For many in the world of video and marketing, story is a “buzzword” or “bandwagon” to jump onto so they feel like they are on top of the next trend. Here at Pardiman productions story is something baked into who we are and what we do, but there are many other reason we focus on story.
When I was a young kid in grade school I read a book that had a surprising effect on me. It was a book about a young First Nations boy in Canada that carves a small canoe and it’s ‘Paddle Person’ called “Paddle-to-the-Sea”. It wasn’t long after reading this book that we were shown a 16mm film version of “Paddle-to-the-Sea” in class. I was enamored with the idea that there were stories behind the movies and shows I was watching. (This was many moons before things like Harry Potter or that “vampire” series started the current trend of book to screen being obvious and everywhere) This idea that you don’t just point a camera and create a story, but that it should work the other way around has stayed with me all these years.
On top of our own experience, science shows that stories can have a profound effect on us as humans. Johnathan Gottschall, author of “The Storytelling Animal - How Stories Make Us Human” says, “When we read nonfiction, we read with our shields up. We are critical and skeptical. But when we are absorbed in a story, we drop our intellectual guard. We are moved emotionally, and this seems to leave us defenseless.” There is actually a scientific term for when people lose themselves in a story and their attitudes and intentions change to reflect that story called ‘Narrative Transportation Theory’.
What has been proven time and time again is that we do not make purchasing decisions consciously. We make them based on feelings that we might not be aware of, and when we feel empathy we are most likely to support a cause or non-profit. Telling a compelling story can positively affect how your brand is perceived and how strongly it is supported.
Here at Pardiman productions we care about the stories we tell and the people they involve, and we purposefully limit our client base so that we can work one on one to meet our clients goals and build a long term relationship.
We share a desire to make the lives of those around us better, and believe that by telling stories that inspire others to change their minds and take action, we can have a positive impact.
If you're curious you can watch "Paddle-to-the-Sea" on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhjb1IG1pnQ