I’ve been talking about “camera angles” for decades, born out of an acting and performing background, and a brilliant teacher I had in college while taking film classes.
The premise is that any story can be told from a variety of camera angles, and standing in another person’s shoes ALWAYS provides a different way to tell that story.
Recently, in a session with a brilliant talent named Tracy Leek, a good example of this came up as she talked about her 15-year-old daughter’s dread of getting her driver’s license. Here’s what I wrote in her session recap:
Her starting to drive offers multiple angles, too:
Parental worry: put as much bulk and metal around her as you can, because a teenager will have an accident.
Peer pressure: other kids in the car can and will distract her.
Other drivers: they don’t know she’s a beginner, and road rage is a constant worry.
Which will you choose? The one that expresses your emotions the best.
Tracy is a top-level talent, and this has become a main building block for her over our years of working together. If you’re not paying attention to this, you’re missing opportunities to connect with the listener.
