Currently, I’m working on a music video with a client, so instead of focusing on why story is valuable, let’s talk about crafting a compelling story. One that aims to immerse the viewer in the story through engagement, relatability and believability. Without these things, we risk not delivering the message we wish to deliver.
Achieving relatability and believability will result in loyalty yet that’s not our focus. If it is, we may lose sight of the bigger picture.
Focus on your purpose and let it tell you stories. Let it reveal itself to you. It will change lives, including your own.
Lose Your Viewer in the Story
Our objective with storytelling is to immerse the viewer so deeply in the narrative that they forget they’re watching a screen. Otherwise, your message won’t effectively reach your viewer.
How can we go about achieving this?
As a viewer, we want to be swept away by the story but trust is required to make us feel comfortable enough to to give ourselves to the story.
Without their knowing why, a poorly edited film will cause the audience to hold back, unconsciously saying to themselves, “There’s something scattered and nervous about the way the film is thinking, the way it presents itself. I don’t want to think that way; therefore, I’m not going to give as much of myself to the film as I might.” Whereas a good film that is well-edited seems like an exciting extension and elaboration of the audience’s own feelings and thoughts, [Location 877] In the Blink of an Eye by Walter Murch
Believability
Remove the Destination
The first thing you need to do is remove your fixed story destination. That your story must reach a specific conclusion or climax.
Why? Because when you do that, you say, ‘Okay, I’m here and I need to get here.’
And, how do you get there? You restrict yourself to an outcome that creates cliché to get there.
Although there may be a more authentic options to choose from to include in your story, you discard it because it doesn’t align with your predetermined outcome of your story. Instead you choose a more cookie cutter (aka cliché) option.
So how can we avoid falling into this trap?
Our aim is to let the story tell itself. Allow it to reveal itself and teach us along the way.
Frank, what kind of drugs are you on?
Let me show you.
Story World
Instead of having a predetermined destination for your story, immerse yourself in what Robert McKee, in his book called Story, calls Story World.
Deeply understand the characters. Know them intimately; from their breakfast choices to their darkest secrets. Become the god of your Story World.
Robert McKee makes it pretty straight forward. To avoid cliché and its likelihood to lose story’s effectiveness, know the world your story takes place in.
the source of all clichés can be traced to one thing and one thing alone: The writer does not know the world of his story. [Location 1089] Story by Robert McKee
Understand the ins and outs of your characters. As the god of your story, you can place your characters into situations and observe their reactions, instead of directing the story to a predetermined destination. Sit back and watch the story unfold by itself. Your role is to set up scenarios that guide the story’s evolution.
Object of Desire
Story’s structure starts with a character living his life when an inciting incident happens and throws his life out of balance. The rest of the story is the character striving to regain balance in their life.
They try to regain this balance through a pursuit of what is called a Conscious or Unconscious Object of Desire.
Either consciously or unconsciously they pursue certain things that they think will regain balance in their life.
Conservative Action
Understanding human behavior is essential for crafting a realistic and believable story.
As human beings, we invest just enough effort to make an attempt at achieving our goals, nothing more. This is what’s called Conservative Action.
While your character is in pursuit of regaining balance in their life, they exert only the necessary effort to pursue their Object of Desire. This leads to new insight that the character can use to discover the path toward regaining balance in their life.
Relatability
True Character
Ok so we know how we can create some believability in your story through understanding some human behavior but how can we strengthen relatability? This is where the concept of True Character comes into play.
You want to place your characters into situations that reveal their true character. By doing so, you establish a connection with your audience because they witness a vulnerable side of the character – their true colors that are typically hidden from most.
Here’s an example of a situation that you can place your character in to illuminate their True Character:
Suddenly, in front of them, a school bus full of children flips out of control, smashes against an underpass, bursting into flames, trapping the children inside. Now, under this terrible pressure, we’ll find out who these two people really are.
Who chooses to stop? Who chooses to drive by? Each has rationalizations for driving by. The domestic worries that if she gets caught up in this, the police might question her, find out she’s an illegal, throw her back across the border, and her family will starve. The surgeon fears that if he’s injured and his hands burned, hands that perform miraculous microsurgeries, the lives of thousands of future patients will be lost. But let’s say they both hit the brakes and stop.
This choice gives us a clue to character, but who’s stopping to help, and who’s become too hysterical to drive any farther? Let’s say they both choose to help. This tells us more. But who chooses to help by calling for an ambulance and waiting? Who chooses to help by dashing into the burning bus? Let’s say they both rush for the bus—a choice that reveals character in even greater depth.
Now doctor and housekeeper smash windows, crawl inside the blazing bus, grab screaming children, and push them to safety. But their choices aren’t over. Soon the flames surge into a blistering inferno, skin peels from their faces. They can’t take another breath without searing their lungs. In the midst of this horror each realizes there’s only a second left to rescue one of the many children still inside. How does the doctor react? In a sudden reflex does he reach for a white child or the black child closer to him? Which way do the housekeeper’s instincts take her? Does she save the little boy? Or the little girl cowering at her feet? [Location 1676] Story by Robert McKee
Center of Good
Another way to establish relatability, especially when it comes to relatability to a character unlike your viewer, like a murderer or some other form of villain is by understanding the Center of Good. It helps with connecting your viewer to your characters no matter who they are.
All of us, no matter who we are, believes our decisions are morally justified. No one intentionally makes a decision they consider wrong or bad. Even Hitler thought he was good. Regardless of the motives, whether selfish or selfless, we’re all striving to do our best and acquire what we perceive as necessary.
So how does this understanding help us? It allows us to build connections between our audience and our characters, whether they are the hero or villain. It creates a common ground for everyone to relate to another. We are all out here trying to do the best we can and that’s a connection we can all connect with.
Attention
Story Gap
How do we keep your audience on their toes? Keep them engaged in what you are giving them? There are many ways I may explore at a later point but for now, let’s discuss what Robert McKee, in his book Story, calls Story Gaps.
When your character may think they know what will happen in response to an action, flip the script. Flip your character’s expectations.
Why? Because if you show the expected, things get dull. You are showing regular life, not story. In life, we take action and the expected happens. When the expected happens, it’s boring. In story, we show the times when reality falls short of expectations.
The grand difference between story and life is that in story we cast out the minutiae of daily existence in which human beings take actions expecting a certain enabling reaction from the world, and, more or less, get what they expect. [Location 2332] Story by Robert McKee
Now what is your character going to do? This opens up another scenario for the character to learn more about themselves, their Object of Desire and how to regain balance in their life.
Character’s Story is Like Your Story
It makes me think about how in life, we continue to strive for the things we think will bring us what we desire. Sometimes we have to find out that what we are chasing is not what we really want. Yet, we *must* fail in order to find what we really desire. Just like the character of our story.
Through life we continue this filtering process. We walk through our own story in the same way we walk through our character’s story. Failing, failing, failing to gain the insight needed to regain balance in our life.
Not Just Scripted
These concepts aren’t limited to scripted stories; they also apply to documentary storytelling. Armed with these tools, you can plan your shots based on these concepts and edit your footage to emphasize them. This approach helps establish a connection, foster relatability, and ultimately, craft a successful story.
Authenticity, Engagement and Loyalty
Rather than making your product the focal point, as suggested by the book “StoryBrand,” opt for emotionally compelling narratives that resonate with who you were born to be.
This creates authenticity.
Authenticity pushes out cliché, attracts those who are called to achieve a similar purpose as you and creates loyalty. However, it’s essential to recognize that loyalty shouldn’t be our primary aim; it’s just the outcome of pursuing our purpose.
My goal is to wake people up to the beauty life has to offer that I never knew existed. Why do you do what you do?
Find your purpose, tell stories that reflect it, and let the emotions, lessons, and experiences in those stories transform lives, including your own. The rest will fall into place.
