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A blog on storytelling

A Trailer, a Life, a Great Story

04/09/2013

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This is the beautiful trailer from Oscar-nominated director Sarah Polley for her documentary "Stories We Tell." It follows the stories of a family of storytellers. There doesn't seem to be a launch date for this work but stay-tuned. 
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Stop NarratingĀ 

03/22/2013

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My first instinct when I started my novel was to create a meta-story, interweaving the story arc with a narrator that came in and out of the story. Whether it was a good idea or not is up for debate but I found it fit well with my natural style of writing. 

I soon discovered that when you are writing narrative fiction based on a true story, it's tough to 'break the 4th wall" without having the house completely collapse.  

What is the 4th wall? The 4th wall is both an imaginary and real screen that separates the story from the teller and the audience. Breaking this wall is when the storyteller breaks from the story to incorporate the audience or reader into the story, making its presence apparent. The storyteller and the audience then become part of the story. To some, it can be considered as a form of interactive experience.  Speaking directly to the reader is a great exercise when developing a storyline but most authors use the tool as that, an exercise. When done well, it almost always engages your audience. If not, it can be a complete distraction and slow the natural momentum of a story. 

Below is a great compilation by Leigh Singer showing the effects in movies. Thanks to Storythings for pointing me to this. 
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Multi-media Storytelling - McMillion Style

03/15/2013

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The MIT Open Documentary Lab is doing a series of interviews with some top talented multi-media storytellers. It is a fabulous line-up, so check it out, here. 
In the latest round, they have interviewed Elaine McMillion, who can only be described as an upcoming multi-media documentarist. Coming from video-first, McMillion is developing a talent for bringing to live contemporary social issues via multiple media formats including audio-visual, images, and social media. Check out her interview here. And to see her work, Hollow.


*Disclosure, Both Elaine and I attended Emerson, one of the best media colleges in the US (IMHO).

"Now I am devoted to exploring new ways to tell stories, how to involve communities in that process and the power of connecting individuals across the country and world through digital narratives." - Elaine McMillion

"I can't make old friends" from Elaine McMillion on Vimeo.

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    Astrid Sandoval is a writer, editor and content strategist. For more information, check out my Linkedin. 


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