STORYTELLER
The story is all. Whether a novel or a 30 second video, it is the story that is the vehicle for captivating audiences. Finding that perfect mix of character, conflict and emotion is difficult, especially in digital storytelling, but not impossible.
At Goalcast, I was involved in various types of storytelling across hundreds of different social media videos. Let me walk you through a few.
138+ million Views
"Adapted Screenplay":
Terry Crews
We called them "adapted" at Goalcast, because we would find amazing stories and, with permission from the rights holder, adapt the original story of the existing footage to social media standards. They ranged in length from 10 minutes to over 2 hours, so there was a lot of scripting involved, re-arranging and story-editing the narrative (while staying true to the story), focusing on telling the most social-media-ready story possible, a compelling 4-8 minute narrative that is instantly snackable, highly emotional and very shareable.
by the numbers
Here is a small sample of some of the dozens of stories I personally adapted into viral hits. Many more lie in the 1+ to 35+ Million Views range. This also doesn't include the many more hits I oversaw as Creative Director, guiding my team to their own personal "high scores."
86+ Million Views
Original Screenplay: Text Over Image:
Robert Downey Jr.
Proof that all you need is a good story, the format of these videos is basic but still very powerful. After researching the subject's life, pulling out the most compelling details of their life, writing and re-writing these into an emotional overarching narrative script specifically designed to focus on relatable conflicts and universal truths, the words are simply overlayed onto still images, that's it, to tell timeless, inspirational tales that attracted billions of minutes viewed.
by the numbers
Here is a small sample of some of the dozens of original scripts for text-over-image videos I wrote which went viral. Many more lie in the 1+ to 35+ Million Views range. This also doesn't include the many more hits I oversaw as Creative Director, guiding my team to their own personal "high scores."
Original Screenplay:
Filmed Production:
Love Will Break You If You Forget This:
850K Views (YT)
As Goalcast matured, we began to invest in our own high-quality original productions, specifically made for YouTube. I conceived of and co-wrote our first original script, and remains one of the most watched and liked video on Goalcast's YouTube channel.