Starting Narratives

Category: Media

  • When One Song Changes Everything – A Lesson in Editing

    When One Song Changes Everything – A Lesson in Editing

    A few weeks ago, while editing one of the acts from my documentary, I learned just how much film editing can change the meaning of a story. The act I was working on focused on the rise of junk food in America and how this trend has quietly shaped our health as a nation. The tone was supposed to be serious, urgent, even.

    But as I played the sequence back, something felt… off.

    Instead of feeling concerned, I caught myself smiling. The act suddenly felt upbeat and almost cheerful, which made no sense for what I was trying to say. After watching it a few more times, I realized what had happened: I had accidentally layered in a fun, energetic song, something that sounded more like the soundtrack to a summer commercial than a segment about a public health crisis.

    It’s funny now, but that mistake completely changed how the story felt. The urgency was gone, the tension was gone, and the message was completely lost. All from one editing choice.

    That moment made me realize how powerful editing really is. Editing doesn’t just polish a story; it defines it.

  • The Story That Told Itself – What My Documentary Taught Me About Listening

    The Story That Told Itself – What My Documentary Taught Me About Listening

    As filming continued, the project began to evolve beyond me. It started as an idea on paper, but each person I met, each story I recorded, added something new, something alive. The documentary began shaping itself. It wasn’t just a film anymore; it was a growing, breathing reflection of everyone involved.

    Some days, I felt like I wasn’t directing the story so much as following it, learning from it as it changed and expanded. Looking back, that’s the beauty of storytelling: it never stays still. Every story leads to another, every voice opens a new door.

    And when you’re willing to listen, really listen, you realize that the process is just as important as the product. My documentary might have started as a project for school, but it’s become something much larger: a reminder that when we give stories the space to grow, they can change not only the people who watch them, but also the people who create them.

  • The Spaces Between Words – What Silence Can Say

    The Spaces Between Words – What Silence Can Say

    Silence has always fascinated me.

    When I first started interviewing people for my documentary, I used to think the most powerful moments came from what people said. But over time, I realized that the most revealing parts often came from what they didn’t, the pauses, the hesitation, and the deep breath before someone chose whether or not to share something painful.

    I’ve come to believe that silence itself can be a form of communication. Sometimes what’s unsaid carries more weight than the words that fill the air.

    In anthropology, and even in everyday life, silence can mean respect, grief, defiance, or protection. It’s a universal language that requires us to listen differently, to pay attention not just to the noise but to the spaces between it.

    That lesson reshaped how I approached storytelling. Silence wasn’t an empty gap to fill; it was part of the story itself.

  • More Than a Meal – The Dinner Table as Cultural Storyteller

    More Than a Meal – The Dinner Table as Cultural Storyteller

    Anthropologists talk about “cultural transmission,” the way beliefs, language, and customs are shared from one generation to the next, and in so many families, it happens right at the dinner table.

    When I think back to those family meals, I realize that’s where I learned some of my biggest lessons. It’s where I picked up the rhythm of my parents’ stories about growing up, where I learned my grandparents’ recipes, and where I started understanding what respect, patience, and gratitude really looked like. In between bites of food, culture was being passed along through stories, jokes, and even the occasional argument about who was doing the dishes.

    In many cultures, the dinner table is sacred. In Chinese culture, for example, meals are moments of unity, where food is served family-style to remind everyone that life is meant to be shared. In Mediterranean households, dinners can last for hours, filled with conversation and connection. Even in American life, where everything moves fast, the idea of “family dinner” has become a symbol of stability in a world that rarely slows down.

    As I got older, I started to realize that losing those dinners wasn’t just about missing time together; it was about losing the daily space where we communicated who we were. I missed the small things: the way my dad told stories about his childhood, the way my mom always asked the right questions, and the way my brother cracked jokes that made everyone laugh mid-bite.

    That’s why the dinner table matters so much. It’s not about being perfect or having long conversations every night; it’s about showing up. It’s about pausing the noise of the world long enough to listen, to talk, and to share a meal that’s more than just food.

    Because when families eat together, they remember who they are. And even as life gets busier and tables get emptier, we still carry those moments with us, the taste of home, the sound of laughter, and the feeling of belonging that only a dinner table can bring.

  • Breaking the Silence – Amplifying the Stories We Don’t Hear

    Breaking the Silence – Amplifying the Stories We Don’t Hear

    Another reason for silence is accessibility. Many stories go unheard because the people living them don’t have the means or language to reach major media outlets. Immigrant communities, low-income families, and non-English speakers are often underrepresented in national coverage. Their struggles and successes may be happening every day, but without translators, local reporters, or the right connections, their voices rarely break through.

    Social media has helped fill part of this gap by giving individuals a platform to share their own experiences. Still, not every story goes viral, and algorithms often favor outrage or entertainment over depth and nuance. The quiet, everyday realities, the ones that truly define how people live, don’t always fit into a viral trend.

    Media silence matters because it shapes public perception. When certain stories are missing, it creates an incomplete version of reality, one where some people are visible and others are invisible.

    That’s why diversifying voices in media is so important. Journalists, creators, and everyday people all play a role in bringing light to what’s ignored. Breaking the silence doesn’t always mean shouting louder; it can mean listening closer, asking different questions, and choosing to report on what others overlook.

    Because sometimes, the most powerful stories are the ones that have yet to be told.

  • The Period That Started It All – When Digital Messages Go Wrong

    The Period That Started It All – When Digital Messages Go Wrong

    Have you ever seen an image, a post, or even a text message that you completely misunderstood, only to realize later that it meant something entirely different? Maybe you thought a meme was serious when it was satire, or you shared something online thinking it meant one thing, only to find out it was interpreted in a totally different way. In the world of digital media, that kind of miscommunication happens all the time.

    The truth is, communication breakdowns are more common now than ever. We live in a time when most of our conversations happen through screens, through texts, comments, and captions rather than face-to-face dialogue. Without tone, facial expression, or body language, messages lose layers of meaning. A simple sentence that might sound friendly in person can feel flat or even cold when typed out. It’s not that people are less empathetic, it’s just that digital communication removes the human cues we’ve always relied on to understand one another.

    I remember one time when I accidentally sent a short text to my best friend that ended with a period instead of an exclamation mark. I was in a rush, so I just typed, “Thanks.” and hit send without thinking twice. The next day, she came up to me and asked quietly if I was mad at her. I was completely thrown off. She explained that my message felt distant, even cold, because of that one tiny punctuation mark.

    It sounds funny in hindsight, but it really made me think. Communication is so much more fragile than we realize. A misplaced word, emoji, or punctuation mark can completely alter meaning, and not just in personal conversations, but across media as well.

  • Lost in Translation – Why Digital Stories Need Context

    Lost in Translation – Why Digital Stories Need Context

    Online, tone doesn’t always translate, and emotion often gets replaced by assumption. The same thing happens in journalism and social media. One image, one caption, or one headline can completely shift how a story is interpreted.

    I’ve seen it in broadcasting and media work too, how the framing of a story or even the music behind it can change the entire emotional reaction of an audience. The meaning behind a message isn’t just in what’s said; it’s in how it’s said, and how it’s received.

    That’s why I’ve learned that being intentional with communication, especially in digital spaces, is more important than ever. Every message, visual, or story needs context. Every creator or storyteller has to think about the audience on the other end of the screen and how their words might be understood differently than they intended.

    We’re living in an age of instant communication, but that speed often comes at the cost of clarity. So whether it’s a text to a friend, a social media post, or a story shared online, it’s worth taking an extra moment to ask: “Will this land the way I mean it to?”

    Because sometimes, one small misunderstanding can change everything.

  • Threads of Identity – How Clothing Speaks Without Words

    Threads of Identity – How Clothing Speaks Without Words

    Around the world, what we wear has always been a form of language. Anthropologists often describe clothing as a cultural code, a system of symbols that tells others who we are, what we value, and where we belong.

    Think of the white robes of Middle Eastern deserts, designed for heat and modesty; the colorful saris of India, each hue carrying social or regional meaning; or the Scottish kilt, which once identified entire clans through patterns called tartans. Every piece of clothing holds history, geography, and identity woven into its threads.

    Even modern fashion reflects culture more than we realize. Streetwear, for example, began as a form of rebellion and self-expression in marginalized communities before becoming a global phenomenon. Business suits, once symbols of Western professionalism, are now reinterpreted across continents with new colors, fabrics, and cuts that reflect local individuality.

    Clothing also tells silent stories about belonging and exclusion. Uniforms unite people under a shared identity, such as students, athletes, and doctors, while traditional garments preserve the roots of heritage and resistance. In many Indigenous communities, reviving cultural dress is an act of reclaiming history that colonization tried to erase.

    What’s fascinating is that clothing constantly evolves with society. Just as languages adapt to new times, so do our wardrobes. Trends rise and fall, but the idea remains the same: what we wear speaks before we do. It can express pride, status, rebellion, or memory, all without a single word.

    When I think back to that school day, I realize my red jacket was more than just clothing; it was a message. It said, “This is where I come from, and this is who I am becoming.” Whether we’re dressing for tradition, comfort, or creativity, every outfit we put on tells part of our story.

    So next time you get dressed, take a moment to think about what your clothes might be saying, because whether you mean to or not, you’re already speaking.

  • Semiotic Evolution – How Emojis Reflect Culture and Context

    Semiotic Evolution – How Emojis Reflect Culture and Context

    When you think about it, emojis are the newest form of digital anthropology, a study of how humans express themselves in the digital age. Just like cave paintings or hieroglyphs, emojis are symbols that tell stories about who we are and how we connect. They’ve evolved into a shared language that crosses borders, platforms, and even generations. You don’t have to speak English, Spanish, or Mandarin to understand what ❤️, 😂, or 😢 means.

    But what’s fascinating is how emojis shift meaning depending on culture and context. The 🙏 emoji, for example, is often seen as “thank you” or “please” in Western contexts, but in Japan it can mean a high-five. The 🍑 emoji, once innocent, now carries an entirely different connotation thanks to social media. Emojis evolve just like slang, they’re living symbols that adapt to the times.

    Anthropologists might call this semiotic evolution: the way symbols develop layers of meaning based on how people use them. But for most of us, it’s instinct. We read a message full of emojis and instantly understand the emotion behind it, even when no words are written at all.

  • From Cave Walls to Keyboards – The Anthropology of Emojis

    From Cave Walls to Keyboards – The Anthropology of Emojis

    Watching The Emoji Movie made me realize that communication has never been static, it’s always been evolving. From ancient cave drawings to handwritten letters to GIFs and emojis, people have always found new ways to express themselves.

    The difference now is that our new language fits inside a tiny keyboard at the bottom of our screens. And maybe emojis aren’t just for fun; they’re part of a bigger story about human creativity. They show how we’ve adapted to make digital spaces more human, more emotional, and more universal.

    Next time you send a text, think about how much those tiny symbols actually say. Because somewhere between the 😂 and the ❤️, you’re not just sending a message, you’re speaking the newest language of the human story.