Storytelling in Video Production: A Guide

Take a film you love. At the bare bones, it’s just a string of video clips.

But then, it’s more than that. Video storytelling is how we use the tools of visuals, audio, edits and plot to make meaning. It’s an art.

When we tell stories, we connect at an emotional level. Do you want to make your audience laugh and relate to your brand? Or make them care about your goal or something bigger than themselves? Or do you want them to inspire them to try something new?

Let’s face it. As a brand, you won’t have a whole movie’s length to connect with your audience over video, but you might have a few seconds.

Get it right, and that’s all you’ll need.

Want to put video storytelling to work for your brand? At STORM + SHELTER, we can help you tell the stories that matter to your target audience.

Find out more about our brand content here and see the projects we’ve worked on.

Consider this. At least 1 in 2 people are more likely to buy from your brand if they resonate with your story. Let’s explore why that’s true.

Say you’re making a video and you’ve invested time and money into production, storyboarding, casting, the lot. Now, you have to catch your viewer’s attention on a noisy Instagram scroll or an ad break on their favourite TV show.

The short of it is you need to make your video memorable.

As you know, stories tap into emotions. And, helpfully for your marketing, emotions anchor memories. That’s why video storytelling is the secret to making your brand, product or message stick around in a viewer’s mind long after they’ve seen your video.

Memorable, visual storytelling isn't just about the narrative - it’s also about texture. That’s why many filmmakers turn to film grain, a subtle aesthetic choice that evokes nostalgia and authenticity, creating an unforgettable piece.

Stories connect at a human level. Reality check: To make a great story, you have to share what’s relatable, vulnerable or what makes your heart beat faster in your brand so you can show it back to your audience.

This makes video storytelling exceptional at making your audience feel like they know you, care about you and want to support your brand.

Lastly, video storytelling makes commercial sense. Marketers say it takes roughly 6-8 touchpoints to make a sale.

Consider now your video that connected emotionally, made your target customer care about you and now keeps flashing back in their head because they remembered you.

You’ve done more than stop the scroll. You’ve moved your customer down your marketing funnel and made it a lot more likely for them to engage, share and convert.

We’ve covered why video storytelling matters. Here are 5 tips to help you get started telling your story:

1. Know Your Audience - No one likes vanilla. We don’t all connect with the same stories, so craft one for your audience that makes them feel seen.

2. Choose Your Message - If your viewer could take one message away from your video, what would it be?

3. Plan Your Story - Remember, whether it’s the centuries-old history of your brand or a day in the life of a customer, all stories need a beginning, a middle and an end.

4. Storyboard Your Video - Lay out how your video will unfold, shot by shot. Read our guide to storyboarding here.

5. Make Every Second Count - Your video needs to hook your viewer in and build on your story with every clip. Don’t dilute your message with clips that don’t serve.

To help you see how we put storytelling into practice, here are some examples of videos we’ve produced for our clients.

Transport for Wales is tasked with improving public transport networks across the country. But this might not connect with their average traveller.

That’s why, in our TV commercial directed by That Jam, we drew the connection between Transport for Wales’ mission and a dad’s goal to go camping with his family in relatably wet Welsh weather.

You don’t need words to tell a good story. In this commercial for Hensol Castle Distillery, we showed three friends soaking up the sun and enjoying an afternoon there.

With a grainy, sepia quality that evokes making memories, the setting sun into night shows the passage of time and shares an experience linked to Hensol’s hand-crafted gin.

With Betway sponsoring the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham Festival, they wanted to create content showing just how much people love horse racing and all that goes into ‘that one moment.’

We worked closely with Populate Social to tell the epic story behind racing’s greatest moments, bringing together archive and present-day footage.

Now you know about video storytelling and how it can help your content capture attention, connect emotionally and get remembered. You also have the basics to get started and examples of how we put storytelling techniques to work.

Want to tell your story? At STORM + SHELTER, we can help you create powerful storytelling videos that hook your audience in and get them onside with your brand.

Find out more about our brand content here and take a look through the projects we’ve worked on.

Contact us at content@stormandshelter.com or on 02920 251255, or keep an eye on our socials, including our Instagram.