What is a digitale?
‘Digitale’ is another word for digital story. A digital story is written and narrated by you and illustrated with images, music, sound effects and titles. Digital stories are created and edited on a computer after the images and sounds have been made into digital files. For example, photos from your family album can be scanned into the computer to become digital files and your voice can be recorded and made into a digital sound file.
How long have digitales been around?
People first started making digital stories about fifteen years ago and the concept is still evolving along with the revolution in home computing. Movie editing software has become streamlined for the home user and this has meant that as well as telling our stories to each other orally, or on paper, we now have the choice of using multimedia.
What makes digitales special?
Digitales can be created for any purpose or any audience. They tend to be intimate and personal and have the ability to tap into the author’s deepest experience. Creating a story using images, words, voice and music is like choreographing a dance. When done well the digitale works its magic on the audience, whether one person, tens, or hundreds. The result is an extraordinarily powerful medium for communication - personally, or commercially.
How long is a digitale?
Digitales are short and digitally ‘compact’. This partly reflects the technical constraints around downloading digitales - but it is also a reflection of the quintessential nature of compact storytelling. The shorter the stories are, the easier they are to understand, digest, work with and view. Writing the script for a digitale is more like writing a short story than an essay or a novel. Simple is best and allows more scope for the other layers of the story - images, music and voice - to work their magic. Lasso tutors Margie Wheeler and Pip Fowler are here to help. Find out more about getting professional help with your story.
How long does it take to make a digitale?
It takes about 24 hours for someone new to digital storytelling to script, record, illustrate and edit a three-to-five minute digitale. This will change as you develop your skills and depending on the audience, purpose and the complexity of the story you are making. The more complex the story, the longer it takes to make. In our introductory courses you can produce a quality, three-to-five minute digitale in 24 hours over three successive days, or six nightly sessions. Find out more about our introductory courses
How do you make a digitale?
The most important part of the process is identifying your story and writing your script. Once you know what you want to say and to whom, Margie and Pip will help you refine the words and structure until they are crisp and punchy and work well with your selection of images and music. The next phase is to record your voice, reading your script out loud. Then you prepare and size the images, music and titles you want to use. Once all these elements of the story are ready, it is time to put them together using the editing software – Adobe Premiere Elements on a PC, or Final Cut Express on a Mac. We use both here at Lasso.
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Types of digitales
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Business |
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| These digitales can include stories about happy customers, innovative ideas, new directions, company histories and celebrations and outstanding staff members. They can be made to promote new and existing businesses, to inspire customers and staff, to focus on a new product or service, to train staff, or for any business purpose you choose. You, or your staff, can make them on one of our courses, or we can make them for you. For more information see Services |
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Passion and hobbies |
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These digitales can be a showcase for your own or others' passions and achievements – photography, art, sport, pets, drama, music – anything. You choose.
Go to the Gallery to view an excerpt from Trudi's digitale The Gift
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Love and caring |
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| These digitales can be a powerful vehicle to tell something big to, or about, someone you love. The process of making them can also be wonderfully healing. Lasso is working with Carers New Zealand and the New Zealand Carers' Alliance to help people who care for their loved ones at home have their voices heard. We also work with other non-profit organisations to tell the stories of patients, families, volunteers and others who help make a difference. |
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| Go to the Gallery to view an excerpt from Pip's digitale Into the Rose Garden |
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Life events |
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| This can be a celebration of your own or another's special event - a birthday such as a 21st, 50th or 80th; an anniversary; a wedding; a graduation or reunion. It could be a perspective on the life of someone you know. It could be a special story for a funeral. You can play these digitales at an event or celebration and also send copies to friends and family. |
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Go to the Gallery to view an excerpt from Trudi's digitale This is a Love Story
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Travel |
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| An interesting way to relate your travel experiences and put your photos and video files to work. You will also have a record of your travels that takes you back there whenever you push 'play'. |
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| Go to the Gallery to view an excerpt from Pip's digitale Living the Dream |
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History and family histories |
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| These digitales bring well-sleuthed historical facts to life. Your story may be a history of your suburb, town, or organisation. Or a genealogy for you and your family for generations to come. We can show you how to create diagrams to illustrate your digitale. For genealogists this includes bloodline and family tree progressions and customised maps and charts. |
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| Go to the Gallery to view an excerpt from Mike's digitale The Stamp Family History |
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Education |
Promote your thesis or research paper by creating a digitale which captures the essence of your work. Allow it to touch the hearts as well as the minds of your audience and make it accessible to more people. Make your own educational digitale or we can make it for you. Primary and secondary students and teachers - have fun practising the new multimedia skills required in the English curriculum. Find out about our special school and school holiday courses. |
Links
Here are some links to other digital storytelling sites around the globe.