Writing for a Visual Medium

Unlike written or audio stories, a project created for video generally comes with constraint in terms of time and detail. Therefore, we have to be more creative as to how we get the story across inside these restrictions. Mainly, we have to get the maximum amount of information (without overloading info onto the viewer) into a short amount of time.

The advantage, however, is that we can pair up images and sound, and present a full picture of the story. The Poynter article explains how to properly go about creating a storyline - most importantly, we always have to keep the heart of the story in focus. While there may be several interesting side ideas that would be entertaining, it is important that they connect to the main concept of the story. Whenever a story is chosen to be covered, there is a general idea that is supposed to be conveyed to the audience. We have to be careful that that idea isn't lost in the shuffle of some smaller details.

Also, interviewing plays a huge role. I think the most important (and often most difficult) concept is prompting people to give more than "yes" or "no" answers. A lot of this depends on how a question is worded - the more open-ended the question can be, while still having a clear direction, the more likely the interview subject will be to give an original and comprehensive answer. If this happens, the interview can form the core of the story.