Story is Everything Everywhere
Filmmakers are storytellers and so are content creators. Even if they don't realize it.
I realize most people are not passionate about the power of story. Story is at the forefront of my mind all the time. But it wasn’t always that way.
Story and storytelling has always been something that meant a lot to me, but I wasn’t conscious about it. It was an awareness I had as a toddler that grew with me.
My life has been an off-course path.
Maybe one day, I could find the time to write a book. I envy those who can put an end to the story of their life in order to complete a book! Maybe not “envy” but more so, admiration for those of you who can do that.
My life is very fluid except for very few things I am quite adamant about, like stories. Throughout most of my life I did not realize I was on discovery mode, searching for my own path to realize what I thought was my dream: to be an artist.
The story of how I realized a dream is born with you and grows with you is for another time. But when your dream finds you, it won’t let you go. It can only live with you and it feeds off your passion. It’s a living thing. It’s your best friend through the good and the bad times.
I aspired to create and art fulfilled that need in me since I was a child.
Why story is now my everything.
When I realized that stories were more valuable than all the money in the world, it became a conscious thing. I realized it was how stories influence people and how some people use stories to enrich themselves.
I kept getting jobs in sales. As a sales person. It bothered me a lot. There were times I would get a job with a company for one thing and they would shift me into a sales position. If you are a salesperson and you didn’t know, stories can influence people and build trust. It’s the reason I refused to work in sales ever again.
Except, of course, using that skill for my own company, where I have control to not take advantage of people. But more importantly, to connect with people on a deeper level, not to sell anything in particular.
In my podcast, I’ve found myself defining the connection between a filmmaker and their audience through story. It doesn’t matter if you are making a narrative film, a documentary, a music video or even an experimental film. I created montages when I worked as a media manager. I was also an editor and camera person.
I would only need to know the story of the documentary or promotional video and would quickly create a montage with music that emphasized the story in an entertaining way. The reason for this is simple. Not everyone connects to media in the same way.
People who watch your films, enjoy your music, look at your photos, see your abstract art piece, look at a statue, listen to you talk about your experience at the coffee shop—they are all connecting through a story. The story they connect with may have nothing to do with you or the story you’re telling.
If you are a good filmmaker, a good storyteller, if your intention with what you craft is good—then the story they connect with is the one you intended them to connect with. But if you are a novice or not conscious about it, then your film or video will not have an intended outcome.
When I selected b roll for videos, each four-second clip was it’s own story that played into the larger story being told. I don’t want to brag but I have to make the point here, I was known as “the b roll queen” in the department. However, that had to do with the fact I was also a media manager. I knew what we could pull from from over 3,000 hours of footage.
Every element in the story you are telling has elements of stories that connect with your viewers. Without them, your main story is missing. Sometimes, it’s just not evident. And if you do this purposely, you’ll need to create something that your viewers keep thinking about.
Not all films captivate and sustain an audience.
But some do. Some will leave them feeling like they didn’t get something. That can turn against you unless you’ve added the magic touch to your films. The magic is when your film is still playing in the audience’s head after they’ve watched it.
Sometimes it takes a day but sometimes it takes a long time and it keeps coming back around. It’s because we comprehend through stories. That connection between what appear to be random images and sounds on a screen and you, that’s a story that you cannot realize within the media. But inside your head, in your heart, in your subconscious being—it’s a story from your perspective that you are connecting with.
When you see a photo of an older person in black and white sitting on a chair or a bench outdoors, that’s a story. The photographer frames the story in a way that means something to them. It could be a story from a memory of their grandparent who felt lonely. For someone else, it could be a story of how society has taken the “color” and attraction from elder people and ignores them.
Some people though, they just don’t see anything they can connect with. Then later in life they come across that photo and they do. It’s happens with films that resurface while you’re looking for something to watch tonight. Suddenly that movie from the 90’s plays into the story you are living through in 2024.
I recently watched Ready Player One. I could not connect with it when I first watched it. It was just a lot of special effects and gaming. But I watched it again last month and it was meaningful.
So why is it that some people don’t get how stories are everything?
Perhaps some people only believe what is tangible to them. An orange in your hand is a color and not at all enticing. Until you peel the orange and taste the juice. At that point, you realize an orange is much more than an orange ball. That the peel is not the story…the juice of a good story and storyteller is inside.
To connect, we need to feel.
The story of art itself is expression. We connect to art through what we feel first. That is the same for music and all media. Moments outside while you run errands are stories. Experiences turn to memories that turn into stories.
I know I am not alone. I know many of you realize the power of stories and storytelling. If you are a filmmaker, you know. But not everyone realizes it. And as a storyteller making movies, it’s up to you to realize it so that your films can take on a meaning besides a passing moment in someone’s head.
Making movies is the ultimate storytelling. You can make films that are not narrative and share meaningful, memorable and captivating films. If you are a content creator, striving to create content with this in mind will have the same effect.
I’d love to meet you in person and share stories with you. Be inspired by attending the 13th Edition of the International Mobile Film Festival in San Diego, California. It’s happening April 26-28. Check out the full program and schedule.
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