Should I?

[Kyroth]

Hi! I'm new here, but it looks like a cool place, so I was hoping to get some advice.
I'm starting year 12 in NSW, Australia, and I've chosen English Extention 2 as one of my subjects. Basicly, the deal is you choose a project and spend the whole year working on it, and then submit it to the Board of Studies for marking in August.
The two projects I like best are Video (6-8 minutes) or a collection of Short Stories (6000-8000 words). I still don't know which I want to do, but I was hoping you guys could offer me some opinions.
The question is this: As a story telling medium, what do you think are the advantages and dissadvantages of video and why? Also, if you know anything about it, same question about written short stories.
Thanks!
~Kyroth

[TJ_the_director]

as both a writer AND filmmaker, writing is far cheaper! Even when you write for film, you have to keep the cost factor in mind (you can only film what you can afford). You're far more likely to make $$$ with what you've written. You're also far more likely to get readers for the material you've written than viewers for the film you shot.

but which is the most fun? you know the answer! Good luck!

[eidde]

hello
in my opinion you have complete control over the short story you write, since its just you and a peice of paper communicating to someones imagination. There is something honest in this simplicity.
As soon as you try using video first of all you are collaborating and will be using all manner of sophisticated equipment, most of which you will only have an inkling of what it is capable of - hunreds of/maybe too many options.
Video/images are a direct line, that bypasses the imagination most of the time. I think this is why it has been so successful. Your audience dont really have to concentrate too hard. Its easier than reading. Watching a film is a different experinece to reading a book (Its much quicker for starters)

A pen is just a pen is just a pen - you write, it comes directly out of you at its source.
You try and make a video, you have loads of hurdles and complications to try and get your idea out.

Basically a video wil be a compromise of some sort. Writing will be less of one.

Since you would need to write something anyway before you shot your video, I should decide after that - write your idea(s) down, then decide whether this would be best as a video or a short story.

Remember video leaves much less to the imagination than writing and if you arent experienced and have to round up people to get involved, can be a LOT more frustrating to make than writing a story.
- not every idea suits video better than writing.

Whatever you choose to do make it as good as you can.

best of luck

[untamed_aggression]

It all depends on how much experience you have. If you've never picked up a camera before, and only thought "Hey, it'd be cool to make a video...", I'd go for the writing.

But if you've fannied about with a camera before, know what they can do, know what YOU can do, I'd go for the video.

You've got an entire year to plan it. You can shoot tests, rehearse actors, find locations. Tailor your scripts to the best of your performers' abilities, write the action into places you can get for free or on the cheap.

Or, write the stories. Probably easier.

[Kigo]

There's an old saying...

A picture says a thousand words.

At 24fps for 8 minutes that works out at around 11.5million words.

A writer has to describe things in relative detail to a story and in the end there is still a lot of white on the page. A film maker has to cover every inch of the screen and make it look authentic. Most written stories rely on good key narrative and the imagination of the reader to conjure the scene in their head. Film makers can not reply on the imagination of the viewer, it's the imagination of the maker that makes a film believable.

Example:

Fight Club. The book is by no means a masterpiece. It tells the story in good precise detail and is what I would call an 'easy read'. The film is far more extensive with huge amounts of detail.

Opposite to that is:

Lord of the Rings. The books are huge and full of so much detail and a variety of other crap that the story had to be rewritten to make it watchable. Tolkien's detail though has transfered to film, making the films 'epic' in their appearance.

I suppose the conclusion here is that if you opt to make a film you'll probably end up writing a 6000-8000 word story (or more) anyway!

[Kyroth]

Thanks for that. They're all really good points. What I'm really after though, is video as a method of telling a story, as opposed to writing. What can you do with video that you can't do with a pen, what can you do with a pen that you can't do with a camera.