Creative media writing

ISMS 110
 NARRATIVE DEVICES
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Are tools used to tell stories in an

engaging way to create high emotional
impact.
Think of them as spices or ingredients or
cooking condiments
 1. The opening hook
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Is an action/object placed in the first second of

the film/story to grab attention of the
audience/viewer. It hooks you into the story but
doesn’t sustain.
It is like your prologue in novels
An opening hook can also be a short
narration/Voice over at the beginning eg in
Romancing the stone & Argo
 2. Suspense and surprise
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A good story is about suspense, it makes the

audience fearing that the worst is going to
happen. It is when the worst expected doesn’t
happen but something else happens. In suspense,
the central character has something to lose.
Surprise is a sudden twist you weren’t expecting.
There is a huge laughter in surprise but not in
suspense.
 3. Foreshadowing
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Foreshadowing – is like a prophecy or a

semblance of what is to happen. Eg. A married
couple’s picture frame breaks at the beginning of
the story and they end up divorcing at the end of
the story.
 4. Plants and pay offs
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Plants and pay offs are objects we see in the

course of the film, lying fallow or unused but later
becomes the tool the actor uses at a critical
moment. Eg. An axe lying randomly on the plank
in Anaconda and when anaconda gripped the
black guy in its jaws, the guy stretched himself to
lay hold of the axe in order to hit the anaconda.
 5. Montage
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Montage is a collection of short scenes to tell a

transformation/metamorphosis story. Eg in Billy
Elliot; the transformation of Billy Elliot from a
novice to an expert at doing the pirouet move
was done with a montage.
 6. Silence or no dialogue
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Silence/no dialogue is golden and there are times

when actions speak louder than words.
 7. Subtext
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Subtext is the unspoken word beneath the

spoken word.
 Caution against flashback
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Flashback in the hands of a novice will distort the

plot, stop the story and take us back.
Flash forward keeps the story going forward
To use flash back, use pictures, props or dialogue.
It works best if flashbacks doesn’t last for more
than a minute
Visual
Storytelling

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Visual storytelling is the use of props
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It is a style of telling stories

visually with minimal use of
dialogue. As a writer, use actors’
actions, settings, costumes and
props to convey the message.
Dialogue is a last resort.
 What are Props?
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Props are inanimate things used to

tell your story better without
dialogue. Props can be used to reveal
character, move the plot further,
reveal emotion and give information.
 How to use Props
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You can buy a fridge

You can carry a fridge
Put groceries and vegetables in a fridge
You can destroy a fridge
Burn it
Hide it or hide behind it
Bury it
Paint it/ pimp it
Stick something on it
FUNCTIONS OF

PROPS
It reveals emotion
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It advances the Plot
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It provides information on environment,
backstory, character

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It reveals character
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