The Call of Story is an ambitious television special presenting a collaboration between nationally known oral storytellers and cutting edge filmmakers. Storytelling is said to take place in the minds of the listeners. How then can this be translated into a visually-based medium? And further, in what ways do storytellers visualize the tales they weave?

Much research went into addressing these concerns and spurred a collaborative approach between the oral and the visual. The result is a careful balance between the oral presentation, depth-filled visuals, and a subtle yet moving original soundtrack. The program is truly a unique television experience.

Stories and storytelling lie at the heart of human experience. Since the beginnings of humankind, we have shared through stories the events, beliefs, and values that make us who we are and form our families, communities, and cultures. Some of these stories have been collected in myth and canonized in scripture. Others have become literary classics. Still, others have become tall-tales and humorous yarns. Looking inward, story patterns and characters intertwine with the hard-to perceive forces that shape our lives. Looking outward, story-threads join us to a larger cultural fabric. The most important stories may be those we share with family and friends, but all help preserve memory, explain our present, and imagine our future. Sewn across time, story-threads bind individuals to families and families to society, defining our collective values, beliefs, goals and traditions.

The Call of Story is a one-hour television special exploring how traditional storytelling may be transposed into a new medium. It is a production of KBYU Television in Provo, Utah, in association with Osric Productions.