“If I look at the mass, I will never act. If I look at the one, I will.”
– Mother Teresa

Syreeta Studying at the Library

To gain empathy for a larger issue you must start with an individual personal story.

In our latest multimedia piece, we told Syreeta’s story to introduce you to how Foundation for Women’s microfinance programming is bringing women out of poverty.

A relatable character is key and one of the best methods to engage your audience.  The audience needs to see or imagine themselves in the character or situation.  A character can be human, animal and even an object or a location–anything that has the ability to take action or suffer consequences can be a character. However, since stories are created and consumed by humans, a character is always viewed from a human perspective.

People help us relate and emotionally connect to the story.  Finding strong subjects is one of the most important jobs of the storyteller.  This is why it is crucial to do your research beforehand and hold pre-production interviews. Watch for our next workshop tip where we will share some guidelines to consider when choosing your character.

Interesting in learning more about multimedia production and storytelling? Apply for Stirring the Fire’s Social Documentary Workshops here.