Don’t put down the camera
This week, I learned that it’s okay to show your emotions in storytelling. It’s what makes Sabrina Ionescu’s feature story.
I am a triplet, and if there’s one thing that multiples can agree on, it’s that the sibling rivalry is real. You will never outgrow the competitive spirit, and it makes you who you are today.
Sabrina Ionescu, who is arguably going to go down as one of the best college basketball players in history, is a twin.
So, when I was scrolling through Instagram trying to find the “perfect video,” I knew this was it. I didn’t love the video, because my favorite basketball player was in it, or my favorite reporter, Maria Taylor, told the story. I loved it because it resonated with me.
Ionescu said she believes the reason she is where she is today, is because of her twin, Eddy. He drove her and pushed her to be the best basketball player she could be. That hit home to me.
Everything my brothers did, I wanted to do. When I mean everything, I mean it. I even joined the flag football team when I was younger because I wanted to beat them and play against them.
After watching this video, it really inspired me. I believe that the greatest videos all have one thing in common: Emotion. Sometimes as journalists, we get so caught up in telling stories that we forget to be our true selves while telling it.
Emotion goes into everything. It goes into video shooting, it goes into storytelling, the way you edit a story, the words you use and more.
What I loved about this storytelling was the way Ionescu was not afraid to open up and share her story. I have been in situations before where the interviewee was emotional, but I left it out. I thought, “Well, that’s not what people want to see.” But after watching this, I realized that’s sometimes not the case. It can almost benefit the video if you do show it.
Another thing I loved was the b-roll they had. Oftentimes, when I make videos, I would just try and do the minimum when it came time to this.
But the way this story was told, it captured everything. They kept the camera rolling, and that’s something that I want to start to do because you never know when you will get that perfect shot.
They showed Eddy and Sabrina shooting half-court shots and arguing who made it. I typically wouldn’t have put this in, but it was my favorite part of the whole video.
So, next time you go out and create a video, remember to be your true self.
