Anyone Can Make a Video...Like Anyone Can Cook.

The business of video has changed.

Twenty years ago, video production was in a realm of its own. To get started, you had to invest thousands of dollars into equipment and education, tools and know-how. Quality video was once elusive - only available to those who had a lot of money. Today, with the proliferation of GoPros, iPhones, and content channels like TikTok and YouTube, anyone can pick up their phone and create free, entertaining video and share it in a matter of seconds. Even my kids are content creators now.

The same thing has happened in our kitchens. In the past, home cooks stuck to simple meat-and-potatoes-type meals. But with the surge in cooking TV shows, home delivery meal kits, and a general interest in global cuisines, the home cook has the ability to cook great meals infused with the flavors of France, Mexico, or Thailand without breaking the bank.

You Can Cook, But Are You A Chef?

Anyone can cook a great meal at home. So is the world of the chef gone? Should the Michelin Company stop handing out stars?

Not at all. Even with home cooks reaching new heights, we all still crave a chef-prepared meal.

Why is that?

A chef brings something extra to the meal. A chef has the ability to create a kind of alchemy on the plate that transforms familiar ingredients into an immersive storytelling experience - whether they’re serving Wagyu in a 5-star restaurant or frying up the favorite local food truck recipe.

Great directors, great producers, and great editors do the same with video.

Quality content is easier to capture and less expensive to edit than ever before. Even still, there are no shortcuts to create great content. In order to be great, work must include a creative, artistic, and unique point of view. A good video can make us laugh, entertain us for a few moments before we keep scrolling. A great video is like a great meal, it sits with us, leaves us with something to think about, creates a memory we keep coming back to.

The Importance of Storytelling in Food and Video

Great videos, much like great meals, represent superb storytelling. We all love a compelling story. Why? It’s in our bones.

In every community, all over the world, and throughout the centuries, storytelling has played a vital role in the human experience. We bond over stories, empathize through stories, bridge gaps with stories. To be a true storyteller is a gift. Such a talent has not been commodified because it can’t be. It’s a skill that’s developed and fine-tuned over time. Be it heartfelt, visual, or even comedic, it triggers a feeling when you hear it.

What Makes A Great Story

When you sit down to a meal at a restaurant, the chef tells you a story through the food. Similarly, when you watch a great video, whether it’s a feature-length film or a thirty second TV spot, the team behind the video is telling you a story.

If we break it down, what are the key elements of storytelling?

First, the hot start.

Have you ever been to a restaurant and had the server bring you a single bite of food to start the meal? The amuse bouche sets the tone for the meal and gives you a glimpse of the story the chef is about to tell.

You get just a taste, and it leaves you wanting more.

That’s the hot start. 

A great video grabs your attention within the first few seconds. It gives you a taste of the story to come and leaves you eager to find out what happens next. It’s important here not to be too heavy-handed. Go too hard and it seems obvious, go too light and it’s easily missed. The deft touch, the artistry of the hot start, is something great video production teams know how to create.

Then, show empathy

Have you ever had a fantastic meal at a restaurant that reminded you of your childhood, of your mother’s cooking, or your grandmother's? The meal itself may be elevated beyond anything you ever ate at home, and yet it has that intangible something that forges a connection and tugs at your memory. Yep, that’s empathy.

The same is true in great video. You feel a connection to it, you feel almost as if the video sees something in you, something unexpected. 

Which leads me to the next element of great storytelling.

Strong Emotions

The best stories make us feel something, the same way the best meals do.

If I asked you right now to describe the three best meals you’ve ever had, how would you describe them? Would you use words like extraordinary, unforgettable, love, and excited?

Emotion is essential to storytelling. If you cannot make your audience feel something, you’re forgettable. How many videos have you watched in your lifetime? Probably beyond count. How many can you remember, call up, describe right now?

Probably only a handful.

That is the difference between a good story and a great story.

Anyone can cook. Anyone can create video. But not everyone can tell a great story.

Throughout my career, I’ve seen amazing artists create incredibly moving work, seen both successes and failures. Yes, I know as well as anybody that the definition of success is open to creative interpretation--that we can hardly agree as a society what is “the greatest song of all time,” or the “best” restaurant in Boston. However, in my opinion, a successful video is one that has an impact, whether cultural, emotional, or intellectual; and that impact—like the impact of an unforgettable meal—is always the result of strong storytelling.

?Below are a few examples of elevated storytelling.  

Different genres and narratives, matched with different Director’s visions and approaches…

Alzheimer's Association

The Home that Runs on Dunkin  

Welch’s Farmers

Constant Contact - Concord Cheese Shop  

Citizens Bank Mortgage Myths

Tito’s Vodka Coming Home: Stories of Canine Transport

And to watch more samples of our storytelling, check out: https://element.cc/work/