As a videographer, I am always trying to effectively tell a story. I have discovered that one of the most effective storytelling tools in video production is the time lapse.
With a time lapse you can compress a long and static event into a short engaging clip. An effective use of a time lapse is a party like the clip below where people mingle around but don't do anything too interesting to capture as video clip. As a single video shot this would be as interesting as watching grass grow. However, when compressed into about 3-5 seconds the clip is engaging, and it tells a story without boring the viewer.