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Storytelling strategies - video investigations

Minna Knus-Galán

Yle, Finnish Broadcasting Company

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Yle, investigative team

25 half an hour TV-documentaries / year
Articles
Short videos
Podcast series
Verifying team

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We film aprox 7-10 days
Edit 6 days
Too little time – how do we manage?

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Planning is key

👀

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Planning with the visual team – our method
How to tell a compelling story when the topic is complex and abstract?
How to tell a story that happened in the past (without making bad theatre?)
Strong footage we can’t film ourselves

👀

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1) Planning with the visual team – our method

https://areena.yle.fi/1-50979212?seek=0

1:05 min

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4. IMPLEMENT

Four steps of visual planning

2. FILMING

1. VISUAL MEMO

3. VISUAL SCRIPT

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The memo – our bible

Visuals more than text
We plan as much as we can: the poster of the doc, the style of filming, web articles, short videos
Benchmarking: films, books, documentaries…
Find the feeling you are seeking

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Casting

Characters:

Their role
In what location do we meet them?
What visuals can the person bring to the story?
Do their interests tell something about them?

What does the location tell about the person?

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Plan the location with Google Earth and Street view

https://earth.google.com/

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Cameraman’s reference

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Our finding!

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Result

I’m driving

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2. How do you tell a complex and abstract story?

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11,9 million confidential records
14 offshore providers
27 000 companies
Obtained and coordinated by ICIJ

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11,9 million confidential records
14 offshore providers
27 000 companies
Obtained and coordinated by ICIJ

HOW DO YOU TELL THIS STORY?

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Focus on one strong story
(even if the data contains hundreds)
Our story: the assets of Russian oligarchs’ and Putin’s inner circle in Finland and Monaco
Finland has a border of 1340 km and a bloody history with Russia

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Our competitors are giants like Netflix, HBO, Disney, social media—

let fiction inspire you!

A visual story is a promise of quality journalism.

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Collaboration with the visual team

Collaborate FROM THE BEGINNING
The storytelling and the content go hand in hand – not separate things
Find a common language: nordic noir, roadmovie, humour…

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Door knocking – accountability

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(Intro: https://areena.yle.fi/1-50654062

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1orZ-0I5x6pVTL5RKLhMEPxFgk3_d_U2S/view?resourcekey�1:17 or 2:30)

Humour!

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Reporter driven storytelling

-> open up the journalistic process

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Show, don’t tell

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3) How do you tell a story that happened in the past (without making bad theatre?)

How do you film an anonymous interview?

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We try to avoid reconstructions
Create the right feeling instead of making theater
Extreme close-ups with small focus area

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Anonymous interviews

Avoid shadows and blurs
Instead: Be present
Go close
In movement

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