Common misconceptions about video in learning

Common misconceptions about video in learning

In this newsletter I’ve collated some of my recent observations about the more common errors I see regularly in video drama for learning. I hope you’ll find them useful.

Literal POV

Somehow it seems a self-evident truth that if the camera is in the literal point of view of a protagonist it will put the viewer into the emotional and experiential position of the protagonist and produce maximum empathy and immersion. This is utter nonsense. If it were the case literal POV would be the norm for Hollywood and TV drama. There it’s as rare as hen’s teeth.

Point of view in drama is created with a number of techniques which in themselves are simple, but their subtle combination to bring us into the head of a character is one of the skills of a good director.?

To represent point of view literally only serves to draw attention the device you are using, making the viewer more aware of the artifice that is video drama rather than supporting a suspension of disbelief.

360 degree immersion

This mistake is similar to that mentioned in my last post about literal point of view in regular video drama. It’s really the same idea, but manifested in the use of 360 degree video. People think that immersing yourself into the body of a character will bring you more empathy with that character. This is confusing visual perception with emotional understanding. One is not an analogue of the other. Yes, there is some correlation, but the best way to immerse an audience into the experience of another is through story. And a story is harder to tell through 360 because you can’t direct point of view, the medium is more like old fashioned theatre.

An exception to this rule is when simulating heightened or unusual visual and audio perceptions that can be experienced by, for example, someone who is neurodiverse. The experience you are trying to recreate here is a sensory one that stimulates an emotional experience. In most cases the emotional experience you wish to recreate has wider context than can be shown in a single scene, which is why story is a useful means to compress the history behind the situation depicted.

Over-Explaining

Learning dramas very often include commentaries embedded within them. For example, voice-overs telling us what a character is thinking or characters turning to camera and telling us what’s going on. I’ve done this myself.

But ultimately, it’s a bit of a cowardly route to go. Feeling super-keen to get your message across, it’s awfully tempting to put that message into the voice of a character commenting on the action. But the real strength of drama is to stimulate people to ask questions. What better kind of engagement is there? Drama puts characters in a challenging situation and, as a viewer, you can’t help but think what you might do if you were them. Undermine this by telling people what they should be thinking and you’re missing a trick.

Conspicuous devices

In my opinion, in any medium, except for comic effect, or to foreground the artifice of the medium, devices that draw attention to themselves are an indulgence or a sign of poor craftsmanship. A good piece of work should just work and the audience shouldn’t have a second thought as to why.

The trouble is, a gimmick can often help to sell a project. I do understand. Just beware that there is a trade-off. Gimmicks very often distract from user immersion or excuse poor core content. ?

?Your message in dialogue

This is a beginners error for creators of video drama. Suppose you have a drama about suicide prevention. The last thing you want it for the character to explain that they feel suicidal because their situation has become untenable. Where’s the drama in that? And where’s the learning? The lesson is so much stronger if the character is in denial, or simply hiding their feelings. People are rarely direct in their speech about how they are feeling, especially if those feelings are potentially aberrant, embarrassing or private. Plus, the more tension there is between what a character says and what they are feeling, the more dramatic, and therefore engaging is the scene.

If a character says something contrary to what they are feeling the viewer will be rooting for them and desperate for them to cry out the words that you almost put in their mouth. Anticipation is so much better.

Summing up

The primary function of a video drama in learning is not to teach facts, but to engage the imagination in what learning theorist and researcher Mary Helen Immordino-Yang has called “transcendent thinking”. By taking characters into situations in which they face tough choices, the audience is immediately engaged and thinking “what would I do in that situation?” This type of engagement takes what are theoretical ideas from a text book and provides a vehicle that allows learners’ imaginations to explore what the ideas might mean in reality. Any video learning drama must be designed to make the most of this mechanism, anything else is secondary.

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Chris Jones

NPQH FRSA FCCT l Chief Executive at SMARTcurriculum Ltd l 2024 BESA Awards Finalist l 2024 UNESCO Global Inclusion Practitioner l 2024 ERA Finalist l 2023 Digital Leader DL100 | Author | Achieve the Exceptional

7 个月

These are excellent observations! The nuances you’ve highlighted, like the overuse of literal POV and 360-degree immersion, really show the importance of subtlety and storytelling in video drama for learning. It’s all too easy to get caught up in the technology or the urge to over-explain, but as you pointed out, the real power lies in engaging the audience’s emotions and curiosity. Letting the story do the heavy lifting is key. Thanks for sharing these insights—definitely valuable for anyone working in this space!

Charles McLachlan

CEO and Portfolio Executive development - MAKING YOUR FUTURE WORK with Freedom, Joy and more opportunities to offer Love to those around you.

7 个月

Tom Hickmore It’s fascinating how story can often bridge the gap that visuals alone can’t cover. How do you think emerging technologies, like AR or VR, might address some of these issues while enhancing the storytelling experience?

Richard Beal

Coaching young people and career starters to be professional

7 个月

"Drama puts characters in a challenging situation and, as a viewer, you can’t help but think what you might do if you were them" - and that's it. That's the power of drama and story telling - we seem to be getting better at using this for change management, but we still have a long way to go. You're getting us closer Tom Hickmore!

Chris Duncan-Scott

I'm obsessed with making work better. Everywhere.

7 个月

Lots of learning points here!

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