You’ve reached the end of your digital storytelling workshop and everyone’s getting ready to render and output their finished digital story. Here are four things you need to think about: 1. Make sure each digital storyteller in the workshop watches their film from start to finish 2. Make sure there are no mistakes with narration or images: an image duplicated or in the wrong place, a piece of narration clashing with an image 3. Correct any typos in the titles or credits 4. Double-check the spelling of names Here’s a related article on Capture Wales about sharing your digital story. Written and first published by Gareth Morlais on 30 June…

When adding titles and end credits to your digital story, use only the middle 80% of the screen. The central area is the TV safe area. If you creep too far out to the edges, there’s a risk letters will get lost if the story’s broadcast on TV. Old cathode-ray tube TVs trim the edges and on newer LCD screens, people often have their zoom set to ‘automatic’, which trims the edges. This TV safe area tip is one I learned from Rob Thompson. He used to be a video editor at BBC Wales but I think he now works with Avid in the Middle East.

Here’s a tip that will make post-production, storing, archiving and finding individual digital stories easier. When working with workshop participants and individuals, ask them to make a final decision about which name they will use on their digital story. This seems so simple, but some people find it difficult because: they have a name like John Smith which makes it hard to identify or make themselves stand out in public the name by which they’re known is not their given name they think they may like to keep the option of telling an anonymous story etc Having decided on a name. Make one folder called, say, “joe-m-bloggs”. Spelling is important,…

Here’s a cribsheet I wrote to remind me of what to say at the beginning of the first day of our three-day digital storytelling workshops around Wales: Fire drill Beware of tripping on cables. I’d let people know that I’ve written each person’s name on a PostIt on each computer. Planning the seating is something we didn’t leave to chance. Remind people to take regular screen breaks, change their seating position, be comfy… Let people know where toilets are Let people know start and end times and times of refreshment breaks. Ask people to drink and eat away from the computer please. Introduce trainers, storytellers, newcomers (at start of subsequent…