I believe stories hold an important role in our society. We share them to teach people, to make people laugh, to bond with people, and to remember people. The stories of our life, and the stories we hear along the way, make up who we are as unique individuals. Every person in this world has a different story. We might have similar stories, like for example two people could have lost their grandparents growing up, but the opinion and memories we have from that story makes us individual.
I am an actor, so personally I love the art of storytelling. I do it all the time. I get to tell stories, usually other people’s stories, while at the same time getting to share a bit of myself. That’s why I believe stories are so important because of the effect they can have on people. I mean people go to the movies (or watch Netflix) all the time to do just that- listen to other people’s stories. Whether they are fictional or not, we love getting lost in that world. I love the art of storytelling because I love getting to know other people, to be inside their world for a little, to understand them on a deeper level. Storytelling is a circle. We hear other stories, and as a result are impacted by them, either negatively or positively, and then in turn, we incorporate that into our lives and tell other stories, other lived experiences, other life lessons, and the circle keeps going.
Storytelling is important to me as an actor, but I believe it’s also important to us all as individuals, because it makes us who we are.
Documenting storytelling through a visual medium can be somewhat difficult because it can lack the exact emotional connection that exists when telling the story in the moment, or in person. It’s like the difference between watching a movie or going to a play. Although watching a movie can be exhilarating, there is just something extra exciting about going to see a play. It is a completely different experience. You get to be in the theater with the actors, the performers, and the rest of the audience and experience the entire emotional journey together. For me personally, I am more emotionally affected by plays as opposed to movies (usually, not always) just because there is an extra layer that comes with experiencing it all in person. I think I am facing similar challenges when trying to document my story through visual elements. No matter how hard I look for archival footage, or no matter how hard I try to capture footage on my own, I can’t seem to really capture the exact images/emotions of what that night was like for me. When I think of that night it isn’t the same as the images and footage I have found or created, which has been challenging and frustrating. There is something exciting about using visual elements within the art of storytelling, but I wonder if something is lost within that as well.
For my project I used footage found online as well as footage I recorded myself, which was the footage of the person walking along the street. I also decided to use pictures from that night in order to really bring the audience in to who I was with, what I looked like, etc. I also thought that if something had happened that night, these pictures would have been the last pictures of all of us. So I feel that it adds a sense of eeriness to the project as well. I am still struggling to find some footage/images for parts of the story, but here is my draft for now.
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