Thomas R. Clifford: Bringing Brands to Life! Remarkable Corporate Videos

The Fascination Method

Thomas R. Clifford — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 11:45:00 +0000

Tom's note: As this blog enters it's fourth year of publication, I am incredibly delighted to introduce to you the first ever guest post by Mark Levy- a true creative genius and positioning guru. Thank you, Mark, for contributing!

One of the hats I wear is that of writing coach. I guide businesspeople in writing books.

During a typical first session, my client isn’t sure what their book will be about, but they take guesses. They tell me about what they think the marketplace wants, and what they think they can sell. They then start tossing around promising premises.

I stop them.

Rather than looking outside themselves, or prematurely playing with premises, I ask them to complete an assignment.

They’re to make a list.

I ask that they list anything that fascinates them. I’m talking facts, figures, insights, prejudices, anecdotes, pet philosophies, case studies, controversies, analogies, processes, memories, business models, role models, URLs, blogs, scenes, dreams, screwy notions, poems, jokes, myths, snippets of conversation, anything. Anything!

They’re not to wonder why a particular item fascinates them.

They’re not to worry if an item is original, or if it’s “book-worthy,” or if it has anything to do with their core business. Their task is to list items that, for whatever reason, have energy for them. Items that radiate.

What we’re doing is playing a game: We’re treating anything that appears in their mind as potentially valuable book material.

Only after they’ve made their list do we start thinking about their business goals and would-be readers.

We study the list, move items around, add to them, group them, and look for themes. Believe me, we find themes. It’s like what Edward Tufte meant when he wrote “the act of arranging information becomes an act of insight.”

From these places of energy, we find the book’s premise and much of its supporting material. This material comes from an honest place within the client. It comes from the spot in their brain where they keep things they can’t forget.

This production method isn’t only for book-writing. Any storyteller can use it no matter the medium. The key is to generate lots of material, so you can cut the filler and use the parts with juice.

Questions to Ask Yourself
• Have you used anything like the fascination method before?
• How might you use it in your next project?
• How might you use it in a collaborative project?

Mark Levy is the founder of Levy Innovation LLC, a marketing strategy firm that helps consultants and entrepreneurial companies increase their fees by up to 2,000%. David Meerman Scott calls him “a positioning guru extraordinaire.” Mark has written or co-created four books, including Accidental Genius: Revolutionize Your Thinking Through Private Writing.

Follow Mark on Twitter at @levyinnovation

The Fascination Method

Tom's SpeedLink #3

Thomas R. Clifford — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 12:22:00 +0000

Here are some items that caught my eye and attention this past week.

1. Is the iPhone Killing Your Creativity? Mark McGuiness talks about losing creativity in a world with no downtime. Wow- a must read.

2. Wisdom Book is a project inspired by Archbishop Desmond Tutu's vision to share and pass on the wisdom of one generation to another. Features Clinte Eastwood, Graham Nash, Robert Redford, Dave Brubeck and many others. I love the simplicity of the videos: just a white background.

3. Behind the Camera: The ABCs of Documentary Cinema is another amazing site and resource from the National Film Board of Canada. "Behind the Camera" is a great learning tool for those interested in understanding more about documentary filmmaking. A great companion to "Capturing Reality: The Art of Documentary."

4. The Sputnik Observatory for the Study of Contemporary Culture is another highly engaging site integrating video, social media and thought-leadership. It's best described through their "About" page:
"Sputnik Observatory is a New York not-for-profit educational organization dedicated to the study of contemporary culture. We fulfill this mission by documenting, archiving, and disseminating ideas that are shaping modern thought by interviewing leading thinkers in the arts, sciences and technology from around the world. Our philosophy is that ideas are NOT selfish, ideas are NOT viruses. Ideas survive because they fit in with the rest of life. Our position is that ideas are energy, and should interconnect and re-connect continuously because by linking ideas together we learn, and new ideas emerge."

---Tom

Tom's SpeedLink #3

Tom's SpeedLink #2

Thomas R. Clifford — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 17:38:00 +0000

Here are some things that caught my attention this past week.

1. Nick Morgan's riff "Who's the most powerful person in the room?" points to a fascinating study. Nick writes, "Gregory and Webster found that in conversations and meetings, people rapidly match each other’s low-frequency sounds. In short, to have a productive conversation or meeting, we need to literally be on the same wavelength!" Hmmm...definitely thought-provoking!

2. Check out Lance Armstrong's "It's About You." Wow! This site is a storytelling powerhouse; includes short personal videos and soooo much more. Lance's site is another great framework for organizations to consider modeling their communication strategy after (video or no video).

3. Are you following the "free" debate? Chris Brogan's "I Believe Mark Cuban is Right" post and Mark Cuban's riff "Free vs Freely Distributed" riff is well worth the read.

4. Ever wonder what a "Producer" really does? Julie Matlin over at the National Film Board of Canada clears things up a bit with her latest post; "A working definition of the “producer” title."

5. The brain rules. I just stumbled on this older post by presentation guru, Garr Reynolds. "Brain rules for PowerPoint & Keynote presenters" makes some great points- even for those involved with corporate videos.

BONUS: Looking to following some cool folks on Twitter? "Twitter Power 150" has a listing of the top 150 twitter folks from the AdAge Power 150 List. (Yours truly just made it at #138.)

---Tom

Tom's SpeedLink #2

7 Interesting Storytellers to Follow on Twitter

Thomas R. Clifford — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 19:03:00 +0000

Think Twitter’s 140-character limitation deters storytellers from tweeting?
Think again. Tip: follow these 140's by grabbing their rss feed.

Keeping in the spirit of Twitter, I’ll post the following as “tweets.”

1. Terrence Gargiulo @makingstories
Author, speaker. Shares thought-provoking ideas on empowering ourselves through story. Tweets interesting and re-tweetable quotes.

2. Sean Buvala @storyteller
Funny, engaging and conversational. Sean’s tweets are packed with enough variety to keep you coming back for more.

3. Kathy Hansen @kat_hansen
Prolific blogger/author. Focuses on telling stories for career development. Unearths amazing sites on story. Also tweets @astoriedcareer.

4. Storytellin' @storytellin
Ongoing collection of Delicious bookmarks on storytelling and links are updated regularly. Features a wide variety of news.

5. Smithmag @smithmag
The king of six-word stories. Period.

6. Shawn Callahan @unorder
Interesting insights and thoughts on the role of storytelling in business.

7. Nick Morgan @nfrodom1
Communications coach/author of “Trust Me.” Encourages leadership thru better communications, gestures, listening, speaking. Wonderful tips!

BONUS: Story Corps @storycorps
NPR’s partner in storytelling. Remarkable tagline: “Our mission is to honor and celebrate one another’s lives through listening.”

Want to discover more people? Follow the #storytelling trend to discover story-related messages.

Over to you.

Who do you follow in the story world? Any filmmakers? Authors? Journalists? Photojournalists? Branding storytellers? Share them here for another post.

---Tom

7 Interesting Storytellers To Follow On Twitter

My Interview with Author and Communication Coach Nick Morgan

Thomas R. Clifford — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:02:00 +0000

I am incredibly thrilled and honored to share with you my first ever blog interview.

Nick Morgan is President of Public Words Inc and author of Give Your Speech, Change the World, and Trust Me: Four Steps to Authenticity and Charisma. He is a fellow at Harvard's Kennedy Center and former editor of the Harvard Management Communication Letter.

I enjoyed "Trust Me" so much I wrote a review and then decided I wanted to ask Nick a few questions for this site. I "met" Nick on Twitter and asked him if he'd be willing to answer a few questions about his ideas in relation to corporate videos and he was happy to participate.

My Interview with Author and Communications Coach Nick Morgan

1. You mention there are five basic stories in the Western culture; the quest story, the love story, the revenge story, the rags-to-riches story, and the stranger in a strange land story. You suggest the quest story is often the most important. If an organization is thinking of producing a video, can you give an example of how they might incorporate the "quest" story into their video?

In fact, it's easy to invoke a quest, because it's a story that is so basic to our culture that we're all ready and eager to go on one! The best way to incorporate a quest story is not to to use the word itself, or tell people that they're on a quest; instead you want to invoke the elements of a quest. You've got a goal that you want everyone's help in reaching. There are going to be obstacles along the way, but they won't stop you from reaching that goal. There will be people to help, and so on. Each of the pieces of the quest story will naturally coalesce in the viewers' minds and they will be on the quest with enthusiasm.

2. You write, "...we communicate first with the gesture and second with the word. This concept is central to the book." What does this idea mean to an employee who may appear in their company video?

It means that viewers will be looking at you first rather than hearing any words you might be saying. You must look like you're just having a natural conversation with someone.

It means that if you think too much about your gestures (because you're self-conscious about appearing on camera) then they are going to slow down, happen too late, and look artificial.

It means that it's absolutely essential that you focus on your emotional attitude toward any words you may be saying on the video. Let the gestures come naturally from that intent or emotional attitude. Make the words your own by starting with how you feel about them; get grounded in a strong attitude.

3. Creating an intention is another important concept you write about. What kind of intention would someone create if they were being interviewed on-camera for a business video?

Get your intent from the program or the topic that you're being interviewed about. Find the passion there. Or, if that's lacking for some reason (why are you doing it?) then think of a particular experience you've had -- a particularly wonderful customer experience, if you're being interviewed about customer relations, say -- and try to remember that experience in as much detail as possible. Put yourself back in that moment and try to feel it again.

4. I love the section in your book titled, "The Camera Is Always On You." How has YouTube and the ubiquity of video technology changed how we communicate? What does this mean to all the video producers who create videos for businesses? Does it change how we work with people appearing on-camera?

Business people have to operate with the assumption now that anything they say may become public, and that any meeting they take part in may be 'youtubed'. Don't do or say anything that doesn't pass the "how could you have been so stupid?" test. Beyond that, YouTube represents competition for viewers, and video producers have to react accordingly. The old stuffy, pompous, "pc" corporate videos won't make it anymore. Corporate videos need to be hip, ironic, edgy -- or risk becoming comic fodder on YouTube. On-camera appearances need to strive for authenticity and naturalness.

5. What are three things you would recommend to someone appearing in a company video to help them come across authentically and with charisma?

Have a passion for what you're talking about. Say it in your own, real words -- don't use corporate jargon. Get grounded in how you really feel before the cameras start rolling.

Thank you, Nick, for sharing these ideas and techniques.

Last note: Stay up to date on Nick's latest ideas through Nick Morgan's blog by grabbing his RSS feed or subscribe to his email updates.

Have further questions? What would you change or add? Have an experience based on Nick's ideas? Feel free to share them in the comments.

---Tom

My Interview with Author and Communication Coach Nick Morgan

Introducing Speed Linking: Week #1

Thomas R. Clifford — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:38:00 +0000

Several years ago, I started sharing links for my readers by bookmarking interesting things I discovered on the web through Delicious.

I always knew that there a small problem in doing that: only the RSS readers of this blog (and a handful of other Delicious users) would benefit from seeing those links.

To resolve that, I'll start "speed linking" once a week.

Speed linking was introduced a few years ago and made popular by Darren Rowse over at Problogger. "Speed linking" is simply a convenient way of rounding up five to ten links I think you'll find interesting and thought-provoking. I'll post the links here, collectively, in one weekly post.

Speed linking will also allow me to share more than just corporate video related items.

For example, if I find links on communication strategies, new media solutions, interviews with interesting people and such, I'll share them in one post. (If you missed my "Five in the Morning" post for Steve Woodruff, you might find that an enjoyable and "off-the-beaten path" read.)

I'll speed link every Tuesday and we'll see how it goes. For those who subscribe to my blog through RSS, I'll continue to occasionally post to Delicious, as well.

Ok, let's get going!

Here are five links that caught my eye this past week:

1. I don't know how I stumbled upon the "Soul of Athens" but I'm sure I glad I did. A beautiful website dedicated to capturing the spirit of the Appalachian spirit, people and culture. The media, comprised largely of still photos, is produced by students at Ohio University’s School of Visual Communication and E.W. Scripps School of Journalism. Be prepared to stay a while; the stories are fascinating.

2. Here's a most interesting question: Who Owns Your Tweets – Twitter, You Or Anyone? A must-read, even if you're not on Twitter.

3. Why do we pursue some ideas and abandon others? My friend Rajesh Setty has a neat riff on The Three Stages of an Idea.

4. Be sure to put The Documentary Blog on your radar. The Documentary Blog finally joined Twitter, if you want to follow them.

5. Beware (be aware) of abstruse ideas. Branding guru Tom Asacker shares an interesting psychological study on flawed reasoning and how it relates to branding.

BONUS: This just came thru my feed. About.com announces PBS's 4-hour special, "The Ascent of Money," will be airing in July. This looks incredible!

Happy linking!

---Tom

Introducing Speed Linking Week #1

Can We Capture Reality? The Art of Documentary Amazing Website

Thomas R. Clifford — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 12:27:00 +0000

I can't believe it. I haven't seen anything like this. Ever.

What am I talking about? It's perhaps the most amazing website the documentary world has seen.

The National Film Board of Canada has recently announced on their blog an incredible new website, "Capturing Reality: The Art of Documentary."

This media-rich site is packed with over 30 master documentary filmmakers like Errol Morris, Werner Herzog, Albert Maysles sharing their thoughts and insights on the craft of making documentaries and how they try to capture that all too slippery thing called, "the truth."

The site features over 160 snack-sized interview clips of the filmmakers covering a variety of topics:

Getting Started
Exploring the Genre
Planning & Preparation
Relationships
Truth, Perspective & Ethics
The Shoot
Sound
Editing
Final Thoughts & Anecdotes

A 2 DVD set is available through Amazon. It's has four hours of extra bonus material on disc two plus all the interviews from the site on disc one.

A downloadable 19 page educational guide suitable for classroom use is also available to further extend the experience for teachers and students. The guide has discussion starters and theme-based chapters- perfect for teachers.

Stop what you're doing and check this site out! I was stuck for over an hour watching the clips and reading the guide.

---Tom

PS. If you're a regular reader, are you starting to see a trend lately in the how organizations are integrating "thought-leadership" video clips, like "Capturing Reality," into their websites? I can only imagine more and more of this happening as video technology enable more users to create their own video. If you spot other sites like this, drop me a note or leave a comment here so others can discover them, too. Thanks!

Can We Capture Reality? The Art of Documentary Website

What's Next for Company Videos? 5 Links to Get You Thinking

Thomas R. Clifford — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 12:42:00 +0000

I’ve recently bookmarked so many interesting sites on how companies use video I figured it’s time to open the vault and share a few of my favorite discoveries with you. I hope you’ll find something interesting, useful and thought-provoking here.

While I don't have a crystal ball, the trends are crystal clear.

1. Herman Miller Video: Making of Setu
Watch how the team members sit around a table and one team member shares their compliments about another person on the team; interesting spin on the traditional interview. We also get a quick tour, see the chair in action and catch some philosophy along the way. It’s a simple video with a simple design structure. A perfect compliment to the Herman Miller brand.
(Hat tip to my blogging friend and branding guru Tom Asacker for this link.)

2. Multimedia Journalists Discover Life After Newspapers

Welcome to the future of corporate video storytelling. A must-read article pointing to how former newspaper photographers are preparing for new career directions by creating web videos that help companies and nonprofits tell their stories.

3. Have you seen the Rhode Island School of Design videos?
Definitely check out the “RISD Profile” videos. I really enjoyed John Maeda’s interview, the President of RISD.

4. Video to Flood Corporate Networks, Too
Hold on to your hats, folks. From the article: “Cisco's famous "Zettaflood" report last year predicted that video would make up half of the Internet's traffic by 2012…” This brief article is a great snapshot indicating the enormous rise in video usage; now and in the future.

5. NYTimes “Conversations” Videos
I love these short conversational videos from the NYTimes. This is from the home page: “Candid conversations with some of today’s most interesting people about their passions, their lives and NYTimes.com.” Perhaps it’s another glimpse into one of the ways organizations will use video?

What do you think? How are organizations using new media? Is the trend internal? External? Over to you.

---Tom

What's Next for Company Videos? 5 Links to Get You Thinking

You’ll Love This Book, Trust Me

Thomas R. Clifford — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 12:46:00 +0000

One of the questions I get asked the most is “How do you get people to talk so naturally on-camera?”

The simple answer is it starts with my intention.

That’s why I’m so thrilled to share with others Nick Morgan’s new book “Trust Me: Four Steps to Authenticity and Charisma.”

Setting intentions is one of the central ideas in “Trust Me.” Business leaders and non-filmmakers involved in any aspect of creating a corporate documentary will find this book invaluable. (And yes, filmmakers will find it awesome, too!)

Think your spoken words carry the most weight during a conversation?

Think again.

Your gestures mean more. Way more.

And you can thank your limbic brain for believing gestures over spoken words.

According to Morgan, many of the gestures we use while speaking actually happen a split second before our words are spoken. At a subconscious level, we receive these gestures and then our part of our brain determines if that person is believable and authentic.

“Trust Me” outlines in four simple steps how we can become more believable and authentic by getting both verbal and nonverbal in sync.

We often feel a certain way about someone because we unconsciously believe the “second conversation,” the one with gestures, over the “first conversation,” the one with content.

“Trust Me: Four Steps to Authenticity and Charisma” is an important piece of work because we now have a clear and simple system to become highly effective communicators while maximizing our presence in front of others; either in groups or one-on-one.

The Big Idea
The main concept behind “Trust Me” is simply this: gestures first, words second.

“We are all unconscious experts at reading other people’s body language” (pg 2).

Nick proposes that “every conversation is two conversations: the verbal one- the content- and the nonverbal one- the body language. If the two are aligned, you can be a persuasive, authentic communicator…If the two are not aligned, people believe the nonverbal every time” (pg 1).

The Big “A-Ha!”
Over the years, our instincts taught us to survive by reading nonverbal clues; which is great when one is living in the wild. These instincts are still with us, of course, but now with a slight twist: we are conditioned to read the nonverbal and attach meaning or intent behind it.

By learning to create intent first, our body language will more naturally express the intent, thus creating a more believable and authentic communication experience.

Intentions First. Gestures Second.
Most of us have been taught to think of what to say first then the words and gestures will follow. But we know the brain perceives and believes gestures first so it makes sense to create the intention of your communication first, then the gestures will appear naturally, followed by your thoughts and finally your actual words.

It’s easy to think, “I’ll just control my gestures by being conscious of them.” Of course, you’ll run into a slight problem: you’ll come off doubly awkward because now you’re thinking consciously of an unconscious activity. Nick’s suggestion? Think about the intent first and you will naturally create believable gestures. Now you can begin creating two believable conversations at once; the verbal and the nonverbal.

The Four Steps
Nick’s system to communicate authentically is easy to remember in any situation:

Step One: Being Open
Step Two: Being Connected
Step Three: Being Passionate
Step Four: Listening

The last few chapters of the book have some really unique and invaluable public speaking tips.

Seeking to enhance your communication skills either in groups or just one-on-one?

Then this book just might be for you. Trust me. ☺

---Tom

Storytelling Buzz in the Twitterverse - A Storied Career [del.icio.us]

ThomasClifford — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 16:27:22 PDT

Great list of current storytelling topics in Twitterland. (Tom: I'm thrilled to be included among this list.)

INTERVIEW PROJECT - NEW EPISODE EVERY THREE DAYS [del.icio.us]

ThomasClifford — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 05:04:06 PDT

David Lynch's first video from his project debuts today.

Zeitgeist Films : Examined Life [del.icio.us]

ThomasClifford — Wed, 27 May 2009 06:27:11 PDT

"Examined Life pulls philosophy out of academic journals and classrooms, and puts it back on the streets... In Examined Life, filmmaker Astra Taylor accompanies some of today’s most influential thinkers on a series of unique excursions through places and spaces that hold particular resonance for them and their ideas."

Interview Project: David Lynch's New Narrative Experiment

Thomas R. Clifford — Tue, 26 May 2009 23:02:00 +0000

What were my dreams as I child?
What am I most proud of?
What are my plans for the future?
How would I like to be remembered?
What is the most important thing in my life?
Do I have any regrets?
When did I first experience death?

On June 1, people all across America will share their answers to these questions when David Lynch’s new “Interview Project” debuts.

“Interview Project” features 121 interviews captured throughout America. One 20,000 mile road trip over 70 days. Each personal narrative is three-to-five minutes in length.

A new interview will be released every three days for the next year. You can read more about the series on About.com.

If the past year is any indication, it’s clear an enormous shift in video storytelling is occurring: personal narratives is one heck of a shortcut to create emotional connections with viewers.

Can you imagine how powerful it would be if organizations started incorporating short narratives into their internal and external communications strategies?

Organizations have databases for numbers. Why not a database of stories? Why not have a narrative "Story Center?"

Imagine a story center where short narratives like those in the “Interview Project” explored new ideas, concepts, values, challenges, community projects, and more with employees, potential recruits, shareholders and customers.

Personally, I think we're just beginning the journey.

What do you think?

Are we entering a period where video stories are playing a critical role in communicating? Will new video technology shape how organizations communicate, motivate, and inspire others?

Am I too far off? Does this make sense? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

---Tom

David Lynch's "The Interview Project"

"Tell Me About Yourself: Storytelling to Get Jobs and Propel Your Career" Releases Today - A Storied Career [del.icio.us]

ThomasClifford — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 07:11:17 PDT

"With layoffs on the rise and the job market flooded with competition, individuals can no longer rely on traditional methods to yield career success. Now, more than ever, they must turn to strategies their competitors have not yet discovered. Such groundbreaking strategies are packed into Katharine Hansen’s release, Tell Me About Yourself. This innovative guidebook unveils how to use the incredible power of storytelling for career advancement." From the publisher.

Web Ink Now: Telling Stories [del.icio.us]

ThomasClifford — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 04:40:00 PST

Imagine you're at a cocktail party. Or you open an email. Or you're reading a comment in an online forum. When someone says: "Let me tell you a story…," you're interested, right? How about when someone says: "Let me tell you about my company's product…," is your reaction the same?

Film Directing & Filmmaking Tips » Top Documentary Films - A Complete Resource of the Best Documentaries! [del.icio.us]

ThomasClifford — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 16:20:31 PST

Awesome find! “Top Documentary Films is a valuable resource to those with an interest in documentary films. It is run by Vlatko, a European webmaster who simply fell in love with documentaries in quest for more knowledge. He then started searching for documentaries and found a whole collection of them and decided to put these all in one web page."

Quantum Physics & Storytelling. "Are We Now in the New Storytelling Economy?" - A Storied Career [del.icio.us]

ThomasClifford — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 09:03:34 PST

Quantum physics meets storytelling! Many of you know my growing passion for integrating quantum physics into new models of thinking. This is an amazing post. Take a moment and read it along with the article by Frank A. Mills.

This American Life on Television: Season 2 [del.icio.us]

ThomasClifford — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 16:28:21 PST

We're excited to announce that This American Life will be doing two live shows this April! Some of our favorite contributors will join host Ira Glass to perform the radio show live onstage—including Dan Savage, David Rakoff, Starlee Kine, Mike Birbiglia and Dave Hill. The show will also have some extra-special visual components. It's going to be tons of fun, and we'd love for you to join us. Tickets for both of these events will go on sale at 10 AM on Monday, February 16th, so make sure to check back here soon. They can go fast.

This American Life - Live! [del.icio.us]

ThomasClifford — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 16:26:05 PST

How Does Twitter Affect Your Creativity? | Lateral Action [del.icio.us]

ThomasClifford — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 09:13:20 PST

1 Giant Leap | What About Me [del.icio.us]

ThomasClifford — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 16:20:12 PST

Awesome documentary revealing how we are all connected through our creativity. Not to be missed.

THIRSTYFISH - Brand Storytelling & Constituent Relations [del.icio.us]

ThomasClifford — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 16:14:20 PST

(Tom: be sure to be Thirsty-Fish on your radar!) THIRSTY-FISH is a boutique consulting firm that enables clients to achieve strategic shifts through the power of a well-crafted story. We can help you to re-position your brand, improve stakeholder perceptions, and deliver on high-stakes initiatives. THIRSTY-FISH works at the intersection of brand storytelling, anthropology, and organizational change.

Film Directing & Filmmaking Tips » Code of Best Practices for Sustainable Filmmaking [del.icio.us]

ThomasClifford — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 10:42:05 PST

Filmmakers historically have played an important role in raising critical issues for society, including environmental threats from climate change and over-exploitation of resources. Increasingly, filmmakers have adopted pro-environmental practices in their own production. This code provides tools for filmmakers to measure whether their practices are as sustainable as they can be throughout the production process. Accompanying online checklists, trackers, and Web resources provide a summary of current approaches that implement that rationale.

More Scientific Evidence of Story's Effectiveness: Story Learning May Enhance Memory Retention Up to Seven-fold - A Storied Career [del.icio.us]

ThomasClifford — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 06:47:00 PST

A great reminder about the power of story.