A Digital Storytelling Seminar
The “Signature Series” for Thornhill News
http://digitalstorytellingseminar.blogspot.com
Monday, January 31, 2011 – Week 6, Number 5
Free Seminar Registration For February 17, 2011
The Next Seminar
With the support of the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs and two community partners, we will offer the Thornhill News Digital Storytelling Seminar at no cost to our participants on Thursday, February 17, 2011 in the Founders Room at the Los Angeles Theatre Center, Los Angeles Theatre Center, 514 South Spring Street in downtown. The fun will start promptly at 3:00 PM and end at 6:00 PM.
Just the idea of the Seminar being in such close proximity to Hollywood is exhilarating. The entertainment industries are now using these digital storytelling steps to seek new creative talent, to review works-in-progress and to even build their own television shows and movies.
Try these:
The Writers Store - www.writersstore.com
From Barn To Web To Broadcast TV
www.tvnewscheck.com/article/2011/01/25/48623/from-barn-to-web-to-broadcast-tv
Oprah and OWN documentaries at Sundance - www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE70M1QY20110123
We do have a limit on the number of people we can bring in. Expect experienced publishers, filmmakers, music producers and television executives to be in the audience. Be sure to register in advance for this rare no-cost opportunity at http://dtr-nationaltour-digitalstorytelling.eventbrite.com.
The Seminar Agenda:
1. Introductions
Everyone will have an opportunity to identify themselves and their interest.
2. What’s Your Story?
Participants will have 10 Minutes each to describe a current storytelling project. It will be hard work to stick to initially describing the story – and only the story.
When you get into production, telling your story sometimes is enhanced by the tools you have for telling the story or making the presentation. A strong voice, attire, props, flipcharts, whiteboards, slide shows or video might help – or hinder the affect. Telling the story sometimes can often be best realized as a simple narrative, then enhanced by the storyteller in painting a scene, constructing a photo essay – or changing your voice to play the parts of each character!
Is the environment a part of telling the story – or even part of the story. Is your story different in a supermarket, at the dinner table or on a stage?
3. We also have a story to tell.
The true story of the founding of The DTR National Tour. Our authentic heroes, Ernest D. Dillihay and Dr. Lillian R. Dunlap will be on hand to tell about their involvement.
Plus, there is a rumor about an after-mixer in one of the hottest spots in the newly-social downtown Los Angeles. If you are interested in attending, send an e-mail to thornhillnews@hotmail.com. Full details, including how to register in advance, will be available.
4. Digital Storytelling
Storytelling is not new. Digital options are available for information collection, processing and distribution as you prepare and deliver your communications. When we combine these mighty forces we have the beginning of a magnificent process.
What part of this arsenal can be called interactive? Is a two-way conversation interactivity or are we only interested in digital downloads?
In the scenario called Thornhill News Digital Storytelling, we expect you, the storyteller, to learn 50 simple steps to carrying your thought-provoking story from a real conversation, to easy tools for interactive distribution, to a successful documentary. This requires learning, hard work and dedicated time. Having a checklist will surely help.
Tutorial:
Our first print publication will be the Thornhill News Digital Storytelling Seminar Tutorial.
The title - “50 Steps To Documentary Success.” The narrative will start as the tutorial for our seminar. because there are many who need to learn these processes faster than I can travel the country. A supportive document could help in many ways.
A package of notes, lists and referrals is being bundled into a strong tutorial. There will be additions made to the list and the descriptions of each segment by friends in the media, entertainment industries, fashion, design, and digital media production will be expanded.
Now you will have the checklist you need, resources to investigate and examples of successes in each category of digital storytelling. The agenda for creating, maintaining and upgrading my brand of storytelling covers the 50 items or categories. Each one is offered in the seminar and confirmed in our checklist – to show how to be competitive in a specific category, yet blend them all into a meld that guarantees continuity and continuous improvement.
Remember, the printed tutorial was created for the Thornhill News Digital Storytelling Seminar. It started as a simple service document – a literal checklist. It will certainly grow.
The new creative team will constantly work on changes to make elements more attractive. The whole publication will be updated and refreshed aesthetically within the year.
Our first seminar was exhausting, exhilarating and confirmed the potential of the series. This was a learning experience for the participants and the producer. Together we confirmed the need for a resource that can show you how to go from a story concept to a full-blown documentary – along a simply charted digital trail.
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Meet Us At The Television Station
$20 Per Person – Advance Registration Required
Register at http://dtrjourney.eventbrite.com
On Friday, February 18, 2011 – starting at 10:00 AM, we will host an in-depth production meeting to build the structure for a multiplatform digital media series, based heavily on digital storytelling techniques. DTR Journey Food & Beverage Stories is the title of the overall project, taken from the feature-length documentary that will be released in 2013.
The script is being developed now for a travelogue covering the years 2002 to 2012. The journey in the title is a short description of the travels for Digital Television Report lectures, seminars and meetings by Andrew W. Thornhill. The heroes of the DTR National Tour made it happen. Yet the stars of the stops, visits and conversations are the more than 20 universities, conferences and tours --created and actualized during the amazing years as the United States rambled through the mandatory transition from analog to digital transmission, complete with millions (if not billions) of dollars being spent, the fights amongst the public policy masters in Washington, D.C. and the continuing jockeying for position in the expanding world of digital television and digital media.
The mighty networks, the aggressive studios, the consumer electronics industry and the huge financial options being played in the global marketplace are elephant-sized characters in the background as the DTR National Tour drops in on one location or another about once each month over this period of time.
Who are the players you would recognize? How much of the change in our communication capability – including Digital Channels, the Internet, Broadband and Social Media – are quietly exchanged.
The thread that binds our travelogue together is the continuing series of breakfasts, lunch meetings, private cocktail receptions and elegant dinner meetings to exchange views and stories about the emerging, digital television based, trillion-dollar global shift in the communications economy that we all saw coming.
Therefore – Food & Beverage Stories!
What better place to host this formative meeting than at newly independent KCET Television in Los Angeles?
The cost for the full day of publication-building, exchanging ideas and testing our knowledge of the potential is $20. Advance registration is required. The dollars will be used to offset the cost of travel for the crew. We want the real players to be in the room.
For those attending the meeting at KCET in Los Angeles, there will be a full draft of the text included with your registration fee. This is your chance to get started before the first commercial version hits the circuit and the bookstores.
We will allow time throughout the event at KCET to exchange thoughts and gain input.
If this is of interest, check http://dtrjourney.eventbrite.com or e-mail digitaltvreport@hotmail.com for an immediate response. We have a limit on the number of people we can bring in, so be sure to register in advance for this rare opportunity.
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Schedule
In this issue we made our schedule a bit more robust. This will continue to grow and to be more attractive. We can usually see three months ahead, but confirmations come in slowly.
The rough 2011 schedule for Thornhill News Digital Storytelling seminars now includes:
February 17 Thursday The DTR National Tour - DTR Independent Seminar
3:00 PM to In Association With The City of Los Angeles
6:00 PM Cultural Affairs Department Presents
“Digital Storytelling”
Includes the checklist “50 Steps To Documentary Success”
Los Angeles Theatre Center – The Founders Room
514 South Spring Street
Los Angeles, California 90013
Los Angeles, California 90013
(213) 489-0994 - http://thelatc.org
Free Registration!
February 18 Friday DTR Journey, The Print & Interactive Program Guide
10:00 AM for the Digital Television Report & DTR Support
Presents
An interactive production meeting for
The DTR Journey Newsletter and “The Food & Beverage Stories” Documentary
KCET Television
$20 Per Person – Advance Registration Required
http://dtrjourney.eventbrite.com
March 10 Thursday The Thornhill News Digital Storytelling Seminar
6:00 PM Introducing the Seminar Tutorial With Special Emphasis On “Creativity”
Catherine Person Gallery
www.catherinepersongallery.com
Seattle, Washington
$20 Per Person – Advance Registration Required
On-Line Registration Has Been Moved To February 7
April 9 Saturday 3rd Annual Each One Teach One Music Conference
Panelist - Radio As Anchor For Digital Storytelling
The Union Project
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
June 23 Thursday The Association of Higher Education Campus Television Administrators
(AHECTA) Annual Conference
Speaker – “Digital Channels”
Tampa, Florida
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Making It Happen...
Designing a series would be difficult without a General Plan. More and more of my time is now spent with administrative personnel, engineers and designers as we craft a game plan and our buildout. There will be an overview and even a financial planning schedule.
I have given serious thought and many hours to every stitch of the general plan to develop a seminar series based on my interpretation of Digital Storytelling – and I am now ready to reveal all for the benefit of seminar participants.
As we roll out our schedule, I must be sure that the structure, events, publication and results are beneficial for all of Thornhill News and for you.
To insure that we have a solid program, each of our seminar presentations is delivered in a how-to workshop style that everyone can use and will display specific examples from my own inventory to show actual working models. Questions are always welcome.
In the first season, we will limit each session to 12 persons. Advance registration is always required.
Creative Team
As creative folks, we are no longer restricted to desktop computers, stand-alone cameras, printers and personal binding. With an Olympus recorder, a Flip camera, or even a camera on a cell phone, one could become a walking studio.
Many companies are enjoying tremendous success because they offered a way for every person to document themselves.
Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and the mighty Blogspot are just a few of the successes riding the wave of “digital storytelling” and the surging wave of digital media, digital devices and digital expectations.
This year, the tablet computer and downloads on our smartphones give us presentation possibilities from basic color to full-motion video to onboard projectors.
Even the e-reader has made a strong comeback. There is no turning back.
I am banking on the premise that individuals, organizations, companies and government offices will soon become very sophisticated communicators.
To search, capture, process and distribute your data, information or entertainment, the 50 Digital Storytelling Seminar steps becomes your, and our, checklist.
The project, Thornhill News Digital Storytelling, will not be taken lightly. The 2011 model not only has the advantage of my experience with the concept, but also the continued input from many others through production meetings and partnerships.
To get that movement started, I will be in touch with related organizations throughout the year. To make input easier, there is ongoing research and scheduled crew meetings.
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Our First Partner
Because of our long research time in assembling the Digital Storytelling seminars and schedule, we gathered interest and offers from a nice variety of potential partners. Periodically we will introduce you to these outstanding businesses and link you to the product and personnel. For emphasis, we pulled one company from the list to be able to make them our very first partner for The Thornhill News Digital Storytelling.
Hyatt Vineyards
Shane M. Hyatt introduced me to Hyatt Vineyards years ago. First through the exciting product line and then with a visit to the beautiful winery in Zilla, Washington. Welcome aboard!
After meeting with Shane and David Adair, National Sales Manager for Hyatt Vineyards to discuss possibilities, David sent this note:
When Leland and Lynda Hyatt established Hyatt Vineyards in 1983, there were less than two dozen wineries in Washington State. Now the total is approaching 700+!
The virtue of owning all of our four vineyards, being vertically-integrated from grape to bottled wine, and our successes in now over 20 U.S. States selling our wines puts our family winery in the forefront of competitive NW wineries.
Add to that our extremely competitive pricing for both the Hyatt brand and our Reserve brand Roza Ridge – the top 10% of our production – and we occupy an enviable position among our many competitors by over-delivering on quality for our very modest prices.
David Adair, National Sales Manager
(206) 284-1951 - vintsel@seanet.com
We will have announcements, with background information in March.
The preview copy will be distributed on March 10, 2011 at the very impressive Catherine Person Gallery in Seattle, Washington. For participants registered for the Seminar, the text-only booklet will
Infrastructure
There are many areas to build, to improve and to support. Innovation is expected on every front. Every partner has the opportunity of supporting the team and to make their special interest stunning.
Our approach for development is to work on the structure and the narrative. Then will come design help and photographs.
By then, the engineers will be on board and will take the reins. The programming and architecture upgrades will include the ability to present audio and video in an attractive manner.
Engineering
We want this effort to be run by, judged by and to become a major player because of, engineering. From design engineering, software engineering, telecommunications engineering to network engineering the burden will be on the clear-thinking men and women in the front office. That’s the engineer.
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Answers To Your Questions
We have just started planning for additions and improvements: The overall design and layout needs help. There will be a big change when the creative team is formed. Expect a new look very soon.
The search for an appropriate workspace continues. I highly suggest creating a writing space, room or office to develop your story, the digital elements and eventually your own documentary style and product. These contacts could get you started:
-- Seattle - Co-working offices: http://startpad.org/
-- New York - Multiple Options: www.3rdward.com/facilities/
-- Pittsburgh - Check the incubator space at: www.wedoproperty.com/
The Writing Schedule – Including Deadlines
The deadline for submissions is 30 days in advance of the expected publication date. Thus far, the writing schedule has been: Make notes everyday, start outlining on Tuesday, start writing on Saturday morning and publish in the early hours of Monday morning.
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MultiPlatform
Our operation is just getting into blogging. We are certainly open to professional help. The original reason for starting the weekly was to give background and support information for the Thornhill News Digital Storytelling Seminars. We will expand into other social networks, both live and online. What’s your opinion of this resource: Social Media Success Pyramid
www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=142830&nid=122597
There was no ready plan for the great questions that came in and the opportunity to extend the value of the blog through examples, referrals and introductions.
Our start date had been set for January 1, 2011 and we stuck to it. What you will see in our product is not a big splash, but continuous improvement in the seminars, the tutorial, the blog and all administration.
Our very presence and the ability to gain acceptance from our audiences will depend on an attractive user interface, appropriate back end architecture and navigation.
If you have experience in engineering, digital distribution and project-by-project promotions, we would like very much to hear from you.
Referrals
Each week there are links to resources and examples of suggestions contained in the narrative for our weekly A Digital Storytelling Seminar. Either listed in the list under referrals or following a segment of our blog, each will illustrate a point we believe in.
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Much More
Digital Storytelling covers owning your story, telling your story and adding digital tools to more efficiently handle information gathering, processing and distribution.
In order to insure that you will be competitive, Thornhill News will introduce you to:
-- Digital Storytelling - 50 Steps To Documentary Success
-- Digital Media Devices - Tablets, Smartphones, Readers
-- Design Continuity - Concept, Base Element, All Together and Continuous Improvement
-- Business Development - Partnerships, Subscribers, Sponsors
Digital Storytelling as a work process is a hotbed for collaborative development and production. Team members and workshop participants will learn from one another and your end product will surely gain from the combined intellect, energy and projections.
And please remember, if our thoughts and conversations about business collaboration are going to be relevant, some financial gain will have to come from these successes.
If your associates can’t relate to Digital Storytelling, try the terms Multimedia or Branded Entertainment. We will offer examples in these and many other subcategories
To insure that we have a solid program, each of our seminar presentations will be delivered in a how-to workshop style that everyone can use and I will display specific examples from my own inventory to show actual working models.
With new search, production, and distribution tools being offered every week, I am sure that each of us will want to know how to make our message clearer and our image stronger.
In mid-February we will take our show on the road to Los Angeles. This is a first. As we prepare for this jaunt, I’m sure there will be a lot of new questions raised. If you want the seminar to come to your community, put your request in and let us consider the schedule and all the related issues.
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Sponsors
We would be happy to talk with sponsorship candidates at any time. The sponsoring entity can be involved in research, the seminars, our tutorial, a printed weekly news booklet, the blog, hospitality and cross-promotions. In our current prototype stage, sponsor costs are minimal.
Benefits to the sponsor will continue to grow with the project. Our greatest return in exchange for sponsor dollars are participation in the growth of the Thornhill News Digital Storytelling Seminars and exposure to our audiences through the related events, media and campaigns.
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Background
I have spent the last 40 years developing campaigns geared to the affluent consumer market. Now, the luxury market and the person of modest means creating an individual identity or storyline can use the same planning processes and tools.
A personal commitment… After careful consideration, this new offering is titled “Digital Storytelling.” It arrives with more than three years of trials, surveys and testing.
My start with the process was to help writers. I am glad to report that we have had great response from hobbyists, students, biographers, columnists, screenwriters and reporters.
Then, photography appeared to be the next logical step. Illustrations will be included as we upgrade the blog. Photographers have greatly enhanced the look of many Internet-based operations.
Fortunately, a long-standing interest in radio has helped to pave the way to include audio – and right after that – video.
In these difficult financial times, broadcasters, production studios and broadcast media professionals are naturals to take full advantage of Digital Storytelling. Will they?
The lessons learned from experience over the years, the input from friends and associates and the changes in the digital media marketplace were just the start points in creating this series.
Beyond the thinking and the personal review, I have written an overview for 2011 – which covers operations, financial planning and growth issues.
The new digital platform in contemporary media allows us to bring all of these parts together – and continue to be productive individuals and crew members as we learn and earn.
Try it. And be confident that the research, hard work and cautious optimism will pay off for all of us.
Thornhill News, in one form or another, has been around since 1971. In response to your request, I added a list of current activities at the end of this post. Let me know how else I can help.
This is now the “Signature Series” for Thornhill News. I do appreciate your attention and I hope you will participate in the seminars.
We hear you! Stay tuned. And feel free to pass this along to any and everyone.
Thanks.
Andrew W. Thornhill
Founder
Thornhill News
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Contacts
Thornhill News
Modern Life & Roses
Digital Storytelling
http://digitalstorytellingseminar.blogspot.com
Monday, January 31, 2011 – Week 6, Number 5
The First Partner
Free Registration For The February 17, 2011
Digital Storytelling Seminar,
Courtesy of The City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs
DTR Media
DTR Journey, The Print & Interactive Program Guide
for
The Digital Television Report & DTR Support
In Association With
The City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs
Presents
An interactive production meeting for
The DTR Journey Newsletter
and
“The Food & Beverage Stories” Documentary
Friday, February 18, 2011 - 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
$20 Per Person – Advance Registration Required
Register at http://dtrjourney.eventbrite.com
The KCET Television Auditorium
Includes the Digital Storytelling checklist “50 Steps To Documentary Success”
You can keep up to date by joining our mailing list. Send a note to thornhillnews@hotmail.com.
Copyright © 1971 – 2011, Andrew W. Thornhill, All Rights Reserved