The Story of Stuff represents one of the best examples of storytelling about sustainability for 2008. If there was a green carpet for the online eco movie business, Annie Leonard would certainly be walking down it. Her 20-minute video takes us through the conspicuous consumption of America and what it’s costing our planet. Why does her production work so well?
- The Story of Stuff is user-friendly: This is an entertaining jaunt through the five stages of product consumption, including extraction, production, distribution, consumption and disposal with tangible examples in every chapter.
- It’s believable: Annie talks about the process in a very friendly, matter-of-fact way that is impactful, because instead of ranting, she’s educating.
- It is efficient in its storytelling: The simple animations are fun and clever as they accentuate her points without being overproduced. The creative style further supports the central message of the video: “Conscious consumption.”
- It’s universal: The video doesn’t solely rely on its narration to deliver the story. The visuals tell a powerful story in their own right, which makes the piece more accessible to non-English speaking audiences. Demonstrating its global appeal, The Story of Stuff has been translated in 11 languages, which can be downloaded from Annie’s new international website.
- Evangelist distribution: Annie has made it easy for anyone to promote and distribute her movie with free banner ads, posters, movie trailers, and the movie itself. She even educates you on how to host a screening.
- The Story of Stuff Blog: And of course, Annie has a blog to keep all of her followers up to speed on new stuff about stuff.
It’s a brilliant production backed by a brilliant use of rich, online media to activate the word-of-mouth buzz of person-to-person interaction. That’s how you get nearly 5 million hits to your green video on sustainability. See for yourself.
