Up until today, I thought that I was one of the ultra-conscious Americans whose choice to only drink bottled water was in some way going to change the taste and cleanliness of tap water. After watching The Story of Bottled Water, I was embarrassed to find out that my selfish form of protest was in fact my own consumption of the very thing that I was choosing to avoid.
The Story of Bottled Water provides a really simplified visual paired with some equally simple narrative to convey the story of bottled water, our fascination with it, our fear of its counterpart and how it will effect our environment. While I do think that the content should be the at the forefront of the message, the way the information is portrayed is really the start of the story.
The use of animation through simple black and white drawings and through almost stick figure-like characters really drives home the message without being too serious or too silly. The narrator appears in her actual form interposed within the video which I think helps to keep the message grounded in reality amidst all of the visual cacophony. The combination of these elements makes the story easy to watch and easy to understand while still being as entertaining something one may watch on television.
I learned a lot without having to try too hard. That’s the laziest and guiltiest type of learning. The way the pages below the video flip back and forth with the pacing of the video was also very helpful. I knew what topic was being discussed and was able to see static text in the case that I wanted to refer back to something said. The experience provided some really strong aspects of interactivity while showing that the simplicity of animation can still be as impacting as a 3D film.