THOUGHTS ON STORYTELLING FROM ANDREW STANTON

The next chapter in our series on storytelling comes to us from a wonderful talk given by filmmaker Andrew Stanton. Known for his animated films Toy Story and Wall-E, Andrew knows the key elements to telling a great story. I especially like his insight into the audience.

ANDREW STANTON ON STORYTELLING

Andrew Stanton

"Storytelling is joke telling. Don't forget the punchline." I love the thought of building up to something in a story. You should know where your story is going and how you plan on getting your audience there. Answer the question, "What's the ultimate goal?" and then build to that goal.

"Make me care." You're audience is reaching out and wanting to go on the journey with you. Involve them and they'll start to care. However, don't just give them the answer, make them work for it. Give them 2 + 2 not 4. Let them figure it out.

To illustrate the power of a story Andrew shares a quote that the late Mr. Rogers carried in his wallet. The quote is from a social worker and it reads, "Frankly there isn't anyone you couldn't learn to love once you learned their story."

More great insight into storytelling from one of the great storytellers of our time. Watch the video below.

http://www.ted.com Filmmaker Andrew Stanton ("Toy Story," "WALL-E") shares what he knows about storytelling -- starting at the end and working back to the beginning. (Contains graphic language ...) TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes.

THOUGHTS ON STORYTELLING WITH NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PHOTOGRAPHER CORY RICHARDS

“I’m an adventure photographer.” That’s my elevator pitch: quick and easy but lacking in real substance. In the grander scheme, I fancy myself a good storyteller. I’m great at verbally recounting stories in a way that’s engaging and I like to think that’s something I’m really good at visually as well. One of the main advantages to being a storyteller instead of just a photographer is that it allows me to transition and change as the medium changes. Whether it’s still photography or DSLR video or some new technology doesn’t matter because it’s just a story, and I know how to tell a good story.

Given the above insight, I’ve spent considerable time and energy learning and practicing visual storytelling and I’ve acquired some real gems in terms of quotes, ideas, and advice from other great storytellers. So the plan is to share it all here on my blog and I’m hoping to engage a larger dialogue that would be uplifting and eye opening.

CORY RICHARDS ON STORYTELLING

Cory Richards

This first post on storytelling comes from photographer Cory Richards of National Geographic. I’ve added and embellished it a little, but the basic ideas and concepts are all here.

When telling a story, Cory starts by asking himself some great questions: What are the elements of storytelling that tie everything together? How do I show the culture of where I am? What am I feeling? What am I smelling? What am I tasting? What am I hearing? How do I show that visually? What do our sensory experiences look like?

Now, clearly these questions are framed in terms of creating a still photograph, but I think the principles can be applied to any storytelling medium. If the story is verbal what do these same sense sound like? How can you create them through language or noise or gesture? This was really a keen insight for me and I’m so glad I happened upon it.

Please share your thoughts or stories through the comments. I truly would love to hear what you have to say.

Now that you've had the recap, have a listen to the actual talk.

High school dropout turned National Geographic photographer Cory Richards is on a life-long quest to push the limits of adventure and storytelling. Upcoming Events at National Geographic Live! http://events.nationalgeographic.com/events/ See More of Cory's Photography http://www.coryrichards.com/ The National Geographic Live series brings thought-provoking presentations by today's leading explorers, scientists, photographers, and performing artists right to you.