It's time for a Pop Quiz. Please answer these 4 questions...

1. Who are the 3 people who blow you away with their creative style?

2. In what way do these people inspire you to dig deeper creatively?

3. What other Influencers do you subscribe to & follow on social media?

4. How do their blogs, podcasts, and resources impact you?

Guess What?

All the influencers on your list have one thing in common. They all create using the same 3 brushes. What 3 brushes am I talking about? Pictures, words & music.

Each brush does something different.

Pictures serve the words. Words tell the story. Music sets the scene. Pictures are the Show and words are the Tell...in Show and Tell. Great storytellers use PWM's to engage their audience. Connect on an emotional level. Inspire, entertain, teach or motivate. And get their message heard.

Understanding how to use PWM's is another great way to elevate your work. But it requires a Story-First Approach. Instead of creating content using a traditional PWM formula, my Story-First Approach looks like this...

Words, Music, Pictures

By Choosing words First, I can build the story with a beginning, middle & end. By adding music Second, I can set scenes, create moods & support the words. By Selecting pictures Third, I can Illustrate the story & easily insert shots in post. Each brush plays an equal role, but building the story first lays the foundation.

As I was starting out in television,

I had to find a way to make library music sound custom. So, I began conforming the words (VO's + Interviews) to the tracks, and used music to fill gaps and provide punctuation. Once I laid a word + music foundation, I realized I could easily insert & arrange my pictures on top.

My process may be backwards from what you've been taught. But stay with me, because in my book, You Gotta See This! Hidden Secrets To Making Unscripted Videos People Will Talk About, shows you how to edit from the bottom up...

Rather than top down.