Need for Narrative

What is a useful story from the perspective of readers? Through semi-structured interviews with 55 Eurostar passengers from 14 countries, this film documents how people define stories, why they need narratives, and how they experience the effects of need for narrative. The adjoining commentary contributes to the development of videography as an attractive method stemming from both its intrinsic qualities and its special fit with a (consumer) society that visual communication increasingly permeates. The suggested approach maintains the vivid quality of videography, while granting closer adherence to academic standards in terms of methodological rigor and ethics. As such, the commentary does not undermine the film; rather, both jointly strengthen videographers’ and (re)viewers’ informed use and careful evaluation of the videographic method.