Pittsburgh Arts, Regional Theatre, New Work, Producing, Copyright, Labor Unions,
New Products, Coping Skills, J-O-Bs...
Theatre industry news, University & School of Drama Announcements, plus occasional course support for
Carnegie Mellon School of Drama Faculty, Staff, Students, and Alumni.
@powerfulpoint | Make a Powerful Point: Stories are powerful. They engage, inform and move people. More importantly, they stick. And if you’re really good — possibly Hemingway good — you can say them in as few as 6 words.*
I really like that a lot of what they had to say had to do with knowing yourself and what you like. I completely agree. If you do not know yourself, you don't know what you like, and if you don't know what you like, chances are whatever you create won't have your whole heart. I think you have to like the work you create in order for other people to see reason to like it. I also am very glad they addressed the avoidance of easy outs and coincidences to solve plot conflicts. It's always more interesting when a story takes an unexpected turn and you learn more about characters by the way they show who they are through the solving of problems. After reading these it makes sense I can always count on Pixar for a moving tale.
number 11 popped out to me, " Put it on paper lets you start fixing it"
Through out high school and even at the beginning of this semester I would always approach math problems in my own head. I realize this isn't a story telling dilemma but my point I feel still fits. I would approach problems in my head without writing them down because I have always had issues with my hand writing and legibility so writing problems out or working them out on paper always felt like it would slow me down. I have always been good with number and typically I was able to accurately complete problems and quickly but the issue was when things wouldn't work and I would have far more trouble finding the issue. This rule fits perfectly, if it is on paper then you have the opportunity to fix it.
These rules apply not only to making movies and presentations, but to design as well. I especially like rule number 9- "when you're stuck, make a list of what wouldn't happen next... lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up." I think it's a really great way to approach obstacles in the creative process- so often when I can't figure something out I get frustrated and have to stop work on it entirely for a while, which is not productive. This is a way to still think about the project without frustrating yourself and digging yourself into a hole, and it could certainly help you think of some creative solutions.
I find it cool that the brain "lights up" during storytelling and the idea that stories are the closest thing to experiences. The rules are very enlightening and many can be applied to conceiving, directing, and designing a theatre piece. I intend to visit them from time to time over the years to remind me of other perspectives or techniques.
I love to see how Pixar approaches storytelling. Their mindset is all about challenging yourself and serving your audience. This is crucial for any artistic challenge. Knowing your goals, understanding how your own mind works, and pushing yourself is a wise way of approaching things. As far as applying it to giving powerpoint presentations, I think presentations can always be given a little creative boost to make them more interesting. Rarely are we shown a powerpoint that keeps us at the edge of our seats, but viewing it as a storytelling challenge can make it more engaging.
Quite interesting. I am not a huge story teller outside of just telling my life to my friends. I realize that is totally a story but I usually just relate it in chronological order. So I like these points and they are quite interesting.
I am not really a writer or big story teller. A good friend of mine I always enjoy listening to him tell stories. There is this sense of truth and a good use of the english language that I love. I can listen to him for hours. So people just have that nack to natural combine these rules to be great story tellers. I will have to try to remember these.
So many story articles this week! As I said in an earlier comment about telling your own story, I had just talked with a friend about how to create an interesting slide presentation and he basically said this. Awesome! I guess on my periphery I know that telling a good story is the way to make a great presentation, but I guess I haven't thought about it much, nor have I had to give many presentations. As I approach having to give presentations about my work for class and for my thesis, I will really take all this advice to heart. It's excruciating sitting through a boring presentation…especially when it really doesn't have to be. So, tell it like a story. Don't force it though -- I think it can easily travel into the world of corny and painfully forced, or overly enthusiastic.
I have seen and read a great many of the rules/advice that pixar gives about story telling and I have always loved and try to listen to what they had to say. I know that their rule number nine is one of my favorite rules that I follow. If I get stuck I put down the project and just list everything that wouldn't happen and at first it seems like a very out there thing. I normally begin with events like alien invasions, and Deus Ex machina. I then bring it back to very small events that would have no effect on the story. After that I am able to hit the middle ground of what could work. I find that I am able to put my story in scope of events, characters, world, themes, and even how much I care about the story. Now granted that is just one of the rules and I think every rule they have has a great reason to be there and brings something new to the table. It is also important to note that Pixar is very good at telling their kind of story's generally in a linear structure, so I don't think their rules are iron clad. I consider them to be much more like advice about how to write a story.
I really like how they took something as simple as Pixar and their movies to help people better understand how to tell a good story. This process would not just be useful for putting on a presentation or writing a story but also in other aspects of design or even building. Using the tips of how things would not work or what would you do in the situation can help you get through a build or a design.
If there is an article from Pixar telling me some tips on storytelling, I'm going to definitely listen up. Pixar has been telling stories for many years and obviously they are doing it right. One of the main points of the article that really struck me was how most of it centered on really truly knowing yourself. You can't tell a story, especially a story about yourself, if you don't know yourself. This goes for designers too, how can you design something meaningful if you don't even know yourself?
I have seen these before and I always find a new one surprising every time I read them. This time it was no. 14. "Why must you tell this story? What's the burning belief inside of you that the story feeds off of? That is the heart of the story." I love this for the fact that it forces the writer to bring themselves into the mix. Pixar has a way of telling stories that make you cry and laugh and get angry all at the same time. I think this has to do with them being based in good story telling.
I feel like often times presentation can be just about as important as whatever you are presenting. You're literally selling your product so people will like it. I agree with this article that using rules for storytelling can definitely help you out. Stories are naturally more interesting than a bullet point presentation or a ta-da type of presentation. I feel like if people can find their stories presentations won't be so difficult for both the presenter and the audience.
I feel like this article is really relevant to everything we did in Olivier's Nose. Not only is this all about how to present and tell a story and make a story/ presentation interesting, but it's all about how to go in depth with it. Making a list of things that wouldn't happen is a really great way to get to know the characters or the story or the place that the story is set. Taking all of these things into consideration is a really great way to ask more questions about the project you're working on and a really great way to become "more curious" and to find the answers. Anne told us in design for the stage that we get to create an entire universe and make up the rules for it. These are the things we should be thinking about when we make those rules. Thanks to Pixar, now I know what to consider every time I work on a project.
I think one of the most important points of this slide show was "keep in mind what is interesting to an audience, not what is fun to do as a writer". I think this pertains to all writers, designers, and directors. While the creator should have a connection to the piece they are creating, they should still think about how their audience will like the product rather than creating something that is solely for the creator. I think one of the most important things that design school can teach us is that we are creating for people, not for ourselves. there should always be a reason for why we design something and it should accessible to our target audience.
14 comments:
I really like that a lot of what they had to say had to do with knowing yourself and what you like. I completely agree. If you do not know yourself, you don't know what you like, and if you don't know what you like, chances are whatever you create won't have your whole heart. I think you have to like the work you create in order for other people to see reason to like it. I also am very glad they addressed the avoidance of easy outs and coincidences to solve plot conflicts. It's always more interesting when a story takes an unexpected turn and you learn more about characters by the way they show who they are through the solving of problems. After reading these it makes sense I can always count on Pixar for a moving tale.
number 11 popped out to me, " Put it on paper lets you start fixing it"
Through out high school and even at the beginning of this semester I would always approach math problems in my own head. I realize this isn't a story telling dilemma but my point I feel still fits. I would approach problems in my head without writing them down because I have always had issues with my hand writing and legibility so writing problems out or working them out on paper always felt like it would slow me down. I have always been good with number and typically I was able to accurately complete problems and quickly but the issue was when things wouldn't work and I would have far more trouble finding the issue. This rule fits perfectly, if it is on paper then you have the opportunity to fix it.
These rules apply not only to making movies and presentations, but to design as well. I especially like rule number 9- "when you're stuck, make a list of what wouldn't happen next... lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up." I think it's a really great way to approach obstacles in the creative process- so often when I can't figure something out I get frustrated and have to stop work on it entirely for a while, which is not productive. This is a way to still think about the project without frustrating yourself and digging yourself into a hole, and it could certainly help you think of some creative solutions.
I find it cool that the brain "lights up" during storytelling and the idea that stories are the closest thing to experiences. The rules are very enlightening and many can be applied to conceiving, directing, and designing a theatre piece. I intend to visit them from time to time over the years to remind me of other perspectives or techniques.
I love to see how Pixar approaches storytelling. Their mindset is all about challenging yourself and serving your audience. This is crucial for any artistic challenge. Knowing your goals, understanding how your own mind works, and pushing yourself is a wise way of approaching things. As far as applying it to giving powerpoint presentations, I think presentations can always be given a little creative boost to make them more interesting. Rarely are we shown a powerpoint that keeps us at the edge of our seats, but viewing it as a storytelling challenge can make it more engaging.
Quite interesting. I am not a huge story teller outside of just telling my life to my friends. I realize that is totally a story but I usually just relate it in chronological order. So I like these points and they are quite interesting.
I am not really a writer or big story teller. A good friend of mine I always enjoy listening to him tell stories. There is this sense of truth and a good use of the english language that I love. I can listen to him for hours. So people just have that nack to natural combine these rules to be great story tellers. I will have to try to remember these.
So many story articles this week! As I said in an earlier comment about telling your own story, I had just talked with a friend about how to create an interesting slide presentation and he basically said this. Awesome! I guess on my periphery I know that telling a good story is the way to make a great presentation, but I guess I haven't thought about it much, nor have I had to give many presentations. As I approach having to give presentations about my work for class and for my thesis, I will really take all this advice to heart. It's excruciating sitting through a boring presentation…especially when it really doesn't have to be. So, tell it like a story. Don't force it though -- I think it can easily travel into the world of corny and painfully forced, or overly enthusiastic.
I have seen and read a great many of the rules/advice that pixar gives about story telling and I have always loved and try to listen to what they had to say. I know that their rule number nine is one of my favorite rules that I follow. If I get stuck I put down the project and just list everything that wouldn't happen and at first it seems like a very out there thing. I normally begin with events like alien invasions, and Deus Ex machina. I then bring it back to very small events that would have no effect on the story. After that I am able to hit the middle ground of what could work. I find that I am able to put my story in scope of events, characters, world, themes, and even how much I care about the story. Now granted that is just one of the rules and I think every rule they have has a great reason to be there and brings something new to the table. It is also important to note that Pixar is very good at telling their kind of story's generally in a linear structure, so I don't think their rules are iron clad. I consider them to be much more like advice about how to write a story.
I really like how they took something as simple as Pixar and their movies to help people better understand how to tell a good story. This process would not just be useful for putting on a presentation or writing a story but also in other aspects of design or even building. Using the tips of how things would not work or what would you do in the situation can help you get through a build or a design.
If there is an article from Pixar telling me some tips on storytelling, I'm going to definitely listen up. Pixar has been telling stories for many years and obviously they are doing it right. One of the main points of the article that really struck me was how most of it centered on really truly knowing yourself. You can't tell a story, especially a story about yourself, if you don't know yourself. This goes for designers too, how can you design something meaningful if you don't even know yourself?
I have seen these before and I always find a new one surprising every time I read them. This time it was no. 14. "Why must you tell this story? What's the burning belief inside of you that the story feeds off of? That is the heart of the story." I love this for the fact that it forces the writer to bring themselves into the mix. Pixar has a way of telling stories that make you cry and laugh and get angry all at the same time. I think this has to do with them being based in good story telling.
I feel like often times presentation can be just about as important as whatever you are presenting. You're literally selling your product so people will like it. I agree with this article that using rules for storytelling can definitely help you out. Stories are naturally more interesting than a bullet point presentation or a ta-da type of presentation. I feel like if people can find their stories presentations won't be so difficult for both the presenter and the audience.
I feel like this article is really relevant to everything we did in Olivier's Nose. Not only is this all about how to present and tell a story and make a story/ presentation interesting, but it's all about how to go in depth with it. Making a list of things that wouldn't happen is a really great way to get to know the characters or the story or the place that the story is set. Taking all of these things into consideration is a really great way to ask more questions about the project you're working on and a really great way to become "more curious" and to find the answers. Anne told us in design for the stage that we get to create an entire universe and make up the rules for it. These are the things we should be thinking about when we make those rules. Thanks to Pixar, now I know what to consider every time I work on a project.
I think one of the most important points of this slide show was "keep in mind what is interesting to an audience, not what is fun to do as a writer". I think this pertains to all writers, designers, and directors. While the creator should have a connection to the piece they are creating, they should still think about how their audience will like the product rather than creating something that is solely for the creator. I think one of the most important things that design school can teach us is that we are creating for people, not for ourselves. there should always be a reason for why we design something and it should accessible to our target audience.
Post a Comment