Storytelling

Khan Academy has introduced a course with Pixar in a box. This course revolves around storytelling. How to tell a story in writing or in a movie? Below are the major concepts discussed that I think will change how I do write in the upcoming articles.

Unique perspective:
Everyone lives a unique life, therefore no two people will tell the same story.

Favorite stories:
My 3 favorite stories are: Eat Pray Love, Pursuit Of Happiness, The Devil Wears Prada.

I believe I am connected with those stories because of their simplicity.

1. Eat Pray Love: demonstrates the simplicity of living a worry-free life.
2. Pursuit Of Happiness: demonstrates the simplicity of happiness.
3. The Devil Wears Prada: demonstrates the un-simplicity of success. 

The three films are connected with "simplicity".

What ifs:

1. Eat Pray Love: what if we can live only to eat good food, pray to God, and love deeply?
2. Pursuit Of Happiness: what if we can only live in ultimate happiness?
3. The Devil Wears Prada: What if we survived our first full-time job?

World + Characters = Story:

1. Eat Pray Love: the main character was Liz in 4 different worlds. Her life before divorce, Italy, India, and Bali.
2. Pursuit Of Happiness: the main character was Chris in 2 different worlds. Their life before being evicted & their life after.
3. The Devil Wears Prada: the main character was Andy in 1 world. Her life in her first full-time job.

Elevator trapped exercise:

I'd pick Andy from "The Devil Wears Prada" and see how would she function if she is trapped in an elevator. Andy is an ambitious girl, a fresh graduate from university with a high-end full-time job that she is struggling to prove herself & succeed in it. So, I believe if at anytime she was trapped in an elevator she will be calm & content. She will try different ways to get out of it independently. 

Internal & external feature:

• Eat Pray Love: Liz --> human & casually dressed, likes to travel, afraid of abusive relationships,

External features: tall, thin, blonde.

Internal features: independent, happy, exploring.

• Pursuit Of Happiness: Chris --> human & dressed in a suit, likes to secure a living for his son, afraid of homeless life,

External features: black, tall, handsome.

Internal features: insecure, hopeful, determined.

• The Devil Wears Prada: Andy --> human & formally dresses, likes to prove herself, afraid of failure

External features: young, girly, brunette.

Internal features: fresh, successful, unsure.

Needs & wants:
The needs will be the emotional heart that makes people remembers the story. However, wants will be the entertainment of the story. 

• Eat Pray Love: Liz --> needs freedom, wants love.

• Pursuit Of Happiness: Chris --> needs security, wants happiness.

• The Devil Wears Prada: Andy --> needs success, wants friendship.

Obstacles: 

It is something that stands in the way of the character & prevents them from their needs or wants.

• Eat Pray Love: Liz --> being with an abusive husband.

• Pursuit Of Happiness: Chris --> being homeless.

• The Devil Wears Prada: Andy --> working with a bossy boss.

Character arc:

The ups & downs that develops the character. For the character to reach their goal of being a better version, s/he must pass through an obstacle. 

• Eat Pray Love: Liz --> in the beginning she needs a divorce & freedom, however at the end she needs true love.

• Pursuit Of Happiness: Chris --> in the beginning needed a home, however at the end he needs happiness.

• The Devil Wears Prada: Andy --> in the beginning she needs success, however at the end she needs to befriend her boss.

Stakes:

The risks, rewards, or impact associated with the choices. Stakes are divided into: internal (emotional gain or loss ex: broken heart), external (physical gain or loss ex: life & death), or philosophical (the impact on the world's values ex: good & evil).

• Eat Pray Love: Liz --> getting a divorce & travel around the world. Risking her life as she knew it.

• Pursuit Of Happiness: Chris --> starting over. Risking his son's future.

• The Devil Wears Prada: Andy --> success & proving herself. Risking her career.

The structure:

Every story should have an opening, a build up, and an ending. What do you want the audience to know? When? The story structure is the foundation of the story. 

The story beats:

Those are the most important moments of the story. It is what have happened in 30 seconds.

• Eat Pray Love: getting a divorce out of an abusive relationship.

• Pursuit Of Happiness: kicked of the house & working for 6 months without salary to prove himself.

• The Devil Wears Prada: securing a full-time job in a well established company as a fresh graduate.

Theme:

The connection of beats which is connected to the moral, what are you trying to say? Letting go of the wants for the needs.

• Eat Pray Love: freedom is the crucial to a happy life.

• Pursuit Of Happiness: money is not the goal.

• The Devil Wears Prada: success is the journey.

Acts:

The story spine should be divided into acts. 

Act#1: 

1. Once upon a time: when you meet the hero, when the story is taking place, and where the story is taking place.  
2. Everyday: where we learn more about the world & the day-to-day life.
3. Until one day: the key obstacle that sets the emotion in the rest of the story.

Act #2:

1. Because of that: challenges to be solved to reach a goal.
2. Low point: where all of the hopes are lost.

Act #3:

1. Climax: a complex decision to sacrifice your want with your needs.
2. Resolution: the learnings from all of the challenges and the complex climax too.

Advices:

1. Work backwards, from the end in your mind.
2. Reading is the foundation of story-telling.
3. What is very important to you?
4. You have to fail and get up again.
5. Live in the real world and try.