| Cue | Notes |
| Storytelling is joke telling: -Knowing your punchline and your ending -Everything is leading to one goal | |
| Make them care- emotionally, intellectually | |
| Make a promise: -Show that it will lead somewhere that is worth people’s time -Propels you forward through the story to the end | |
| Storytelling without dialogue: -Audience wants to work for the meal -Absence of information draws us in -Don’t give them 4, give them 2+2 | |
| Stories are inevitable, but they are not predictable | |
| Characters have a “spine”: -An interior motif that controls all of their decisions -They don’t always drive the character to make the best choices | |
| Drama is anticipation mingled with uncertainty: -Anticipation is tension -Honest conflicts with truth that creates doubt -Marlin tension with Dory forgetting everything, underlying global tension about “will we find Nemo?” | |
| Storytelling has guidelines not hard fast rules | |
| Make characters like-able -Woody is selfish in the beginning, he is kind and generous as long as he stays the top toy- him being nice under these conditions allows him to be like-able while still showing his character growth | |
| A strong theme is always run through a well told story- evoke and infuse wonder | |
| Use what you know- capturing a truth from your personal experiences |
Summary:
Storytelling is knowing your punchline and ending. It is drawing the audience in and making them care to show that it will lead somewhere and it is worth their time. The audience is smart, and absence of information draws them in and makes them interested. Using what you know from your personal experiences can help capture a truth.