The Art of Telling Stories: Aurora Gordon

The Art of Telling Stories is a series of posts designed to take a deeper look at what it means to tell a story. Writers tell stories constantly, but many other people in many other vocations tell their stories as well, but in other, often more subtle, ways.

Today's guest is Aurora Gordon, a dailies colorist for television, a video producer, and a brilliant artist. You can check out her newest trailer about the Daily Ocean as well as several of her other projects on her website or on Vimeo. In addition, the image to the right is one in a series of nine that will be available to benefit the Red Cross of Oklahoma with the recent tornado damage.

Aurora, tell us a little bit about yourself.

I'm a dailies colorist for television - and that means I'm the one applying a look to the footage
immediately after it was shot (so I work the graveyard shift, yikes!). We do this so that the footage will look as close to the final intention as possible for the rough cuts before the footage goes to a final color session for polishing, and eventually broadcasting on TV. In ideal situations I talk to the DP beforehand, and we discuss what sort of look he's going for.  Then it's up to me to come up with the right "cocktail" of dial pushes to recreate that everyday.  I go through all the footage and make sure if more than one camera is used that both cameras have the same color balance.  So, if B Camera looks too blue compared to A Camera, I'll either add yellow to B Camera, or add blue to A Camera.

What that means in reality: I stare at monitors overnight and turn knobs and roll track balls!

In my daytime I'm a video producer and lately I've been working on a documentary about a woman who goes to clean up the beach 20 minutes at a time.  I work mostly on personal documentary style projects but I've been known to take a commission or two. Especially if it means working with an awesome small business.

How would you define storytelling?

Wow, storytelling defined!  I'd say good storytelling is forgetting about your ego and relaying events in a generous, affordable, relatable way. Being a liaison to the world - even if it's a small story.


Would you consider yourself a storyteller? Why?

Definitely.  I used to get asked a lot, are you ever going to specialize and focus on just videos, or just color? And I think it's a lot of the same skill set.  To me it's almost the same job.  As a storyteller you have to get this idea in your head out to an audience - and as a colorist I have to get the idea in the DP's head out to the audience. But, there's still a lot of room for my interpretation.  For example if someone says to me "Make this scene warm!" my first image is a slightly yellowed cozy kitchen, probably with something being baked for hungry guests in the oven.  So I'll then grade the scene with my interpretation of warm - gold familiarity.  But another colorist might grade it like a warm body on a beach - almost red. I live in a land of subtlety and perhaps it's hard for a lot of people to understand nonverbal storytelling as the same as Storytelling with a capital S - but that's what I like to think I do best: subtly transfer feelings.


How do you decide what images tell the story and what ones don't?

When I'm cutting a documentary project, I'm just ruthless. I ask myself: what's the most important image here, and what am I really trying to say?  Does this other image inform and support that? No?  On the cutting room floor it goes then. Another good question to ask is: Would an alien get this image?  Hopefully it's powerful enough some creature from Mars would even understand.


What impact does colour have on the story being told?

Ah - this is a good question. Like I said before, it's a nonverbal art form. I think really great color can take a cold, steely scene from a movie like Skyfall, and make a lonely spy trapped in solitary confinement relatable to everybody's life. What's actually on screen might be a creepy dude with a bad attitude and a bionic jaw, but everybody has a time in their life that was blue and steely and lonely. Sometimes it's easier to say with a look than words.


Do you think you could tell a story with just colour? How?

I think there are color arcs like there are story arcs. I don't know if I could just pop colors on screen and say something a viewer could understand though. I do think oftentimes the color really confirms what you're seeing.  For example, oftentimes movies will end warmer than they started.  If it's a happy ending, it probably looks a little rosy too.  A filmmaker can dial in a look that says, "You might not feel this way, but here's how I want you to feel."  I think a stylized look can be a really honest tip of the hat to the fact the story is of course coming from a biased and subjective point of view.  For example, Wes Anderson always uses his yellowed, aged, signature look and I think that's a nice way to subtly say to the audience, "This is my fading memory and it may or may not be what's really occurring in the world."

But I also think there can be stories told with color in homes.  I'm fascinated with the way people choose to decorate and paint walls. I think there's a reason some people have dark walls and some people have light walls.

What is your favourite part of the work you do and why?

My favorite part is probably the moment before I dial it in.  (Do people know what that means?  We say a scene is "dialed in" when we've got the knobs literally dialed in to the right position. It's another way to say "nailed it.")

When I'm working on a challenging scene I might go back and forth with 10 different versions that are all minor, minor changes, but from version 1 all the way to version 10 is cumulatively a big change.  I like the challenging scenes because oftentimes the moment before it's dialed in is the moment I try something new and discover a new way to combine shadow, midtone, and highlight color values.


What is your favourite colour?

Green!  Our eyes are most sensitive to around 550 nm, which is about green. So I like green because it illuminates most things for humans.

Also, when my husband James first met me he insisted I have green eyes, even though my driver's license and everybody else in my life says I have blue eyes.  He sees me green instead and it makes me laugh.


Is there anything else you would like me to share?

Eat your vegetables! Play with animals! Don't buy things that sell you another version of yourself!


Don't forget to visit Rory's website to learn more about what she does and what she can do for you!

The Art of Telling Stories: Nancy Tozier Sieling

Today's guest for the series The Art of Telling Stories is Nancy Tozier Sieling, a brilliant seamstress and costume designer. You can check out her blog, some photos from her most recent shows Peter Pan and Seussical, or follow her on Facebook.

Nancy, tell us a little bit about yourself.

I am a seamstress and costume designer. I do alterations and make custom clothing - mostly wedding and formal wear. I also design and make costumes for theatrical productions.

How would you define storytelling?

Storytelling to me is communicating a set of related ideas, thoughts, and feelings. Usually, but not always, there is a point to be made or something to be taught. The greatest storytellers are able to reach across time and cultures with tales that resonate with a wide variety of people, which is why so many filmmakers turn classics (take Les Miserables, for example) into blockbusters.

In what way do you use costumes and clothing to tell stories? 

If I am working on a show, my job is to help the director portray his or her vision of the story. Costumes help define who the characters are and how they relate to each other. They might be rich or poor, attractive or ugly, self absorbed or clueless, etc. and I try to reinforce those qualities and relationships through their clothing. Color can be used to define someone's mood, attitude, and social status. Costumes can also be used to sort people into groups to make the story easier for the audience to follow. If I do my job well, you will feel like you know something a important about an actor the minute he walks onto the stage. Costuming is not usually a standalone form of storytelling, though it can be. How the actor wears and uses his costume is also important. For example, in 1905 men all wore hats.  Does he wear it properly, toss it in the air, twist it in his hands? What the actor does with his hat takes you deeper into the story.

Could you look at one person and see a story in them, based solely on the clothes they were wearing?

I do that all the time. Sometimes I have the opportunity to find out if my surmises are correct, but more often I don't.

How do you approach the thought process of telling the story of a character through their clothes and appearance?

I start with the time period. I research both the era and the clothing. I educate myself on the social class and occupation of the character. Next, I consider what other details the script tells me about the person - any peculiarities, color or dress preferences, etc. and integrate them into the costuming as much as I can. I love to read old books and have found pop fiction from the time period I am working in to be very helpful, because it tells you things about everyday life that you wont pick up elsewhere. 

What is your favourite thing about costuming?

My favorite thing about costuming is transforming a person from today into someone from another place and time. I feel really successful when an actor's mother fails to recognize her own child.

What is your favourite outfit/era? Why?

I can't pick just one, but in general I love the time period from 1880 to 1950, and I especially like the early 1900's and the 1940's. Fashions in these two eras were graceful and slightly formal without wild excesses of fabric (with the exception of the hats in the 1910-1919 era). Wartime shortages and rationing of fabric and buttons forced clothing designers in the 1940's to be really creative.  The result was the development of some breathtaking designs. This is a favorite of mine from 1912:

...and this is a favorite of mine from the 1940's:

If you had to pick one element of costuming that has the most impact on telling a story, what would that element be and why?

If I had to pick one element of costuming that makes the most impact I would say it is what you don't see- the foundation under the costume. The undergarments of an era provide the shape the dress or suit sits on and plays a huge role in setting the time period. Something as simple as a man wearing suspenders under his suit coat with the pants cinched way up can make a huge difference in setting the time period. Ladies foundations run the gamut from nonexistent to incredibly complicated, and are capable of giving the same woman wildly different shapes. Compare these two dresses- the foundations are radically different:

Don't forget to check out Nancy's Facebook page and blog!

The Art of Telling Stories: Harley O'Brien

Welcome to the next in the series of interviews on The Art of Telling Stories. Today we will hear from Harley O'Brien, a multimedia architect and big-picture thinker. Coming up, he will be at mLearnCon, speaking on Redefining the Document: Creating Content for a Mobile World. You can follow him on Twitter, check out his LinkedIn, or click here to visit the conference webpage. 

Harley, tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do.

I'm a multimedia architect, I deal with images, forms, and colors, but also with computer code. It's a nice blend of designer and programmer. My formal background is communications and marketing, but from a very early age I got involved with computers, and the interactivity captured me. I fell in love with the worlds you could create and control using media and programming.

How would you define the idea of storytelling?

The basic idea is to convey a story... sounds simple, but that's what makes it so exciting. It can be as simple as a short marketing message, pretty obvious, uh? But also an e-learning module where you need to communicate new concepts, or even better, an RPG or an immersive scenario!

As a Multimedia Architect, how does the work you do make an impact on the way the story is delivered or perceived?

It affects it in almost every way. I'm a firm believer of the old saying "the medium is the message." And that applies even more to interactive media. If you think about it, audiovisuals and interactive media require a lot of team work. You need graphic design, audio, music, layouts, interactions and of course, a good story!

I see a multimedia architect as the orchestra conductor that weaves it all together, carrying the responsibility to respect the essence of each of the parts and enhance it in a new whole.

What role do graphics and images play in storytelling?

Nowadays, a lot. We live in an audiovisual culture. For good or bad, not judging, it's just the way it is. Most of the world's population believe that an image is worth a thousand words :)

I think I could put it this way: "visuals" are important. Even a still image can tell a story, ask any photographer... but also the right word, the right font and the right background can be a powerful visual. See how it is all the medium? Anyway, I feel that text can be a flexible, on-demand and cost-effective media when used correctly. 

What thought process do you use to approach the way you present information to your consumer?

I think you should start with the end: what is the reaction you want? You work from there. You know your times, media, resources. Put yourself in the user's shoes. In what context will he receive the message? a video on a TV screen sitting on a couch or just 20" from a computer monitor? Maybe walking down the street on a smartphone screen?

Then you dissect the message, identify the essence, and start creating different ways of communicating it effectively. Keep in mind that "the message" can be anything, a conventional message in the case of a marketing piece, an e-learning lesson or an interactive experience in the case of an application. I would say that creating interactive media is creating user experiences, something like on-demand, user-controlled storytelling.  

Would you consider yourself a storyteller? Why or why not?

Definitely. I see myself as a user experience designer. You as a writer can identify with this. The end goal as a creator is to create a user experience. In computer lingo, there's even an acronym for that, UX Designer :-)

How do you think multimedia architecture is going to change over the next decade? In what way will that impact the way we communicate and the way we tell stories?

I think the technological aspect of it is the least interesting. I'm sure most people won't be surprised to be able to create holograms at home or use 3D printing. Our fascination threshold is pretty high. But it's the social implications I'm excited about. The Web 2.0 gave us the tools to produce content and share it with the world. Some developing countries have gone from no land lines to a cell phone in every hand and internet connections in just a few years. This moves us towards scenarios that should make us think.

With the overwhelming complexity of search, the trend to "curated" content is growing. Are we sharing our knowledge or giving up on our decision processes?

What about the cloud? It's not only for storage. A lot of "smart" devices are now windows to content that get processed in "the cloud." But remember the PC revolution of the 80s that meant breaking free from the big central computers to have your our processing power on the desktop?

I could talk for hours, but imagine a world with overwhelming audio and visuals, interactions that affect other senses but only 140 characters for text. I'm so up for that challenge! :-)

Practicing Gallifreyan

I've been practicing my Gallifreyan. It's quite fun. But there are some aspects of the not-quite language - it's really more of a code - that make it difficult. For example, a lot of the "rules" are purely aesthetic. How the dots look on the letters, or how long the lines are, can vary depending on mood or your particular style of drawing. It might, however, allow for the Time Lord version of "handwriting" I guess. I also find that the hard part of making sentences (and paragraphs, etc.) is the spacing of the letters. Some groups of words just seem naturally suited to each other. Others are less so. One strategy I've been using is to make the words separately to get an idea of what they look like. Then (because the size of the words can change to make them fit together) I will sketch the rough shapes out to try to get them all to work together.

I also attempted to cut out the shapes, but since you can't really change their shape or slightly move the letters around to make them fit together, it wasn't very helpful.

I have also tried using the computer (PowerPoint, if you must know, as my Photoshop skills are nil) to make the shapes. They are much cleaner, but lack the rough, artistic look of the hand-drawn characters. This one says "Gary." I hope :)

So here are my first to basic attempts at writing full sentences in Gallifreyan. This says "Give me liberty or give me death" (more or less).

And this one says "If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first, invent the universe." Also more or less.

I highly recommend learning it. The alphabet/code is an easy learn and there are lots of resources online (http://timeturners.wikidot.com/circular-gallifreyan). And it looks cool. At very least, all you Whovians should figure out how to write your name!

I drew some Daleks

One is wrong, one is ... well, closer to right. :)

I also drew space.

It's not quite Daleks in space.

But this one is!

Daleks in Space:

It's Sad That These Pictures Still Seem A Little Bit Like Fiction

These are 5 of my favourite, more recent, pictures of the day from NASA.

Enceladus, Saturn's moon.

Colour!!

The Earth sparkles. But not like a vampire. 

Earth is way cooler than modern vampires.

I want to go to space.

The hand of God... or the hand of robot?