These were some very interesting videos by Story of Stuff. And not just content-wise. Yes, the content was very intriguing to me (and kind of scary, to be honest. To think we are this close to an environmental doomsday and we are only expediting the process instead of trying to slow it down…) and very informational. But it was the drawing style that I loved most.
I watched two videos: one on cap and trade and another on water bottles. I am a big fan of the whiteboard-style drawings used in these movies. Some of my favorite YouTube videos have been drawn in this style (look here and here for examples). I cannot look away when I see someone drawing and narrating like this for whatever reason. It will never fail to grab my attention.
The one problem is the lady in these videos. Her presence throws off the entire whiteboard drawing style and actually distracts from the drawings going on behind her, which at times takes away from the point she’s trying to make. The videos could have worked better even if she was on screen for half the time, making her points at the beginning and end of the video and narrating all the points in between.
With all that being said, I do hope more people use this style in their videos (it does seem to be a recent trend, so my wish could very well come true). I think it is a fun and interactive way to entertain the viewer, giving them the feeling that they are in the room with you, watching you draw and animate these drawings as you tell a story. What’s not to love about that?
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