I perused through the Storytelling inspiration list, reading and skimming articles that were not sticking. Not that these were not compelling, well-composed pieces, but after a long day my attention span was non-existent. I needed to be hooked before the page even loaded. 

By the title “Last Minutes with ODEN” I knew the story was going to center around someone’s nearing death. So, sitting in the middle of College Library, I bravely began a video I already knew was going to make me cry. 

The first minute was full of intentional ambiguity over this Oden figure. The narrator was a tattooed, cigarette smoking man named Jason Wood. The video opens with B-roll footage of Jason walking on his roof, smoking and riding his bike. Jason briefly mentions the struggles he and his friends have faced and how “he” was there through it all. At this point, just before a full minute, the suspense had built enough over this figure’s identity.  

The video is about six minutes long, and it is about one minute before we see a shot of Oden. This made the story impactful because Jason does not see Oden like how a lot of people see their pets. He sees Oden as a friend who helped turn his life around.  I think that establishing a special relationship before learning Oden is a dog was a great technique. 

The viewer sees Oden is his vulnerable state from the beginning. A close-up centers on Oden’s big red eyes. When he stands up, the camera stays low to show Oden walking away on three legs. Seeing a dog walk with three legs evokes a stronger reaction than seeing a picture of a three-legged-dog. Watching him limp shows the viewer he is in pain. 

These moments reminded me why video is so much more effective for conveying strong emotions like pain and grief. Having visual and auditory elements made this story stick with me. If a great writer did a print article on this story, I am sure it could be engaging, but I do not think it would have made me cry, think about my dog and then send the video to my roommates so I did not have to commiserate alone. 

The audio that stuck with me are things that would not work as quotes. When Jason told Oden to “go sleepies” while he was being put-down, his voice was quivering and breaking while Oden’s body slumped. The most vulnerable, painful and special moments of life can hardly be captured by any other medium. 

I was not expecting to see footage in the clinic. It caught me off-guard that the putting-down process was being recorded. At first, I would have said this is something I would not have done for the sake of privacy and that it was not integral to the story overall.  

However, upon reflection, this part of the video is what has stuck the most with me over a few days. Death happens and many people experience the death of a loved one. So, I think it is okay to share these moments because we all go through them. 

Death and aging are the most universal phenomena. Though, it is hardly covered as anything but a tragedy. Yes, some deaths have tragic circumstances, but why should all deaths be treated as a tragedy? Since we are all going to die, perhaps the media should cover it through different lenses as this video did. It was hard for Jason to let go of Oden, but “he did his job.”