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Now you have researched and gathered your material comes the really creative part of your project: bringing it all together. There are a range of different skillsets relevant to whichever format you are choosing to share your hidden history, and on this page, we link to some useful tools and tips for putting your story together.
Key questions your Hidden History response should address:
- What was the conflict?
- How were the people in your story affected?
- How did others view them?
- How is this relevant today?
- Are there similar situations in Wales or the wider world, or things we could learn from the past?
You may find that you need to circle back and record some more material; not every project is linear!
Top Tips for all projects:
- Keep it Short! More people will read/listen to/watch it. Before you start, how would you summarise the point of your story as a) a tweet (140 characters); b) a sentence; c) a paragraph (3-4 sentences)? You may find that you need to streamline your research and leave some of it out for now. This can always be used for future projects!
- From the research you did, list the key historical points that will form the backdrop to your story – key dates / national events, political climate, public attitudes.
- From the materials you have gathered, list the 10-15 best / most interesting recordings or findings to build your story around – and identify gaps you might need to fill with additional material.
- Create a storyboard, with a clear beginning, middle and end. No matter what media you’re writing, this can be invaluable for helping organise your train of thought! You can use our template to help you, if you want.
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Think about the editing skillsets most useful to your chosen format, and what you are going to produce individually or as a group. Remember that we have a page of examples that you can refer to.
Writing
Blog PieceMany Hidden History projects are easiest to write up first as a blog article, of 500-1000 words. These are published on online forums with specific / subscribed audiences, and shared through social media. | Citizen JournalismA news article, feature article or opinion piece usually goes into more depth on a subject, drawing on and linking to multiple stories, perspectives and sources – often intending to inform or shape opinions for a wider audience. |
Study
Research Essay or AssignmentResearch and study projects have specific objectives. If you’re producing this for school, you should clarify the criteria with your teacher or tutor – from GCSE essays, Welsh Bacc assignments to literature reviews and dissertations, each have their own conventions. How to write the perfect essay Higher Education Essay writing skills Dissertations and Research Projects | Reference ArticleWriting an article for reference, such as a Literature Review or Wikipedia article, requires highly objective writing, clear references / citation, and should demonstrate public interest. Writing / Editing a Wikipedia Article Writing a Literature Review |
Digital Storytelling
Storyboard for Digital MediaIf you are producing a digital story or short film using photographs, video or audio content, you will need to plot your material onto a ‘story board’. | Audio or Performance ScriptWriting an Audio Script either for editing an Oral History recording, putting together a podcast / community radio feature, or for a play / performance, requires a similar ‘story board’ approach – but with sound instead of images! |
Digital StorytellingUsually a short audio interview set to pictures and words, traditional ‘digital storytelling’ is usually participatory – ie the subject of the story is involved in creating it. You would interview them, work with them to find images to illustrate their story, and then put the piece together with their involvement so they feel ‘ownership’ of the finished result. Intro to Digital Storytelling – Video 5 Tips Breaking Barriers | Vlogs and Short Film FeaturesThere are many other approaches to creating and sharing video stories digitally. For big projects, you can request a digital media workshop/training session through WCIA. Software to edit your video can be found on the next page. |
Animation / CartoonsYes, you can actually create your own cartoon animation for free! This can be quite a good way of sharing things like survey results or debate topics. | Interview Journalism for Audio / Video BroadcastInterview like a news reporter! Great for gathering opinions on current Peace issues. |
Infographics | TimelinesDo you have lots of dates around which to build a story – why not package them as an interactive timeline. View timeline of Urdd Peace Messages 1922-now |
Art
Creative Writing, Music and PoetryThere are many approaches to creative writing, especially with Wales’ long traditions of poetry and music! These resources offer some ‘starting tips’ for how you might translate your hidden history into words that inspire and move people’s hearts. Creative Writing Tips Poetry Tips Poetry for Peace Ty Newydd / Literature Wales Poetry Wales | Interpretation for DisplayIf you are producing a photographic or art display, sculpture or portfolio, you will need to find an appropriate method for planning your work and then interpreting it to others. |
Presentations/Slideshows
Classic Slideshow / PresentationMost computers come with pre-installed presentation software, or if not you can download open-source versions. Usually best for giving a talk to an audience, though can be set up for web presentations. Top tip: use some strong images, avoid too much text! Keynote (Apple) Strut (Open Source) TED Slideshow Tips Using Presentations for Digital Stories | Prezi (Animated Presentation)Prezi is a tool that enables you to create a more interactive ‘presentation’ by dragging and dropping images / documents etc into a wide range of funky design templates. You can ‘zoom’ in and out and move around pages, and you can record a commentary over the top to export as a ‘Movie Clip’. View a Wales for Peace Prezi Prezi download |