Elements of Story Telling

1. Elements of Story Telling • Richard Trombly, Obscure Productions Contact richard@trombly.com +86 13818837641

2. A funny thing happened on the way to....

3. Introduction • Richard Trombly born 1967 Smalltown, USA • Saw Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid • Graduated University of Massachusetts, Literature degree in film and theater • News and business reporter and editor • 2003 arrived in China • Worked on films • Developed stories to tell

4. Introduction • Addressing this conference • Developed stories to tell • Worked on films • 2003 arrived in China • News and business reporter and editor • Graduated University of Massachusetts, Literature degree in film and theater • Saw Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid • Richard Trombly born 1967 Smalltown, USA

5. Backwards and Forwards • Writers need to read a lot • Reading scripts for the craft. Why did the author write it this way? • What tools did he use? • What choices did the author make? • Read forward to see what KEEPS you reading or watching • Read backward to see the craft of construction

6. Practice • How to be a writer? • WRITE! • Read • Experience • Study • Share • Revise • Rewrite,Rewrite and Rewrite

7. What is story?

8. What is story? • Noun - the intrigue or plot of a narrative or dramatic work • An account that presents connected events, whether or not in sequence. • Also called narrative • derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to tell", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"

9. What is storytelling? • .

10. What is storytelling? • Conveying events in words, images, and sounds, often by improvisation or embellishment. • Stories, or narratives, found in every culture. Means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation, and to instill moral/social values. essentially HUMAN act • Crucial elements of stories and storytelling include plot, characters, and narrative point of view.

11. We are all storytellers Fairy tales Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___. or

12. We are all storytellers Honey, I was at work and planning to come home early like I always do, but the boss said I needed to meet the client so because of that I went to supper, and then the client wanted to seal the deal with a drink. Because of that, we went to a KTV. My boss got drunk and went home. Because of that, I had to pay the bill and had no cab fare left. Finally, I walked home to you, dear.

13. The storytellers' craft • We do not want to just narrate • We want to construct the story • Knowing & Skilled • 故事 – 故 gushi narrative -gu cause or reason (knowing , plot) But • 情节 - 情 qingjie plot – qing emotion or passion (skilled storytelling)

14. Jokes • Jokes are stories • Jokes require craft • You can learn much from a good comedian • Nowhere will you fail quicker than if you do not deliver with a joke

15. Jokes as story Punchline, Ending, Opening lead to a singular goal, and confirm some truth , something human .

16. Crossing barriers Time, past, present and future, Share experience Cross cultures Discover the similarities between ourselves Enter another life real and imagined. Discover what is essentially human

17. Biography • Every person has a story • If you knew their story, you would care about them • Passion • Make us care

18. Who cares? • Ever channel surf? • What makes you pause / engagement? • It was intentional • You write a script , you have to care • Know your audience • What does your audience care about?

19. Beginning • From the opening line • You need to have passion • To reach the passion of the audience • Promise • Not how GOOD just that it is never bad • Walkout points (Global Film Initiative) • Arrow must be drawn back before it flies

20. Forwards • A beginning that catches you is one thing I call a “forward” • Makes you keep reading or watching • Even without walkout points, a flat story can leave an audience disenchanted • Enchantment • Tools

21. Empathy • You are animators • Make picture that move is NOT animation • Animation is giving life to an object • Empathy draws us in • Caring about the people is important • They can be flawed. We do not have to even LIKE the character to understand and have empathy for them. To connect.

22. Drama • "What is drama but life with the dull bits cut out." - Alfred Hitchcock • ALL drama is conflict - Aristotle

23. 4 types of conflict • Not argument • Road blocks that characters meet and OVERCOME • Inner conflict • Relational conflict • Societal conflict • Situational conflict

24. Inner Conflict A character struggles with himself. The struggle could be anything from a lack of self-confidence to addictive and self-destructive behavior. Inner conflict is tricky to express on screen because… well, it’s inner. The conflict is within the character. For the audience to understand the inner conflict the character must reveal it. The inner conflict must be projected outward

25. Relationship Conflict The most predominant type of conflict is relational, often the battle between the mutually exclusive goals of the protagonist and antagonist, though this also occurs between “buddies” and “couples”. Condition: I want to be king. Conflict: The king wants to stay king.

26. Societal Conflict Societal conflict occurs between a person and a group and is usually present in films about corruption, justice, or oppression. Films with societal conflict often incorporate scenes or subplots involving personal conflict.

27. Situational Conflict Situational conflict occurs when a character is in conflict with a specific situation – a woman trapped in a burning building, a man hiding in a married woman’s closet when her husband arrives home, a group of stranded adventurers trying to find a way off a deserted island. In films containing situational conflict, the main conflict is still usually relational.

28. Drama killers • Dramatic conflict in plays happens between characters and it’s in that dynamic where things can go wrong, draining the sources of conflict. • 1. Characters agreeing about everything. In this case, they may have a warm and cozy life together, but we won’t be interested.

29. Drama Killers • 2. Characters turning-the-other-cheek. In real life, that’s a great way to reduce conflict, but that’s exactly what you don’t want to have happen in the theatre.

30. Drama killers 3. Characters speaking all their subtext. Spoken subtext drains the conflict between characters and inhibits character development. That’s how you can end up with an argument instead of real dramatic conflict

31. Triangular Conflict Dramatic conflict only happens when each character has a stake in the outcome. If those characters with a stake don’t confront each other directly, you’ll end up struggling with the problem of triangular conflict. If the dramatic conflict is between Joan and Larkin, but the scene takes place between Joan and X who has no stake in the outcome, there will be no dramatic conflict. Perhaps an argument, but no genuine conflict.

32. Triangle conflict • Great listeners are ok in life but kill drama • Whenever 2 people are talking about a third person, it may be exposition, it is not drama • Characters must have a stake in the outcome of every interaction

33. Three Act Structure

34. 2D - 3 Acts

35. Character 3 act

36. Three Act Structure • No setup! • People have a life and a story • This movie interrupts the story they were already experiencing • Plot points ? WOW points • The DRAMA and ACTION climax but the character development peaks at the end

37. Heroic Journey

38. Change • Hero must change • Not superficial • Not change essential identity • EMOTIONAL change based on rising tension • Growth

39. Change • Change is a good BACKWARDS • If we know the TARGET for the character, and we know the starting point, we can MAP the trajectory. • Do not make perfect characters. “Pollyanna” KILL drama.

40. Anticipation "Drama is anticipation mingled with uncertainty." - William Archer Design anticipation into your script as a FORWARD

41. Anticipation Give your audience tools and building blocks to anticipate Do not give your audience everything Leave some room for uncertainty Make them work for it

42. Action Drama is a series of actions. It is not about action, nor does it describe action. Is a fire about flames? Does it describe flames? No, a fire is flames. A Drama is action Show not tell .

43. Event vs Action Action occurs when something happens that makes or permits something else to happen. Action is two "something happenings," one leading to the other. Something causes or permits something else. I let go of my pencil (an event / or half an action); it falls to the floor (the other half ).Together those two connected events make an action.

44. Trigger / heap I shoot you is an event you falling into a heap is an event. Together and action. find each action's first event (its trigger), then its second event (its heap) Things need to happen for a reason

45. What's next So to be dramatic action each EVENT is a trigger for a heap. But in a good drama , then each heap becomes the next trigger and allows another heap

46. Backwards Going forwards allows unpredictable possibility. Going backwards exposes that which is required. There should be clues going forward but feel endless possibility but by the end it narrows and reading backward, there was no other outcome. INEVITABLE

47. Stasis • FORGET SETUP Stasis is motionlessness: a condition of balance among various forces; a standing still; an unchanging stability; a state in which all forces balance each other, resulting in no movement. Intrusion is a pushing, thrusting, or forcing in.

48. Seeking stasis Dramatic stasis occurs when things would go on forever if something didn't happen. Dramatic intrusion is what happens,setting free the irresistible forces that run a play to the end Characters seek a new stasis

49. what is dramatic conflict a film's conflict is between what someone wants and what hinders the want:the obstacle.

50. Ignorance is Bliss • Do not tell it all too soon • Audiences are problem solvers . Do not solve it for them • If there is empathy and anticipation they will want more. Leave them wanting right up until the end • The audience knows versus the audience does not know YET.