Category Archives: Story Practitioners

Q&A with a Story Guru: Cathie Dodd

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An interesting kind of storyteller I’ve come across is the small-business person who creates video montages to help folks and families celebrate weddings, births, graduations, and the lives of loved ones. Cathie Dodd, whose partners include her sister Juli and a family friend, Julie Wilkerson, operates Tears of Joy Video.
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Bio: You can find some biographical material about how Cathie and partners started their business here.

Q&A with Cathie Dodd:

Q: How did you initially become involved with story/storytelling/narrative? What attracted you to this field? What do you love about it?

A: My sister and I (who do this business together) have always loved storytelling, since we were little. Our mother didn’t read us stories; she told us stories from her own experiences, and her family. Family photos were also important to the family, and she was scrapbooking before it became known as that. All her albums told stories. As my sister and I got older, we both became interested in photography and film. Pictures had to tell a story, and even in our spare time we found making movies with our friends seemed a great way to spend a weekend. Then we started doing weddings, my sister doing pictures and I doing the videos. For a while I also did photography. But it wasn’t till after my mom died and my dad asked us to do his biography that we really saw the power of storytelling with pictures and film. We made our own memories come alive, and the part of my mom came alive with them. We realized that with this film we had saved a part of our family history forever. From that film came many requests from friends to create one for them. We get the same type of pleasure creating the stories for our clients as we did when creating it for ourselves. Every one of our clients say the first time they watch a video we created, that they are hit with a wave of emotion. Thus came our business name, Tears of Joy Video. I have heard from our clients that these stories become like a glue to pull their families together. It constantly reinforces in me the power stories have in our lives.

Q: The Tears of Joy Video Web site notes that “Creating a video montage project can be quite overwhelming.” What you find are some of the most overwhelming and difficult parts, and how do you overcome them in working with your customers?

A: When we create their personal stories on video, they are overwhelmed about which pictures to use and how to organize them. We talk to them about what they want to convey, what type of things to include and how to break the pictures up in categories. Then if they can’t come up with it, we suggest titles for each section and songs they might use for the pictures they provide. We also give suggestions on interviews they might want to include on video, or film clips they could use. We help them shape the project into as story by asking questions and trying to find the type of story they picture in their minds. Most of our clients say the videos are much better than they could ever have imagined.

Q: Do you have a favorite video that your company has produced? What makes it your favorite?

A: Each time I do a new project, it always becomes my new favorite. But I do have a couple of them that are special to me. I created a birth story for a friend, and she allowed me to use it online for our marketing and for a midwives site that was recommending our services. You can watch it here. The video really tells a story, but I think it is also interesting because it was the first water birth I ever saw.

My second favorite is one we created for fun with my nieces. My 10-year-old niece wrote the story and directed it, and my other nieces acted in it. I loved this, one, because it is so cute, and two, because it helps us train my nieces in the importance of storytelling-as well as how to use video to get those stories told. Take a look at their video:

Q: The storytelling movement seems to be growing explosively. Why now? What is it about this moment in human history and culture that makes storytelling so resonant with so many people right now?

A: I think stories have always been there; it’s just now people feel more disconnected than any time in history. With divorces, many are searching for family roots. Also I have heard it said that people are more in a cocoon state. With crime and terrorism many people feel safer to stay home. But they reach out to strangers through email and social networks. A good way to connect with people on social networks is with stories

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Read the rest of this Q&A in the Extended Entry. Continue reading →