Subjective Storytelling: Five EXAMPLES
Five worked through EXAMPLES of Subjective Storytelling. PSYCHO (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960) One of the most influential examples of its use occurs in Hitchcock’s film Psycho, [...]
Write for the Screen, not the Mouth
Screenwriting is writing for the screen, not the mouths of the actors. Learn to write in the language of cinema, not the language of Shakespeare. [...]
Who’s Got the Problem Now?
How to use “Who’s Got the Problem Now?” (and its corollary “Who’s got the Power Now?”) as tools for managing point of view in cinematic storytelling. What’s [...]
We Read Bodies, Not Minds
We read bodies, not minds. Don’t rely on dialogue to express psychological truth; add empathy and projection to your toolbox. Why dialogue is the last [...]
Truth, Reality, and the Story World
Navigating and exploiting the multiple realities of story worlds. The three “realities” Stories sit at the intersection of three “realities.” the world as it is, the [...]
Theory of Mind
Guessing what other people are thinking is an instinctive means of social survival. Co-opt this impulse in your storytelling. Here’s how it works. Humans are [...]
The Originality Paradox
The harder you consciously strive to be original, the less likely you are to succeed. Don’t push it. Or sweat it. Striving is an act of [...]
The Kuleshov Effect
How a cinematic experiment led to a fundamental element of cinematic language. The Myth At some point every acting teacher quotes the oft-told story of [...]
Extending the ‘So…, But…’ chain
Extending the So…, But… tool to bring in other characters can broaden your story, as long as you maintain focus on the central character’s dilemma. Applying [...]
Cinema: Truth or Reality?
What’s the relationship between reality and truth in cinema? Truth vs Reality in Cinema Cinema is the most “realistic” of the art forms. Not because it [...]
