From WOW to WHY: Guidelines for Creating the Opening of a Data Video with Cinematic Styles

Abstract

Data videos are an increasingly popular storytelling form. The opening of a data video critically influences its success as the opening either attracts the audience to continue watching or bores them to abandon watching. However, little is known about how to create an attractive opening. We draw inspiration from the openings of famous films to facilitate designing data video openings. First, by analyzing over 200 films from several sources, we derived six primary cinematic opening styles adaptable to data videos. Then, we consulted eight experts from the film industry to formulate 28 guidelines. To validate the usability and effectiveness of the guidelines, we asked participants to create data video openings with and without the guidelines, which were then evaluated by experts and the general public. Results showed that the openings designed with the guidelines were perceived to be more attractive, and the guidelines were praised for clarity and inspiration.