From the beginning of time, storytelling has been used to share knowledge, wisdom and values in a variety of forms. From body language to hieroglyphics, from campfires to bedtime stories, and movie and computer screens storytelling perseveres, evolving through time and adapting to new technologies.
Digital storytelling has virtually exploded around the world as a grassroots media phenomenon. The Centre for Digital Storytelling estimates that the amount of content produced for YouTube in a six-month period is greater than that produced by the three major American national television networks in 60 years of broadcasting.
Everyone can participate because everyone has a story. Locally, 24 Powell Riverites joined the movement as they dove into the world of digital filmmaking during the Digital Storytelling for Seniors Program. The program is supported by Powell River Employment Program (PREP) Society and its Literacy Outreach and Community Adult Literacy and Learning programs, Vancouver Island University, Powell River Public Library and the federal government’s New Horizons for Seniors Program. Participants create a short film based on a story they each wrote.
“It is important to share stories,” said newbie digital storyteller Cynthia Barnes. “It is one of the most powerful tools for breaking down barriers such as racism and judgments through shared experiences and understanding someone else’s story.”
Amy Heather, program coordinator, emphasizes that community engagement is a driving force behind the program. “The aims of the program are to engage seniors in the community, prevent isolation, help them learn new computer skills, encourage them to tell their stories, and through the volunteerism aspect of this program, to bridge the gap between younger folks and seniors.” In fact, Amy points out that volunteers contributed approximately 360 hours to the program. “Above all, it is about valuing their stories and providing them with a platform for sharing these stories with their families, friends and the community.”
Internationally acclaimed filmmaker Claudia Medina, one of the instructors in the program, was deeply moved by the experience. “I was in awe of the courage in the groups. Taking on a new technology and a new landscape of tools and skills can be overwhelming for anyone, but people dove right in, and even when it got super frustrating and hard, they all kept going and produced really great work.”
Barnes agrees that although comfortable with computer technology, she was challenged out of her comfort zone to integrate story, images and sound using new software. “But then, organization came out of the chaos. Which, I think, is a part of the creative process.”
Barnes’s original vision for her film was to be a “life-long letter” to her daughter. But then, one day she found an audiotape made by her late father with a surprise discovery—a song that he wrote and sang. “May the best to you come true” became the inspiration for her film.
Susan McMillan heard about the program from a friend who took the first session last spring. She came to learn more about computer technology, and left hooked on the writing and narrating experience in her film about two friends who live through one of the worst blizzards in Winnipeg, Manitoba. “The program empowered me as I started to understand the computer aspect, as well as it was such a wonderful creative process. I want to make another one!”
The short films (five minutes or less) will take centre stage at a premiere screening 1:30 pm Saturday, March 28, at Carlson Community Club. Although the films are made by seniors, this isn’t an event just for seniors. The films are as diverse as the filmmakers. Medina said, “I learned a lot about history, geography, ecology and other things through the stories, and they all had a very unique perspective on life.”
Heather has helmed all three sessions of the digital storytelling program since spring 2014. “This has been a wonderful project for encouraging and celebrating diversity,” she said. “I feel like I have tapped into an undercurrent of untold stories in our community, and there is tremendous energy and desire to get those stories out there. My hope is for more workshops and for those who participated to go on to make more films on their own.”
