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Over the years, they’ve won 13 Academy Awards, 9 Golden Globes, and 11 Grammys.
Luckily, storytelling is something we all do naturally, starting at a very young age. But
there’s a difference between good storytelling and great storytelling.
I recently stumbled across Pixar’s 22 rules of storytelling — here are the top six we can
all learn from.
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“What you’re trying to do, when you tell a story, is to write about an event in your life that
made you feel some particular way. And what you’re trying to do, when you tell a story, is
to get the audience to have that same feeling.”
One way you can do this is to pull apart the stories you like.
Break down every little element about what you love about them. Those are real
feelings you’re having and you have to recognize them in detail in order to tell a great
story yourself.
In other words, self knowledge and awareness are at the the root of all great
storytelling.
You are part of the human condition and people will relate to that.
One of my favorite ways to develop a compelling story is to use “The Story Spine”
formula created by professional playwright and improvisor Kenn Adams.
Pixar has used this story structure to create so many films we know and love today.
It goes:
Once upon a time there was [blank]. Every day, [blank]. One day [blank].
Because of that, [blank]. Until finally [bank].
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11/10/2020 6 Rules of Great Storytelling (As Told by Pixar) | by Brian G. Peters | Medium
Give the Story Spine a shot to help develop a truly unique story to tell.
Part B (Purpose)
As Pixar writes:
What’s the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of?
By crafting a story that you are passionate to tell because it serves a real purpose,
your stories will have bigger impact on the world.
This might seem straightforward but it’s worth keeping in mind anytime you’re
creating a story.
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Pixar explains that we as the audience admire a character for trying more than for their
success. In other words, it’s more about the character’s journey than it is their actual
destination.
When your character is battling against all odds, facing adversity, or their back is
against the wall, well then, you have yourself the makings of great story.
In our modern society, for example, everyone loves a good “rags to riches” story. How
many times has Forbes published an article about the fearless entreprenuer that
dropped everything, almost failed dozens of times along the way, yet still managed to
create a multi-million dollar business?
If you ever watched the Pixar move Inside Out, you’ll recognize these emotions as
characters in the movie.
The more you understand how/when your own emotional levers are pulled, the more
you’ll appreciate how that works in other people (and the more you’ll be able to hone
those emotions in your stories).
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11/10/2020 6 Rules of Great Storytelling (As Told by Pixar) | by Brian G. Peters | Medium
Consciously being to recognize these various emotions in yourself —and think about
the “why”.
Why are you feeling a certain way? How might you be able to take the “why”
behind your emotions and tell a story?
What makes modern stories compelling are when our perceptions of reality are
challenged or changed in some way.
Creators like Pixar and Walt Disney use animated movies as vehicles to address real-life
phenomenons, issues, stereotypes, and norms.
Movies such as Brave, Coco, Tangled, and Moana help us to understand and reflect on
big, human-centered topics that we might not otherwise take time out of our day to
think about.
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Pixar’s “Brave”
Many times those topics or themes are surprising and unexpected, leaving the
audience thinking about the story well after it is over.
If you’re stuck on coming up with something truly unique, Pixar recommends to get rid
of the 1st thing that comes to mind — and then the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th.
Have you ever watched a movie or read a book where you had to keep asking yourself
(or someone else) what was happening in the plot?
And often times we might not even realize that we’re adding layers that don’t need to
be there.
While you as the creator may feel like you’re losing lots of valuable stuff, it’ll set you
free in the end and will allow your audience to get lost in the narrative.
One way to find out if your story is easy to follow is to tell it to a friend or family
member who has never heard it before. Watch their face as you read it and try to see
where they pause and what questions they might have.
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