For this week’s blog, I watched a couple videos from the “Story of Stuff” series and thought they were excellent. For the sake of time, I only watched two videos, but I will finish the series later. The two videos I chose were “Cap and Trade” and “Bottled Water.” The video series are short films trying to raise awareness about a variety of issues ranging from cosmetics to cap and trade. I’ll discuss the content of both videos and their production value as a means of effective communication.
The first video, “Cap and Trade” discusses the proposed idea of combating our carbon emissions with a system of trading carbon credits. From a content standpoint, they make a compelling argument that this will essentially create a market for trade, resulting in a trillion dollar industry, but it won’t actually reduce carbon emissions. What makes these videos successful, apart from the production value, is that they actually offer simple, realistic steps we can take to improve. I definitely recommend watching the series. The second video I watched was concerning the production and consumption of bottled water. It takes us through the process of how the consumer was convinced there was a need to purchase bottled water at a 2000% premium. After discussing the “manufactured need” the bottling companies created, they discuss the massive amounts of waste we are generating. Thankfully, I’ve never been a fan of bottled water, but I did get a new perspective on the proposed cap and trade.
From a perspective of communication, these videos did an excellent job of incorporating several aspects of interactive media. Initially, the minimalist animation serves as an endearing way to visualize what’s happening, in an interesting way (those three devils are as cute as a button). Next, having the narrator present on screen gives the film more credibility. If it was a voiceover animation, it might border on Schoolhouse Rock. Being able to see who is talking helps to relate to the story she is telling. Lastly, the film provides small submenus when important topics are discussed. The topics show up in a toolbar underneath the video, presented as FAQ’s. These videos serve as a great way to get their message out in a non-preachy, informative, and convincing way. They present the material in an easy to view manner, and they provide additional information, if the user wants to learn more. I think these videos can serve as a good model when designing for interactive media.