Many Sides to One Story

It's easy to have one major storyteller in a family - as one person may be naturally good at it. However, there are many sides to a story and multiple perspectives can be illuminating.

The above video is my son's perspective on Cyclone Yasi.

You can find the story of my family in the cyclone from the parent's perspective mostly in the house that shook although the kids view comes through as we asked them questions and included them in the video we took during the experience.

In my latest ABC Open blog Pam, Joe and the Mighty Yasi I suggest that people consider making a spoken story video not just a written or photographic account of their cyclone experience. In the advent of mobile phones, skype, and video accessibility perhaps a lot more than in the past can consider this, that's if they can embrace and explore all technology has to offer. ABC Open are providing summer schools to help people develop these skills.

If you have a bit of time on your hand you can produce a video documentary for future generations. With a bit of practice efforts can be sped up, although I find I want to spend a lot of time editing to get it just right!

My latest video editing attempts saw me trying to master more in the sound editing department. I wanted to weave music sound track in and out to accentuate the story and ensure it did not detract from the story. I worked out how to do it in Pinnacle, but I am wondering if there are easier ways to do it. Obviously this is the next part of my digital storytelling journey, working out more about sound editing!.

(c) June Perkins, all rights reserved.

Back on Track - early journeys in digital storytelling

Special visitors came to the Cassowary Coast after Cyclone Yasi to see how people doing - this is what happened when they went to one local school.

Features - Graeme Connors (country singer), Robert Rose(basketballer), and Brendan Porter (Australian Rotary Health), Feluga State School, Julie Headlam.

This is one of my recent video documentaries.

I have been captivated by the art of editing, camera work and storytelling. Initially editing was hard yakka, but I kept at it. I looked up tutorials, asked questions and played with the programs until I became more proficient and even developed a little of my own style.

I have previously dabbled in script writing, done the In the Bin weekend workshop and written playscripts, but the thing I love about digital storytelling is it's accessability, low cost and simplicity to use once you get the basics down. It has helped having the abcopen people and other digital storytellers to encourage and give me pointers with my work.

I have learnt the most important thing is the story you have to tell, and your passion and connection to the people it is about. The tools to convey that to others can be mastered relatively quickly if you want to tell that story.


(c) June Perkins, all rights reserved

Memory Land and becoming a Digital Storyteller

I am re-establishing this blog so I can place video embeds and other work samples here from my other blogs.

Some blogs make you pay a fee for this privilege but blogger doesn't. So this is a good space to show case my digital storytelling efforts and upcoming poetry films.

Here is a poster - which is a digitally altered photograph and some of my poetry. I am doing a lot more creations like this and making postcards and poetry cards. I'm yet to market them but first of all I am enjoying making them and thinking about what I want to say with them.

Memory Land
You are the Wind of my Soul
The wisdom feathers
placed on me
One by one


I have tumblr, wordpress, facebook, flickr, vimeo, youtube tweeting and this blog.
My next stop is to set up an online shop and create some ebooks.

All these different cyberspaces have different offerings of what you can do.

This last year I have done more guest blogging. ABCopen have given me a space in the Aftermath Project.

It's been an amazing experience to be part of their new experiment to engage with the wider community. If you take the time to read these posts you will see that the community I live in has been in cyclone recovery mode. Some people are well on the way, others have left the area, and some have a long way to go to say goodbye to Cyclone Yasi effects.

My blog land is like a memory land - a place where now I bring all the creative forms I have been dabbling in together. Journalling, song composition, videography, poetry and photography - all have a place in my creative heart and journey.

Welcome along for the journey - as I put on my gumbootspearlz.

(c) June Perkins, all rights reserved.