Proof of Concept - Breaking mediums in storytelling
Breaking mediums in storytellingIssue 67: How starting with the story allows creative exploration in how you tell it
Throughout the creative process, it can be difficult to take a step back and look at the picture. We’re often creating solutions that seek an actual problem. This holds true to storytelling. The medium in which the story is told is held like a dogma in what it is, and what it is not. In recent years, movies made by Disney’s Marvel Studios gets a lot of criticism as not being cinema. Acclaimed directors such as Martin Scorsese, Denis Villeneuve, and Ridley Scott have all taken shots, making critiques that it’s not cinema, copy/paste stories, or simply rubbish. My opinion of Marvel films is they are stories that exist in a medium that’s subverted. What if we looked at Marvel movies in the same way we do roller coaster rides? They’re family-friendly, entertaining, and optimized for simple thrills. If you look at the movies through that lens, they’re excellent. This is one example of taking a conventional medium (film) and creating a new experience around it (entertainment). Creating starting with the medium is too solution-oriented. It begins with the story you want to tell.
Breaking the conventional medium you’re used to allows different ways to tell stories. Anfernee Grant created a story for his daughter called The Big Bed that he built in Webflow. If Grant started with the conventional method, it likely would have been a printed book. By starting with the story, space was allowed to explore different mediums in which the user can experience and interact with it. In 1984, legendary musician Prince released a movie called Purple Rain. However, it really wasn’t a movie, but a music video or album that took the form of a movie. Hideo Kojima, creator of the infamous Metal Gear Solid video games grew up wanting to be a filmmaker, and it shows when he created the game on Playstation. The game was loaded with so many cutscenes that for the end-user it felt like watching a movie that you had to press buttons from time to time. The infusion of video games and film changed how someone can interact with a movie. I’ve contemplated the idea of writing a book as a personal goal. What I’ve realized in the past few years is writing a book is not the goal, but instead, it’s telling stories. In many ways, this newsletter is a way to tell stories. Perhaps building an interactive web experience is another way to tell stories and doesn’t have to be bound in a book. Apps can be art. NFTs can be a form of patronage. Code is poetry. The story supersedes the medium. Tweet of the weekHype linksEnjoy this newsletter? Please consider sharing it with friends, or subscribing if you haven’t already. I appreciate it! Sincerely, DH |
Older messages
Applying growth design and prototyping to yourself
Sunday, November 14, 2021
Issue 66: How tiny experiments can guide you in your career
So it's come to this: a Proof of Concept clip show
Sunday, November 7, 2021
Issue 65: A look back at some of my favorite things to write
Understanding Iconic Design
Sunday, October 31, 2021
Issue 64: Exploring what hamburger buns, computer hardware, and moles teach us about iconic design
Finding your Creative Lazarus Pit
Sunday, October 24, 2021
Issue 63: My pilgrimage to New York City for creative rejuvenation
Mastering deliberate practice
Sunday, October 17, 2021
Issue 62: We're talking about practice
You Might Also Like
Pierce & Ward’s Secret Sources, Business Advice You Can’t Afford to Miss, and More
Friday, April 19, 2024
View in your browser | Update your preferences ADPro “Minimalism is not my strong suit.” So says Emma Roberts, the muse behind AD's May cover story. (Celebrities—they're just like us!)
World Press Photo Contest, Speedometer 3.0, Anchor Position, Sliding Frame, Meta Llama 3
Friday, April 19, 2024
The 5 best design links, every day. Curated by a selection of great editors. Email not displaying properly? View browser version. Sidebar April 19 2024 The World Press Photo Contest Documents War,
Car UX, DevTools Tips, CSS Patterns, iOS404, Internet Cables
Thursday, April 18, 2024
The 5 best design links, every day. Curated by a selection of great editors. Email not displaying properly? View browser version. Sidebar April 18 2024 Steering the future: a new vision for car UX
Big Tents, Pistachio Palettes, and Other Late-Breaking Milan Discoveries
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
View in your browser | Update your preferences We've had a remodel! From now on, you'll be hearing from AD PRO in your inbox twice a week—once with a deep dive into trends to watch and subjects
163 / Dieter Rams inspired Framer components, America's national parks and more free resources…
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Product Disrupt Logo Product Disrupt Half-Monthly Apr 2024 • Part 1 View in browser Welcome to Issue 163! I'm comfortable talking to a human on camera, but talking at the camera, not so much. The
Logo System, BCWA Identity, War Robots, 84—24, 19th-Century Atlas
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
The 5 best design links, every day. Curated by a selection of great editors. Email not displaying properly? View browser version. Sidebar April 17 2024 Logo System: Explore 400+ logo designs logosystem
Emma Roberts's Home: AD100 Firm Pierce & Ward Share Their Secret Sources
Tuesday, April 16, 2024
Plus, the best exterior house colors View in your browser | Update your preferences Architectural Digest AD PRO Logo exterior of two residential buildings painted with blue trim with a brick patio and
#452: Design Workflow
Tuesday, April 16, 2024
How to choose the right idea, navigate difficult conversations and communicate design. Issue #452 • Apr 16, 2024 • View in the browser Smashing Newsletter Iyi akşamlar Smashing Friends, Design workflow
Mario & Pareto, faces.js, Sleep vs Blog, Dark Mode, DOM Folding
Tuesday, April 16, 2024
The 5 best design links, every day. Curated by a selection of great editors. Email not displaying properly? View browser version. Sidebar April 16 2024 Mario meets Pareto mayerowitz.io Discover how to
Gap, Teenagers, Artistic Intelligence, Should Designers Code, CSS in RSCs
Tuesday, April 16, 2024
The 5 best design links, every day. Curated by a selection of great editors. Email not displaying properly? View browser version. Sidebar April 15 2024 Gap is the new Margin frontendmasters.com In 2020