Not Another Video

“We need a new video for our website. The old one is derivative and too formal and people can’t be bothered watching it.” 

And so began a conversation about producing a new video for this particular community groups. This not for profit catered for aged care clients with a full kitchen team directed by a professional chef operating out of an industrial kitchen. 

A website video might seem obvious. The organisation ion catered to people in aged care. They still get hungry, but they are no longer able to cook for themselves, so a community organisation steps in with culinary niceties matching their clients tastes and and promoting the conviviality enjoyed by the community. But this gave me pause for thought. 

From Linear Story to Storyplex

Form many years the hero's journey, originally from Joseph Campbell's work on mythology, has been the template for developing stories and with good reason. By all accounts, we are hard wired for story. It's the reason we love stories so much and in so many different forms. It is the reason why advertising works, why therapy gets results and how children learn. Under this template stories are linear usually moving through the familiar three act structure. Linear stories are an efficient way of developing understanding, resolving conflict and developing meaning. The term, "Being on the same page" is really about sharing the same story. But in 360º storytelling, that all changes. The term "Storyplex" refers to understanding and sharing experience more as a neural network than a linear pathway. Storyplexes better represent real life for interactive for leisure, culture and training experiences. Learners are offered a more immersive experience leading to faster and deeper learning with better recall.

Take the classic example of a construction site. Workers meet predictable hazards on the job. Training in the use of safety equipment, tools and machinery are essential in maintaining a safe working environment.