“Breaking the Story Formula” by Caldwell
Conference:
Type(s):
Title:
- Breaking the Story Formula
Presenter(s)/Author(s):
Abstract:
Audiences want stories that meet their expectations… just not in the way they expect them. This delicate balance is the challenge facing today’s directors and producers in shaping new media. To achieve this, they depend on the expertise of software developers, animators, VFX artists, and interactive designers who breathe life into these narratives. This session is tailored specifically for these professionals, aiming to deepen their understanding of directors’ creative goals so they can contribute to achieving superior outcomes. Traditional film structures have been codified into Hero’s Journey, Save the Cat, and Story Embryo. In this session, we will look at how these story “formulas” are being subverted using the component story “forms” to break from expectations. Such forms include Time (Nolan), Setting (Cohen Brothers), and Endings (Arndt). We will also explore breaking Genre structures (i.e., Comedy, Action, Animation, Hybrid genres) and the impact of their Tropes (i.e., Anti-Hero versus Hero/Villain). Just as significant is the influence of cultural differences on story expectations, Kishōtenketsu (eastern) versus MonoMyth (western) – Do we read images differently? Do all stories have to have conflict? When breaking from norms which provides more latitude – the story structure or the storytelling (narrative)? How have expectations been changed with unreliable narrators, subtext, cause-and-effect, choices, and metaphors? What role is AI playing in subverting and developing stories now? This session reveals an audience’s expectations, how they have been broken, and a designer’s role in contributing to innovations in new media storytelling. Takeaways include understanding how story norms have been subverted today in animated films, VFX, games, and interactive media. To make that happen, numerous visuals are included to illustrate what is being done today.
