to the internet. It’s boom time for video.



That got me thinking. Could we - and should we - produce a series of very short videos (we already have some excellent long-form videos) that would complement existing training aids across our entire learning portfolio? Should these clips be used in the classroom or as pre-course material? How much time should be devoted to devising, shooting and editing? How would they be used?



One thing was certain: they should be short and shareable -making the content not only accessible inside the BBC but elsewhere too. One of the biggest requests in my time as a BBC trainer has been for basic TV news sequencing: put simply, how to shoot and edit footage to tell a story coherently. And so I pitched a pilot video and the first subject was agreed.



I wanted to convey how sequencing exists in all aspects of the media we consume - whether in film, TV, games, comics etc. We’ve become so used to it we hardly notice. Get it wrong, however, and a video can look messy and disjointed.



I looked at other successful short-form video that the BBC, and others, were producing. I looked for engaging ways to present text-based information. It was a fascinating journey.



Once clear about the structure, I devised a quick storyboard and soon found the video taking on a two-part format. First: what sequencing is. Second: how you do it. It was clear that my original plan for a 60-second video couldn’t be achieved within this narrative structure. So I doubled the length. #BBC120 was born.



While necessary rights were being obtained, I popped to my local coffee shop and persuaded Deiric to ‘star’ in the latter half of the video. Again I used my mobile phone to capture those shots, latterly using Final Cut Pro 7 to edit the video together.



And what you see above is the final piece: a self-contained, bite-size video which highlights the key learning points of TV news sequencing. I believe it gives a good introduction to the subject and hopefully piques the interest of the casual viewer, too. Of course this could never replace the formal face-to-face course - but as part of a blended learning experience, with accompanied text documents, exercises, feedback etc, it might just work.

I’d appreciate your thoughts. If the consensus is positive I’ll make a few more in this pilot series. Please leave a comment below, on the YouTube video page or by messaging me on Twitter @jamesharrod

James Harrod blog post: Learning in the digital age: A new idea for curated content