Storytelling

Nine things the movies taught me about presenting ideas.

Transcript

1. Storytelling Nine things the movies taught me about presenting ideas.
2. How you present an idea is as important as the idea.
3. When you present an idea you are telling a story.
4. Your story must be clear and compelling.
5. Great movies like Heat tell a clear and extremely compelling story.
6. Heat is structured around key violent incidents, followed by showing the impact of those events on the characters’ personal lives.
7. Neil McCauley is a perfectionist criminal whose code prevents him from forming close relationships.
8. “Don’t let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in thirty seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner.”
9. Neil is a loner whose ‘home’ is the transient and impersonal spaces of LA: Heat opens at a train station and closes at LAX.
10. Vincent Hanna is an obsessive detective whose dedication to his job is destroying his third marriage.
11. This dysfunctional home life has made his daughter Lauren fragile and anxious.
12. Chris Shiherlis is a compulsive gambler who is only grounded by his love for his wife Charlene.
13. “For me the sun rises and sets with her, man.”
14. Heat immerses you in the violent and melancholy metropolis of Los Angeles.
15. Director Michael Mann assembled a huge volume of pre-production reference material to help his team bring Heat to life.
16. Mann extensively reworked his original script, which he first made in 1989 as LA Takedown.
17. The elements which create a story are the same for a presentation as they are for a movie.
18. 1. Structure 2. Villain 3. Hero 4. Motivation 5. Idea 6. World 7. Previsualization 8. Editing 9. Resolution
19. 1. Structure Establish a structure for your story.
20. Your story structure can be classic.
21. 1. Business objectives 2. Comms objectives 3. Audience 4. Insights 5. Idea 6. Execution 7. Results / measurement The classic agency presentation structure.
22. Your story structure can be brutally simple.
23. Your story structure can be more sophisticated.
24. Memento’s story is told in reverse.
25. The classic agency presentation structure, told in reverse. 1. Results / measurement 2. Execution 3. Idea 4. Insights 5. Audience 6. Comms objectives 7. Business objectives
26. Establish a structure for your story. 1. Establish your structure immediately. 2. Stick to your structure. 3. Do not use multiple competing structures.
27. 2. Villain Your story must have a villain.
28. To be compelling, a story needs dramatic tension: there must be a threat which has to be overcome.
29. Without this ‘story motor’ there is no momentum or urgency.
30. Think of the villain as the obstacle or negativity blocking progress: Frozen’s real villain is Elsa’s refusal to accept her true self and the damage this causes.
31. For our Pretty Shady campaign, our villain was the inability of the Wes Bonny idea to travel beyond TV.
32. Your story must have a villain. 1. Think of your villain as the obstacle or negativity blocking progress. 2. Establish your villain early in your story. 3. Choose the villain you can most effectively defeat.
33. 3. Hero Your idea is the hero that defeats the villain.
34. Movie heroes and villains are often the ‘mirror image’ of each other.
35. Justice Anarchy
36. Pacifism Militarism
37. Unbreakable Mr. Glass
38. Pretty Shady enables Cancer Institute NSW to reach youth via a range of relevant media channels.
39. Your idea is the hero that defeats the villain. 1. Your (heroic) idea is the opposite of the (villainous) obstacle. 2. Don’t use the words ‘hero’ and ‘villain’ – this is just a framing device. 3. This positively frames your idea as ‘saving the day’.
40. 4. Motivation Insights into human behaviour will help you build your idea.
41. Han Solo wants to understand and rescue his long-lost son.
42. Logan wants to discover who experimented on him, and why.
43. Lisbeth Salander seeks retribution against men who have violently mistreated women.
44. Young people live for now, and they don’t think now will ever end.
45. Insights into human behaviour will help you build your idea. 1. Keep it simple: why does your target behave the way they do? 2. Characters with genuine motivation create compelling stories… 3. …just as ideas with genuine insight build compelling campaigns.
46. 5. Idea Express your idea in a single sentence.
47. Archaeologist and professor Indiana Jones experiences thrilling adventure and blood-curdling danger in his quest for priceless historical treasures.
48. Tough, suave, globetrotting British secret agent battles evil megalomaniacs, assisted by lethal gadgets and beautiful women.
49. The execution of Skyfall. o An undercover mission in Istanbul goes horribly wrong & James Bond goes missing, presumed dead. o In London, the MI6 offices explode, killing a number of agents. o Bond, having used his supposed death to retire, learns of the attack. o Intel leads Bond to Shanghai and then to Macau. o There he meets the mysterious Sévérine, who warns Bond he is about to be killed. o Sévérine helps Bond escape in return for promising to kill her employer, Raoul Silva. o They travel to an abandoned island, where they are taken prisoner by Silva, a disgraced former MI6 agent. o Silva has turned to vengeful cyber-terrorism: he orchestrated the attack on MI6, which he feels betrayed him. o Silva kills Sévérine, but Bond overpowers his guards & captures Silva for removal to Britain. o Silva escapes, and Bond realises Silva's capture was part of an elaborate plan to kill MI6 Chief, M. o Bond saves M from an attack, and takes her to Skyfall, his family estate and childhood home in Scotland. o Bond lures Silva to Skyfall, where during a violent battle, both Silva and M are killed.
50. We want young people to feel what it would be like to have their time in the sun cut painfully short, before they have a chance to achieve all their goals.
51. Express your idea in a single sentence. 1. Don’t confuse your (concise) idea with its (detailed) execution. 2. Your idea should be focused enough to be clear and compelling... 3. ...plus expansive enough to provide scope for multiple executions.
52. 6. World Sell the world that surrounds your idea.
53. A world of schizophrenically damaged heroes and villains battling for the will of the citizens of a corrupt Gotham City.
54. A world of undercover narcotics cops living and dying in America’s notorious and glamorous drug capital.
55. The world of elite fighter pilot training and the egos it creates.
56. The world of young peoples’ hopes, dreams and fears, as they start to deal with jobs, relationships and the pressures of life.
57. The world of the X-Men’s most maverick mutant exploring down under for the first time.
58. Sell the world that surrounds your idea. 1. There is always a rich and engaging world surrounding a good idea. 2. If there’s no world, you have an execution, not a campaignable idea. 3. Your world should bring to life the scope of the creative opportunity.
59. 7. Previsualization Bring your idea and its world to life.
60. Concept art is a classic form of previsualization.
61. Concept art vividly brings an idea to life.
62. Key frames combine to create a compelling storyboard.
63. The best presentations act as compelling storyboards.
64. Bring your idea and its world to life using previsualization. 1. The best presentations act as compelling storyboards. 2. Each frame should clearly communicate a key narrative point. 3. Google Images has everything you need to bring your world to life.
65. 8. Editing Stories are ultimately created in the editing room.
66. Great stories are created in the editing room: the LOTR trilogy was edited from over 700 hours of footage.
67. Terrible stories are also created in the editing room.
68. Stories are ultimately created in the editing room. 1. Editing is the most important stage. 2. An unedited presentation is just a stream of consciousness. 3. Editing has the power to make your story great... or terrible.
69. 9. Resolution Finish your story at ‘home’, now older and wiser.
70. The hero’s journey ends where it started - ‘home’.
71. Marty McFly makes it back to 1985.
72. Dorothy makes it back to Kansas.
73. Captain Kirk always makes it back to the bridge of the Enterprise.
74. These heroes are now older and wiser: they have learned something on their journey.
75. Finish your presentation by summarising what you set out to do at the start and highlight what your audience has learned on the journey.
76. The elements which create a story are the same for a presentation as they are for a movie.
77. 1. Establish a structure for your story. 2. Your story must have a villain. 3. Your idea is the hero that defeats the villain. 4. Insights into human behaviour will help you build your idea. 5. Express your idea in a single sentence. 6. Sell the world that surrounds your idea. 7. Bring your idea and its world to life using previsualization. 8. Stories are ultimately created in the editing room. 9. Finish your story at ‘home’, now older and wiser.
78. Did I follow my own rules in this presentation?
79. 1. Establish a structure for your story. 2. Your story must have a villain. 3. Your idea is the hero that defeats the villain. 4. Insights into human behaviour will help you build your idea. 5. Express your idea in a single sentence. 6. Sell the world that surrounds your idea. 7. Bring your idea and its world to life using previsualization. 8. Stories are ultimately created in the editing room. 9. Finish your story at ‘home’, now older and wiser.
80. 1. Nine sections: each a way to improve your presentation of ideas. 2. Your story must have a villain. 3. Your idea is the hero that defeats the villain. 4. Insights into human behaviour will help you build your idea. 5. Express your idea in a single sentence. 6. Sell the world that surrounds your idea. 7. Bring your idea and its world to life using previsualization. 8. Stories are ultimately created in the editing room. 9. Finish your story at ‘home’, now older and wiser.
81. 1. Nine sections: each a way to improve your presentation of ideas. 2. Unclear and un-compelling presentations, like media agency decks. 3. Your idea is the hero that defeats the villain. 4. Insights into human behaviour will help you build your idea. 5. Express your idea in a single sentence. 6. Sell the world that surrounds your idea. 7. Bring your idea and its world to life using previsualization. 8. Stories are ultimately created in the editing room. 9. Finish your story at ‘home’, now older and wiser.
82. 1. Nine sections: each a way to improve your presentation of ideas. 2. Unclear and un-compelling presentations, like media agency decks. 3. Clear and compelling storytelling creates better presentations. 4. Insights into human behaviour will help you build your idea. 5. Express your idea in a single sentence. 6. Sell the world that surrounds your idea. 7. Bring your idea and its world to life using previsualization. 8. Stories are ultimately created in the editing room. 9. Finish your story at ‘home’, now older and wiser.
83. 1. Nine sections: each a way to improve your presentation of ideas. 2. Unclear and un-compelling presentations, like media agency decks. 3. Clear and compelling storytelling creates better presentations. 4. Creative people love pop culture, and movies are a great way to demonstrate storytelling techniques. 5. Express your idea in a single sentence. 6. Sell the world that surrounds your idea. 7. Bring your idea and its world to life using previsualization. 8. Stories are ultimately created in the editing room. 9. Finish your story at ‘home’, now older and wiser.
84. 1. Nine sections: each a way to improve your presentation of ideas. 2. Unclear and un-compelling presentations, like media agency decks. 3. Clear and compelling storytelling creates better presentations. 4. Creative people love pop culture, and movies are a great way to demonstrate storytelling techniques. 5. The elements which create a story are the same for a presentation as they are for a movie. 6. Sell the world that surrounds your idea. 7. Bring your idea and its world to life using previsualization. 8. Stories are ultimately created in the editing room. 9. Finish your story at ‘home’, now older and wiser.
85. 1. Nine sections: each a way to improve your presentation of ideas. 2. Unclear and un-compelling presentations, like media agency decks. 3. Clear and compelling storytelling creates better presentations. 4. Creative people love pop culture, and movies are a great way to demonstrate storytelling techniques. 5. The elements which create a story are the same for a presentation as they are for a movie. 6. The world of great movies, from James Bond to The Wizard Of Oz... 7. Bring your idea and its world to life using previsualization. 8. Stories are ultimately created in the editing room. 9. Finish your story at ‘home’, now older and wiser.
86. 1. Nine sections: each a way to improve your presentation of ideas. 2. Unclear and un-compelling presentations, like media agency decks. 3. Clear and compelling storytelling creates better presentations. 4. Creative people love pop culture, and movies are a great way to demonstrate storytelling techniques. 5. The elements which create a story are the same for a presentation as they are for a movie. 6. The world of great movies, from James Bond to The Wizard Of Oz... 7. …brought to life through HQ movie stills from Google Images. 8. Stories are ultimately created in the editing room. 9. Finish your story at ‘home’, now older and wiser.
87. 1. Nine sections: each a way to improve your presentation of ideas. 2. Unclear and un-compelling presentations, like media agency decks. 3. Clear and compelling storytelling creates better presentations. 4. Creative people love pop culture, and movies are a great way to demonstrate storytelling techniques. 5. The elements which create a story are the same for a presentation as they are for a movie. 6. The world of great movies, from James Bond to The Wizard Of Oz... 7. …brought to life through HQ movie stills from Google Images. 8. After lots of editing, this is version 2.1. 9. Finish your story at ‘home’, now older and wiser.
88. 1. Nine sections: each a way to improve your presentation of ideas. 2. Unclear and un-compelling presentations, like media agency decks. 3. Clear and compelling storytelling creates better presentations. 4. Creative people love pop culture, and movies are a great way to demonstrate storytelling techniques. 5. The elements which create a story are the same for a presentation as they are for a movie. 6. The world of great movies, from James Bond to The Wizard Of Oz... 7. …brought to life through HQ movie stills from Google Images. 8. After lots of editing, this is version 2.1. 9. This presentation ends with a recap of the nine key points.