Shot 1___ shot
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Media Path · Lens 6: Language & Storytelling
The
Language
of Media
The opening question
Why do some videos grab you in the first second, while others lose you before you've even noticed them?
Every headline, caption, ad and video is built from choices: which words, whose point of view, which shot comes next. Storytellers have been using these tools for thousands of years. This module shows you how they work, so you can spot them and use them yourself.
Inside this module
- 00First Principlesp.2
- 01Story structure & arcsp.4
- 02Point of viewp.5
- 03Word choice & headlinesp.6
- 04Rhetoric & persuasionp.7
- 05Visual grammar: shots & sequencesp.8
- ✦Self-check · Make it · 5 Questions · Side Questp.9
How this works
CoreThe main path. Everyone does this part. No special skills needed.
Level UpOptional, harder challenges if you want to push further.
Try ItHands-on. Write it, film it, say it out loud.
You'll need: pencil, highlighters (2 colours), a phone or camera, and any news site, ad or video feed to pick apart.
Media Path · Unizon01/12
Media Path · Lens 6: Language & Storytelling00 · Start here
Before anything else
First
Principles
Principles
A first principle is a basic truth you can build on. Before you learn the tricks storytellers use, figure out what you already know, what the basic building blocks are, and what you want to walk away with. Three questions. Be honest; nobody's grading this.
1
What do I already know?
Dump it all out. Half-sure counts.
Think of a video, show or book that hooked you. What did it do to keep you watching or reading?
When have words or images ever changed your mind about something, or tried to?
Circle every word you could explain to a friend right now. Underline the ones you've heard but couldn't explain.
narratorconflictclimaxhookheadlinebiaspersuadeclose-upmontagepoint of view
2
What is necessary?
The building blocks you need before going further
Everything in this module is built from four story bricks. Rate yourself on each one, then check the example to see if your rating holds up.
StorySomeone wants something, and something gets in the way. a player wants to make the team, but breaks her ankle
Got itKindaNot yet
Point of viewWho is telling it, and what they can see. "I fell" vs "she fell"
Got itKindaNot yet
FramingWhat's put in, left out, and how it's described. "crowd" vs "mob"
Got itKindaNot yet
AudienceWho it's made for, and what they want. a trailer for kids vs adults
Got itKindaNot yet
Is anything else necessary? What else do you think you'd need to know or have to really get this topic?
The Language of Media02/12
Media Path · Lens 6: Language & Storytelling00 · Start here
3
What is the objective?
What am I trying to understand or be able to do by the end?
The module's objective
By the end, you'll be able to see how a piece of media is built to make you feel, think or do something.
- 01Map any story onto a story arc, from setup to resolution.
- 02Tell the same moment from different points of view, and explain what changes.
- 03Spot loaded words and framing in headlines, and rewrite them neutrally.
- 04Name ethos, pathos and logos in an ad, and use them yourself.
- 05Plan a sequence of shot types that tells a story without words.
- 06Make a short, wordless story that someone else can follow.
My objective
The list on the left is ours. Now make it yours. What do you want out of this?
By the end, I want to be able to
The part I'm most curious about is
I'll know I've got there when
Knowledge meter
How much do you know about how media tells stories right now? Shade the boxes in pencil. You'll come back at the end (p.9) and shade it again in pen.
NothingCould teach it
Why start this way? When you know what you already have (1), what you need (2) and where you're going (3), you learn faster and you notice the gaps. Every module on the Media Path starts with these same three questions.
Your route through this module
00
First Principles
01
Arcs
02
POV
03
Words
04
Persuade
05
Shots
✓
Check
▶
Make
?
5 Qs
★
Quest
The Language of Media03/12
Media Path · Lens 6: Language & Storytelling01 · Story structure
01
The shape of a story
Every story has a shape
A story isn't just "stuff that happens." Someone wants something, something gets in the way, and the tension builds until it breaks. That shape is called a story arc.
This five-part shape is often called Freytag's pyramid, after Gustav Freytag, a German writer who described it in 1863. Movies often use a simpler three-act version: setup, confrontation, resolution.
Worked example
"Lost in the river valley" (a made-up 60-second short)
1Setup: Maya walks her dog Pixel on a trail in the river valley.
2Rising action: Pixel chases a rabbit and vanishes. It's getting dark. Maya's phone is at 4%.
3Climax: She hears a bark from across the creek and has to decide: wade in or call for help?
4Falling action: She calls her brother; together they find Pixel, muddy and fine.
5Resolution: Back home, Pixel sleeps. Maya buys a longer leash.
Try it
Map a story you love
Pick a movie, an episode or a game. Write one line for each part of the arc.
1 ·
2 ·
3 ·
4 ·
5 ·
2 ·
3 ·
4 ·
5 ·
The six-word story
"For sale: baby shoes, never worn." That tiny story is often credited to Ernest Hemingway, but there's no solid evidence he wrote it. Either way, it has a want, a problem and a punch. Write your own six-word story:
Level Up
Short videos often start in medias res (Latin for "into the middle of things"), right at the climax, then rewind. Why might that work on a feed? Also look up Joseph Campbell's hero's journey (1949) and compare it to a movie you know.
The Language of Media04/12
Media Path · Lens 6: Language & Storytelling02 · Point of view
02
Who's telling it?
Point of view
The same moment can feel completely different depending on who tells it. Point of view decides what you know, what you don't, and who you end up rooting for.
| Point of view | Key words | Where you see it in media |
|---|---|---|
| First person | I, me, we | Vlogs, "storytime" videos, diaries, memoirs, songs |
| Second person | you, your | Ads, tutorials, "you won't believe…", choose-your-own-adventure games |
| Third person | he, she, they | News reports, documentaries, most novels and movies |
Worked example
One fall at the skate park, three ways
1st: "I hit the rail, my board shot out from under me, and every single person turned around."
2nd: "You hit the rail. Your board shoots out. Everyone's watching. What do you do next?"
3rd: "She hit the rail and fell. A few people looked over, then went back to skating."
Notice: 1st feels embarrassing, 2nd puts you in it, 3rd feels distant. Even "every single person" vs "a few people" depends on who's telling it.
Cameras have a point of view too
A POV shot shows exactly what a character sees, as if the camera were their eyes. Holding a phone at arm's length and talking to it feels first person. A wide security-camera view feels cold and third person. Where you put the camera is a storytelling choice.
Try it · the missing voice
Pick a moment from your week. Retell it in first person from someone who was there but usually doesn't get a voice: the bus driver, the referee, the dog, the neighbour.
Level Up
The unreliable narrator
Some stories are told by a narrator you can't fully trust: they leave things out, misremember or lie. Think of a review, a vlog or a story where you started doubting the narrator. What tipped you off?
Whose view is missing?
Find a news story. List every person or group it quotes. Who is affected but not quoted?
The Language of Media05/12
Media Path · Lens 6: Language & Storytelling03 · Word choice
03
Framing the message
Words are never neutral
Words carry two meanings: what they say (denotation) and what they make you feel (connotation). "Crowd" and "mob" can describe the same people, but they tell very different stories.
Worked example · headline lab
Made-up event: a city council votes to run downtown buses 30 minutes later at night. Three headlines, all technically true:
A "Night-shift workers win later rides as council extends buses"
B "Council shakes up transit budget with late-bus plan"
C "City council votes to run downtown buses 30 minutes later"
A frames it as a win for riders. B frames it as a problem for taxpayers. C just reports what happened, with a number, so it's the most neutral.
Try it
Made-up event: the city adds 10 new outdoor rinks this winter. Write three headlines:
Positive
Negative
Neutral
The curiosity gap
"You won't believe what this neighbour did next." Clickbait works by opening a gap between what you know and what you want to know, then making you click to close it. Next time you feel the itch, ask: what is this headline hiding?
Level Up
"Mistakes were made" is a famous example of the passive voice hiding who did something. Rewrite it in the active voice. Then compare "1 in 5 applicants failed" with "4 in 5 applicants passed." Same fact (check the math!), different feeling.
The Language of Media06/12
Media Path · Lens 6: Language & Storytelling04 · Rhetoric & persuasion
04
How words move people
The persuasion triangle
Around 2,300 years ago, the Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote that persuasion works in three main ways. Ads, speeches and videos still use all three.
Ethos · trust. "Believe me, because of who I am." Experts, famous faces, reviews.
Pathos · feeling. "Feel this." Music, faces, stories, fear of missing out.
Logos · logic. "Here's the evidence." Facts, numbers, reasons, demos.
Greek teachers of rhetoric also stressed kairos: saying the right thing at the right moment.
Worked example
Pick apart a (made-up) 15-second ad for a water bottle
| Line in the ad | Appeal |
|---|---|
| "Chosen by coaches across Alberta." | Ethos |
| Slow-mo of a tired runner, rising music: "Don't let thirst slow you down." | Pathos |
| "Keeps water cold for 24 hours. Two-year warranty." | Logos |
| Posted the week before a big race. | Kairos |
Also spot the rule of three ("faster, stronger, colder"), repetition, rhetorical questions and the call to action ("Get yours today").
Try it
Make your case
Persuade someone at home to say yes to something (a pet, a trip, a night out). Write one line for each appeal.
Ethos
Pathos
Logos
Level Up · spot the fallacy
A fallacy is an argument that sounds convincing but doesn't hold up. Match each line to its fallacy.
a) "Everyone at work has this app. You need it too."
b) "Either you buy the pro version or your videos will look bad."
c) "Don't listen to his review. He can't even skate."
d) "If we let staff work from home one day, soon nobody will come in."
__ attacking the person (ad hominem)
__ bandwagon
__ slippery slope
__ false choice (only two options)
c · a · d · b
The Language of Media07/12
Media Path · Lens 6: Language & Storytelling05 · Visual grammar
05
Shots are words, edits are sentences
Visual grammar
Film has a grammar too. Each shot type is like a word with its own job, and the order you put them in builds the sentence.
Angles talk too. A low angle (camera looking up) often makes someone look powerful. A high angle (looking down) can make them look small or alone. Eye level feels equal and honest.
Worked example · order is meaning
"Late for the bus" in five shots
1Wide: a bus waits at a stop.
2Medium: someone bursts out of a front door.
3Extreme close-up: phone screen, 8:01.
4Close-up: panicked face, running.
5Wide: they jump on just as the doors close.
Now move shot 1 to the end and show the bus pulling away. Same shots, new story: they missed it.
The Kuleshov effect
In the early days of film, Soviet filmmaker Lev Kuleshov cut the same blank face of an actor together with different shots (accounts usually mention a bowl of soup, a child in a coffin and a woman). According to those accounts, viewers praised the actor for showing hunger, grief and desire, even though his face never changed. Modern re-tests have had mixed results, but the idea stuck: the next shot can change what we see in the first.
Try it · Kuleshov test
Film a friend's neutral face for 3 seconds. Then film three different things (a pizza, a spider, a puppy). Make three tiny edits: face + one thing. Ask someone else what the person is feeling in each.
Level Up · the 180-degree rule
When filming two people talking, imagine a line between them and keep the camera on one side of it. Cross the line and they suddenly seem to swap sides of the screen, which confuses viewers. Watch a conversation scene in a show: can you see where the line is? When might a director break the rule on purpose?
The Language of Media08/12
Media Path · Lens 6: Language & StorytellingSelf-check
✓
No pressure, just proof
Quick self-check
Six questions, covering every stop. Show your thinking. Answers are upside down at the bottom; no peeking till you're done.
1 · Put these in story-arc order: climax, setup, resolution, rising action, falling action.
2 · "You open the door. The room is dark." Which point of view is this?
3 · Which word is more loaded, "said" or "admitted"? Why?
4 · A famous athlete says she uses a brand of shampoo. Which appeal is that?
5 · Which shot type would you use to show a single tear on someone's cheek?
6 · Rewrite in the active voice: "The window was broken during the game."
1) setup, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution · 2) second person · 3) "admitted": it hints at guilt or a secret · 4) ethos (trust) · 5) close-up or extreme close-up · 6) e.g. "Jordan broke the window during the game." (it names who did it)
Back to First Principles
Re-shade your knowledge meter
How much do you know about how media tells stories now? Flip back to p.3 and shade the meter again in pen (or shade this one). Did any of the four bricks on p.2 move from "Not yet" to "Got it"?
NothingCould teach it
Did I hit my objective? What's my evidence?
The idea that surprised me most:
The Language of Media09/12
Media Path · Lens 6: Language & StorytellingMini challenge · Make it
Mini challenge · Execution
The six-shot story
Tell a complete story in six shots with no words: no dialogue, no captions, no narration. Film it on a phone or draw it as a storyboard. If someone can tell your story back to you, you've nailed it.
1 · Write your logline
A logline is a one-sentence story. Fill in the blanks:
When
wants
but ,
they have to .
2 · Your must-haves
- A clear want and a clear obstacle
- All five arc parts, even if some are only one shot
- At least three different shot types
- One deliberate camera angle (low, high or POV)
- Zero words. Let the images and order do the talking
- Test it: show one person and ask them to tell it back
3 · Storyboard Sketch each shot and name its type. Notes go on the lines.
Shot 2___ shot
Shot 3___ shot
Shot 4___ shot
Shot 5___ shot
Shot 6___ shot
Before you film or post: ask anyone who appears in your video for permission. If you're under 18, check with a parent or guardian before sharing online. Keeping it on your device is totally fine.
The Language of Media10/12
Media Path · Lens 6: Language & Storytelling5 Questions I Still Have
The best part of learning is what's next
5 Questions
I Still Have
This module didn't answer everything. Good. Write 5 new questions it didn't answer, one of each type below. There are no wrong questions, only ones nobody's asked yet.
1
How does it work?
Pick something you use and wonder about the inside of. e.g. "How do editors decide exactly where to cut from one shot to the next?"
2
Why?
Ask about a reason or a cause. e.g. "Why do so many movies follow the same story shape?"
3
What if?
Change one thing and imagine the result. e.g. "What if a news site had to show three headlines for every story?"
4
Connect it
Link this to another lens (math, science, psychology, technology, history, language & storytelling, art & design, execution) or another subject. e.g. "Is there a psychology reason clickbait works on our brains?"
5
My life & community
Bring it home: your feed, your friends, your Edmonton. e.g. "How do Edmonton news outlets decide which local stories make the front page?"
★ Star the one question you'd most like answered. You'll need it on the next page.
The Language of Media11/12
Media Path · Lens 6: Language & StorytellingSide Quest · Optional
My quest question:
1What I'll find out
Break your big question into 2 or 3 smaller ones you could actually answer.
2Where I'll look
A library (Edmonton Public Library counts!)Someone who does it for a jobAn experiment I run myselfTrustworthy websites (who wrote it? when?)A book or documentary
3How I'll share it
A one-page zineA 15-second explainerA poster or infographicA 2-minute talkSomething else
Who I'll share it with:
Done by:
Next on the Media Path
Lens 7 · Art & Design asks: why can you tell a horror poster from a comedy poster before you read a single word?
The Language of Media12/12