Ira Glass on Storytelling
I really liked Ira Glass’ series about storytelling from Current TV (the interview featured on YouTube). He has a lot of good experience in the broadcast industry and his knowledge and tips about telling good stories are valuable advice.
The two basic building blocks Glass stresses that people need to use in broadcast are anecdotes and moments of reflection. I had never thought about it in this way, but I liked the way he succinctly put it and gave these ideas terms to guide people in their stories and that a balance between the two should be struck.
He also talked about baiting the audience with engaging questions and keeping interest through the anecdotes and creating a sequence the audience can imagine; which is definitely important for a good story in the broadcast medium.
In the second part, Glass talks about the (sometimes immense) difficulties and importance of finding good and interesting stories. It was actually pretty encouraging to hear the way that he talked about growing as a media producer and that going through failures is part of the process. He also made the point that beginners will sometimes hang on to a story or idea, even if it is not panning out.
I have found myself doing that before, mostly because of time constraints; but I really liked how Glass discussed “enjoying the kill” when you have to dump stories. Even after the footage is shot, or the interviews are done, sometimes the best practice is; as Glass puts it, “abandoning crap”. He also made the point that nobody gets into this industry to make mediocre stuff, so why even bother with it?
Glass continues talking about producing sub-par products in the third section of the series. He emphasizes the need for that “special thing” and acting as human-like as possible. While the broadcast style of news is fine for that format, it sounds very unnatural and forced when doing stories that are more feature oriented; which Glass exemplifies in some of his own earlier work. I liked that he showed his own mistakes, and could look back and be a hard critic of his own work.
He also encouraged people to be harsh critics of themselves as well as those working with them. There are a lot of cool ideas for stories, but the execution is just as important; which is important and sometimes to remember. In the last segment, Glass talks about being yourself, talking in a conversational manner, and being a character in your stories as a distinct personality.
Overall, Glass provided a lot of good information and advice in the series and I think it will definitely help as I move forward with my first module.
You mention how Ira G says “nobody gets into this industry to make mediocre stuff, so why even bother with it?” How true. Especially now where work is posted online and lives forever, who would want his or her name attached to low-grade work?