The 22 rules of storytelling, according to Pixar

[sidd finch]

Pixar storyboard artist Emma Coats has compiled nuggets of narrative wisdom she's received working for the animation studio over the years.

#1: You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.

#2: You gotta keep in mind what's interesting to you as an audience, not what's fun to do as a writer. They can be v. different.

#3: Trying for theme is important, but you won't see what the story is actually about til you're at the end of it. Now rewrite.

#4: Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.

#5: Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You'll feel like you're losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.

#6: What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal?

#7: Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front.

#8: Finish your story, let go even if it's not perfect. In an ideal world you have both, but move on. Do better next time.

#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.

#10: Pull apart the stories you like. What you like in them is a part of you; you've got to recognize it before you can use it.

#11: Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you'll never share it with anyone.

#12: Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th – get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself.

#13: Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likable to you as you write, but it's poison to the audience.

#14: Why must you tell THIS story? What's the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That's the heart of it.

#15: If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel? Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations.

#16: What are the stakes? Give us reason to root for the character. What happens if they don't succeed? Stack the odds against.

#17: No work is ever wasted. If it's not working, let go and move on - it'll come back around to be useful later.

#18: You have to know yourself: the difference between doing your best & fussing. Story is testing, not refining.

#19: Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating.

#20: Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. How d'you rearrange them into what you DO like?

#21: You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can't just write ‘cool'. What would make YOU act that way?

#22: What's the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there.

Sidd

[Dave McElderry]

Excellent on all counts.

[videovillageidiot]

That's a great list Sidd...thanks for posting that!

i hope i'm not hijacking your thread but it reminded me Vimeo has a challenge (through August 7) to illustrate a story in under 3 minutes. C'mon Muvipixers...SOMEBODY (or SOMEBODIES) should enter this challenge...Remember the Muvipix motto..."Because there are stories to tell"

Here's a link to the specifics of the challenge... https://vimeo.com/videoschool/lesson/429/weekend-challenge-illustrate-a-story ...i can't wait to see everyone's entry

Sidd, thanks again for posting the list...you can't illustrate a story until you have a story, right?

[Steve Grisetti]

Excellent and concise list, Sidd!

[momoffduty]

Nice find Sidd!

[sidd finch]

It is funny that by reading that list I can easily see where my stumbling blocks are to making better movies. Likewise it really shows me what areas I am doing well in. I think is serves as a cool list to look through when making an opus. So I can concentrate my efforts into spending extra energy in my weak areas.

Sidd

[momoffduty]

To quote Steve "Editing starts before the camera leaves the bag."

When I shoot a commencement I think about my shots before I arrive. Shots such as the outside of the building, the school logo & sign, the crowd, the speakers, graduates long shots & closeups, etc. And thinking about my ending shot which usually is the grad afterwards getting their photos taken with family.

For our vacation video I wrote up a shot list of about 20 things and reminded myself to look around for different perspectives each day. If you think about any project the basics are where, who, & activities. Again thinking too about my ending shot. I've gotten home from an event and realized that I didn't have an ending shot.

[Chuck Engels]

Love the list, thanks Sidd