Edgar Wright Unpacks a Scene, Hollywood's Presentation Principles and Being Too Human

View this email and the newsletter archive in your browser

10 stories we've enjoyed this week

Illustration of a woman holding a neckless which spells out "I Can". Underneath the letter "A" is a small woman holding the letter above her head.

Hi All,
Thanks for everyone's nice comments about S|10 - the Storythings' tenth-anniversary project we shared with you during the week. Next week we're back to our regular Friday newsletter with Formats Unpacked going out on Wednesday.

Thanks this week go to Rosie and Faris, Martin Belam, Neil Perkins, Phil Adams and Jason Kottke. Subscribe to all their things.

Have a wonderful weekend.
Hugh

The Short Story

What is Public Narrative and How Leaders Can Use It
(5 min read)

Do One Thing Well List 2021
(list)

Edgar Wright Unpacks a Scene From Last Night in Soho
(3 min watch)

Pop Psychology Has Killed the Movie and TV Villain
(7 min read)

Improve Your Presentations With These Three Screenwriting Principles
(5 min read)

Are Companies Becoming Too Human Online?
(3 min read)

Inside the World of Foley Artists
(5 min read)

How to Distinguish Between Active Voice and Passive Voice Using Zombies
(1 min read)

My Internet - A Format That Asks People About Their Internet Use
(3 min read)

Objects - A Film About Things
(2 min watch)

Screengrab of a Vimeo player playing the trailer for the film 'Objects'. In the frame is a crisp or potato chip snack sat on a table, behind it is a background with a stopwatch immersed in water. There is also some fabric on the table.

How can we help you?

Storythings is a strategy and content company based in Brighton and London. We'd love to help you with some creative and bold ideas.

Here's 3 reasons to get in touch.

1. You want to talk to us about content production: podcasts, videos, animations, illustrations, editorial.

2. You want to talk to us about content strategy or format development.

3. You want to create a brand or an identity that makes it easier to communicate your message.

We do other things too. We're very friendly and always enjoy meeting people, so get in touch.

The Full Story

What is Public Narrative and How Leaders Can Use It
This is a really useful introduction to the practice of Public Narrative, the Marshall Ganz storytelling technique, designed to evoke action. The template was used by Barack Obama in his presidential campaigns. In its simplest form, Public Narrative can be broken down into three stories - the story of self, the story of us and the story of now - which are then woven together into one master story. Anyone interested in storytelling would benefit from taking a deep dive into the work of Ganz.
(5 min read)

Do One Thing Well List 2021
Every year the Hiut Denim Co., founders of Do Lectures, put together a list of lists. These lists include recommended books, events, gadgets, apps, magazines, gifts, clothes and more. The list was put together to celebrate those who decide to ‘Do One Thing Well’ and everything on it brings together innovation, tradition, and great design, to make something that is truly special.
(list)

Edgar Wright Unpacks a Scene From Last Night in Soho
I love listening to filmmakers explain how they overcome the challenges of their craft. Edgar Wright gives some fascinating insight into how he uses sound to create a Dorothy-like Kansas to Oz moment in Central London and how an old magic trick allowed him to create the illusion of a mirror reflecting a different image without the use of special effects.
(3 min watch)

Pop Psychology Has Killed the Movie and TV Villain
Director Sidney Lumet once mocked what he would call the “rubber-ducky” school of screenwriting - “Someone once took his rubber ducky away from him, and that’s why he’s a deranged killer.” Lumet's belief was that a character should be clear from his present actions. And his behaviour as the picture goes on should reveal the psychological motivations. But smart, nuanced, storytelling about villains has been sacrificed for profit via backstory movies. Movies that nobody ever asked for.
(7 min read)

Improve Your Presentations With These Three Screenwriting Principles
If you liked the Public Narrative story above this may also be a useful tool to add to your storytelling kit. For more than three decades Nancy Durante has been bringing to life presentations for leaders and brands through brilliant storytelling. Here she recommends three principles you can use from the world of scriptwriting, using examples from Back to the Future, Inception and Up.
(5 min read)

Are Companies Becoming Too Human Online?
When it comes to being human online, how human is too human? Well, when the human being human on behalf of a brand starts calling out the humans being human on behalf of other brands - all in an attempt to be even more human - that's when!
(3 min read)

Inside the World of Foley Artists
We love the art of foley. Barnaby, featured in this interview, has spoken - or rather performed - at a couple of our events. Watching a foley artist at work will change how you watch film forever: "There is this presumption that we spend all day smashing up watermelons... All the gloopy bits are brilliant for the sound of bits of brain hitting the floor and the wall. If you really need to up the ante you can get a pomegranate, slice it in half and gorge out the innards; it sounds like flesh, gooey with a bit of sinew in there. And celery is like bone crunching."
(5 min read)

How to Distinguish Between Active Voice and Passive Voice Using Zombies
Yep. That works.
(1 min read)

My Internet - A Format That Asks People About Their Internet Use
I've really enjoyed the Embedded newsletter since subscribing recently. This kind of format has been catching my attention recently. I really love reading about other people's media or digital habits. Sometimes it's about learning new things from them. Other times it's about being surprised by their choices.
(3 min read)

Objects - A Film About Things
There are two kinds of people. To some, objects are the root of clutter and materialism. To others, objects are a way to keep a treasured record of their lives. 'Objects' is the story of keepers.
(2 min watch)

We hope you've enjoyed this week's newsletter. I'm sure some of your friends would love to read it. Sharing it would be really appreciated. If you've received this from a friend you can subscribe here and get it direct to your inbox every Friday.

Thanks for reading and see you all next week,

Hugh, Matt, Anjali and the team at Storythings

Share

Forward

unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences

Edgar Wright Unpacks a Scene, Hollywood's Presentation Principles and Being Too Human

10 stories we've enjoyed this week

Older messages

10 Years of Storythings - 8 Stories About the Future

Deconstructing Tone of Voice, Not-Cool Britannia and Jon Ronson Chats to Adam Curtis

How to Spot Trends, Create Metaphors and Become an Ethical Brand

Halloween Viewing Recommendations, How Hitchcock Beat Creative Blocks, and 20 Questions to Ask Kids About Ghosts

23 Reasons To Use Lists, How to Build Community and How to Write Across Difference

You Might Also Like

GeekWire's Most-Read Stories of the Week

13 Things That Delighted Us Last Week: From Daschund Bags to Sparkly Toilet Seats

LEVER WEEKLY: Trump's Cabinet Of Curiosities

What our travel expert brings on every trip

☕ The Brew’s Holiday Gift Guide

How Friendsgiving became America's favorite made-up holiday

'The most serious telecom hack in our history'

Bitcoin Nears $100,000 | Ledger’s Big Break

The New MASTER PLAN

Guest Newsletter: Five Books