All language subtitles for 102 - Choosing A Story

it's so personal um

in terms of deciding what movie

or television show you're gonna work on

if you're lucky enough to have options and have choices

um at the for me

it's always trying to identify

something in an idea that I just

that I'm excited about that on

it's not an intellectual thing

it's just an emotional thing

I'm I'm I'm reading it

I'm beginning to dream about it

um and um and and

and in a way

beginning to see it

and I don't wanna let go of that

and that's that

that that inspiration

there's something about that story that

you know you

as a creative person

just connect with

you want to apply what you have to offer to that

I have to feel that you know

that there's something about it that I connect with

on an emotional level

or that I feel like I can contribute to it

um I have to feel that um

that the story offers something to audiences

that's fresh

that's um you know

thematically interesting um

and um you know

and it's gonna be worthy of of their

you know their

of their attention

their time and their money

I think that freshness

is very important when you're evaluating your idea

because the execution can be

you know outstanding on a character level

um and but but if it's

if it's not presented in some way that feels fresh

either through the cinematic approach or the setting

then then it

then it's gonna be

it's gonna be sort of downgraded in people's minds

they're gonna feel like well

they've kind of seen it before

this is a good version of something else

but what else

in in great improv study groups

they always say

and the great teachers will say to the improv artist

once they've completed

they'll say

what else and

and I think there's

that's a great clue for

for writers and directors as well

if you look at a movie like the first Star Wars

well Joseph Campbell explained

you know very well

to all of us who were listening

that it was the

you know a combination of the familiar myths

but it was retold in this way

that we just had never really experienced before

and it was so exciting it made us

it made those old myths

those old ideas

um you know

land in a powerful way

but we were ready to receive them

because it was directed in such a brilliant

remarkable fresh way

um sometimes you know

directors come along and find a way to do something

traditional

and yet you know

make it modern

LA LA Land is an example of a classic

movie musical structure

um even the approach to the music is traditional

um and yet the way it's shot

the the setting

the characters

the way they talk to each other

um you know

it feels entirely modern

well that's a great combination that makes

it feel like a very satisfying experience

because you know

there are those classic themes

those ideas that we do appreciate

we just don't want them presented to us in that

that same old way

and so that's where

storytelling is almost always a combination

of something old and something new

and it's the something new

that gives it the contemporary relevance

that makes it immediate and meaningful

to those of us today

living in this moment

that's what's so amazing about Shakespeare's writing

is directors fine ways of continuing to restage it

reshape it and the psychology is so solid

that what the characters go through still

lands for audience members today

but the best versions

are the ones that are able to find a way

either through performance

or presentation

or rhythm to

you know to feel

like you hadn't seen it before

you don't quite know what's gonna happen next

another thing to really look for in if in any film

whether it's short or or or longer

are gonna be those powerful moments

now great great filmmakers from around the world

have often said that movies are comprised of

you know somewhere between three and seven great

great scenes

and once you identify what those great

memorable moments are then it's

it's how artfully the film builds to those moments

to maximize the power and potency of those moments

whether it's a twist or surprise

or a revelation that a character makes

or a great action

scene that reflects character in some way

in his dazzling to watch

whatever those highlights are

it's important to identify them

now 5 Minute Movie doesn't need five highlights

but you know it

it needs to build to something that's gonna be

um you know

it's gonna just impinge on you

it's gonna be

it's gonna be an impact moment that you wanna remember

talk about you know

see that film over again

to experience another time

and those have to be earned by the filmmakers

they need to be understood and built to

we're all storytellers

um and um you know

stories have been the main means of conveying

and making sense of the human experience

from you know

from the beginning

from Primal Man

we all do what we all understand

stories makes us believe we can all direct

and we probably all can

the the next big step beyond loving a story

believing me you understand it

you know and being excited about that inspiration is

then comes execution

and this is where understanding why stories work

why certain themes resonate

the way styles of storytelling can shift

and impact an audience at a particular moment

and one style can suddenly feel quaint

old fashioned

or something that's old and traditional

may suddenly be just right

and therefore feel

um you know

immediate and

and appropriate and

and exciting

as all judgment calls us

that's taste

you can't really teach taste

we all have our own instincts

and I think we

what we have to do is

is is hone that

and trust it

and back up that instinct

and that taste with something called craft and um

and you know that's

that's what I hope to offer

um in in this

in these conversations