Think about your favorite micro-documentaries. Which are the most memorable? Which are you most likely to share?
There’s one thing I can bet on: The micro-documentaries that come to mind are not two minutes jam-packed with details and features of an organization’s program.
It’s a typical tendency to want to maximize the time of your micro-documentary, but don’t make that mistake. In wanting to pack in the information, we lose breathing space, the time for moments to sink in and for the audience to absorb the experience. And as you suck this air out of the piece, it dehumanizes it, making it easily forgettable.
It’s painful to drop such rich material on the cutting floor, but such is the critical role of the curator. Maya Angelou said it best: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
If you move your audience and leave them with a feeling, they will be more likely to engage further with you by joining you in your envisioned future or inviting their friends to do so.