Storytelling Part 2: How-To
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Transcript of Storytelling Part 2: How-To
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How-to Craft a Great StoryIts not too late to become a better
storyteller
Part II
[email protected]://www.linkedin.com/pub/michael-kurz/9/b59/2a0
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Once upon a time
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There was a young and beautiful girl named Scheherazade
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Every day she was watching her father, a vizier of Sultan Shahryar of Persia, who's duty was to provide
the Sultan with a virgin to marry him and just being executed the very
next morning.
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One day her father couldn't find another virgin anymore.
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Because of that, Scheherazade offers herself as the next bride and
her father reluctantly agrees.
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That night Scheherazade begins to tell the Sultan a story, but doesn't end it. The Sultan, curious about
how the story ends, postpones the execution in order to hear the
conclusion. Every night, as soon as she finishes one story, she
immediately starts a new one.
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Until finally, after One Thousand and One Nights, the Sultans dies and Scheherazade is free again.
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Ever since the Power of Storytelling is universally known
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In this presentation you will learn how to craft better stories and
communicate ideas to an audience in the most effective way.
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Storytelling is not a discipline, its rather a technique and art form to draw people into something and
convey a message.
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If you tell a story well, people will
come. Damian Lewis
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Whoever tells the best story shapes the culture.
Erwin McManus
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A definition of story Story begins when an event, either by human
decision or accident in the universe, radically upsets the balance of forces in the protagonist's life,
arousing in that character the need to restore the balance of life. To do so, that character will conceive of what is known as an "Object of Desire," that which
they feel they need to put life back into balance. They will then go off into their world, into themselves, in the
various dimensions of their existence, seeking that Object of Desire, trying to restore the balance of life, and they will struggle against forces of antagonism
that will come from their own inner natures as human beings, their relationships with other human beings,
their personal and/or social life, and the physical environment itself. They may or may not achieve that Object of Desire; they may or may not finally be able to restore their life to a satisfying balance. That, in the simplest possible way, defines the elements of story - an event that throws life out of balance, the need and
desire to restore the balance, and the Object of Desire the character conceives of consciously or unconsciously that they can pursue against the
forces of antagonism from all of the levels of their life that they may or may not achieve.
- Robert McKee
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The task of story design is simple.
Hook, hold and payoff the audience's interest.
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The Hook Does my story immediately hook or engage the
audience and builds curiosity?
Hold Does the protagonist's constant pursuit of his or her
desire hold the audience interest?
Pay-Off Does the story climax close all of the audience open emotions and answer all of the audience questions of
cause and effect, of why and how?
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There are various forms of story told in different types of media
*Each medium offers own characteristics and possibilities (e.g. presentation, actions, interactivity) and faces consumer behaviors (e.g. attention spam, lean in vs lean back mode)
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Since Aristotle novels, screenplays, games, even ballets have a simple overarching 3-act structure in
common
Act 3Act 2Act 1 II EndMiddleI IBeginning
*This 3-act structure can be found not just in whole screenplays, but in acts, sequences and scenes
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A story should have a beginning, a middle and an end,
but not necessarily in that order.
- Jean Luc Godard
Which doesnt mean you cannot be creative anymore.
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A story is a journey. A change from an old status quo to
a new one through action and conflict
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Act 3Act 2Act 1 II EndMiddleI IBeginning
Risin
g Ac
tion
Exposition
Climax
Faling Action
ResolutionBeginning of the story where characters and setting are introduced
Where the main character faces a series
of conflicts
Events leading to the end of the story
End of the story
The most exciting part of the story; Where the central question posed by
the story is answered
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Story design is built from an inciting incident, when things went out of balance, to the climax when
balance is restored.
Risin
g Ac
tion
Exposition
Climax
Faling Action
Resolution
Inciting Incident or Plot point (= an event or moment that begins a storys problem)
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Nice, but whats in it for you?
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Story design is teaching us the most effective way to involve an
audience.
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Through stories we are able to communicate in a way that
resonates, creates excitement and conveys an idea in a way that
people can remember and pass on.
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In Short:
Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world today.
Robert McKee
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Nancy Duarte shows us the way how to incorporate stories into presentations
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Here you can see the basic story structure of presentations made by the greatest
communicators of all time.
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The structure takes the audience on a journey that evolves around the story design of our
3-act structure:
The Status Quo = ExpositionObstacles = Rising & Falling Action
What could be = Resolution
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What is (Old world/Status Quo)
What could be (Future)
Gap
What is (Obsticles)
What could be What could be New World description (Resolution)
What is (Obsticles)
What is (Obsticles)
Inciting Incident or Plot point (= an event or moment that begins a storys problem)
Like in every good story overcoming obstacles leads to a transformation which
paints a picture of the new bliss.
Source: https://www.ted.com/speakers/nancy_duarte
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The most popular story structure is Joseph Campbells monomyth" also know as
The Heros Journey
Road Back
Resurrection
Return with the Elixir
Ordinary World
Call to Adventure
Refusal of the Call
Meeting the Mentor
Crossing the Threshold
Test, Allies & Enemies
Approach the Inmost
Cave
Ordeal
Reward
Ordinary World
Special World
1
2
12
11
10
6
5
9
8
7
3
4
Source: Campbell J. The Hero With a Thousand Faces
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Source: http://thewritingcafe.tumblr.com
Road Back
Resurrection
Return with the Elixir
Ordinary World
Call to Adventure
Refusal of the Call
Meeting the Mentor
Crossing the Threshold
Test, Allies & Enemies
Approach the Inmost
Cave
Ordeal
Reward
1
2
12
11
10
6
5
9
8
7
3
4
Limited awareness of
a problem
Increased awareness
Reluctance to change
Overcoming reluctance
Committing to change
Experimenting with first change
Experimenting with first change
Final mastery of the problem
Final attempt at a big change
Rededication to change
Consequences of the attempt
Attempting a big change
Luke dreams of joining the academy but feels he is going nowhere on his uncles farm
R2D2 plays a portion of Princess Leias call for help.
Luke refuses to follow Obi-Wan
R2D2 plays the entire message, revealing that Luke holds the plans of Death Star. Obi Wan gives Luke his fathers lightsaber
and tells him of his heritage
Lukes aunt and uncle are killed, so he is free
They hire Han Solo and Chewbacca to join their allies and escape the Stormtroopers
Ob Wan teaches Luke how to use the Force. The ship is captured by the Death Star the find
themselves inside the enemys stronghold
Dressed as Stormtroopers they discover the princess, and attempt to rescue her
The power of the Evil Empire is destroyed
In the final battle, Luke hears Obi-Wans voice and uses the Force to make an impossible
shot that destroys the Death Star.
Obi-Wan sacrifices himself to help the team to escape. The
Death Star follows them to destroy the Rebels base
In the trash compactor, Luke is
pulled underwater by a creature but is rescued by his
friends
Source: http://justinswapp.com
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To unfold a story using Campbells structure is not just possible for epic stories like Star Wars or The Lord of the Rings, but can also be used for short stories/ads with limited time.
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Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0N8axp9nHNU
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Nevertheless there are Commonalities and Distinctions
between unfolding a story for a novel/featured film
or a short film/ad.
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Time is what differentiates a short film/ad from a novel/featured film
most.
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Condense
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Put your emphasis on a key moment rather than try to tell a whole life
story from birth to death
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Show dont Tell
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Life is one fucking beauty contest after another
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Actions speak louder than words
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Having less time to establish a character means characters have to
be defined by the actions we see
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What is true for all stories
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True for all stories are the basic elements that shape action
The Story Whats the essence of the story
The Protagonist Who the story is about
The Setting Where and when the story
takes place
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Create Universal Appeal
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Hollywood is well known for stories with an universal appeal even
though there is a tendency toward spectacle over substance
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Drama is Conflict
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A protagonist needs an antagonist, which in a business context can be a competitor or a game changing
technology.
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Overcome obstacles
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Your protagonist must have a goal and something or someone standing in the
way of that goal.
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Characters have to change & evolve
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A transformation can be both inside and outside
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Make it personal
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Barack Obamas political career was launched by
building empathy with the book
Dreams from My Father
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Be Original
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The future isnt a place that we gonna go, its a place that you get to
create
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Make them laugh
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Your audience loves to get physical
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Even the best storytellers start with a blank paper.
If you catch yourself staring at it for too long, the Story Spine is a narrative tool to make up stories and has
already been used by Pixars greatest minds.
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The Story Spine - A creative exercise to develop high-level structural ideas
Once upon a time there was ___(introduces the protagonist). Every day,___(sets the scene before the trigger or catalyst). One day ___(introduces what happened the trigger or catalyst that sets the story in motion). Because of that, ___(explains the response to what happened). Because of that, ___(repeat as needed to trace what happened). Until finally ___(.until the story reaches a climax or turning point). Ever since then___(resolves the story and describes what things are like now)
Source: http://www.aerogrammestudio.com/2013/03/22/the-story-spine-pixars-4th-rule-of-storytelling/
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Ready? Let it out, because
There is no agony like bearing an untold story inside of you.
Maya Angelou
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Thats all Folks [email protected]
https://www.linkedin.com/pub/michael-kurz/9/b59/2a0