Why 99% Of Stories Are Meaningless - Alan Watt [Founder of L.A. Writers' Lab]

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  • čas přidán 16. 01. 2024
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    Alan Watt is an LA Times bestselling author and winner of France's Prix Printemps for best foreign novel. He is the writer/director of the feature film, Eddie, Kill the President. which won 4 Best Feature awards at US Film Festivals, and the Filmmaker Visionary award at The Boston Film Festival. He founded L.A. Writers' Lab in 2002 where he teaches his process of marrying the wildness of your imagination to the rigor of story structure in his online 90-Day workshops for novel, memoir and screenplay, to writers around the world. His book, The 90-Day Novel is a national bestseller and was Amazon's #1 book on writing for five months. He has taught his method everywhere from maximum security prisons to Stanford University. His students run the gamut from first-time writers to A-list screenwriters and Pulitzer prize-winning journalists. His motto is, start where you are, trust the process, and let the thrill of creation be your reward.
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Komentáře • 160

  • @filmcourage
    @filmcourage  Před 3 měsíci +26

    What do you like about this one?

    • @40trill
      @40trill Před 3 měsíci +8

      Every word is valuable, thank you 😳

    • @dswp4882
      @dswp4882 Před 3 měsíci +10

      "Your job as a storyteller I believe is to support what your subconscious gives you" -I couldn't agree more
      Thank you, Alan, FC- cheers

    • @capuchinosofia4771
      @capuchinosofia4771 Před 3 měsíci +4

      Honestly, i found everything he said helpful! The things about the writers's fears was the one that resonated more with me at the moment, but again, everything he said is great!

    • @rocketshipevan
      @rocketshipevan Před 3 měsíci +3

      I like his views on the unconscious and writing, really struck a cord.

    • @joelaustin5408
      @joelaustin5408 Před 3 měsíci +3

      This is exactly the reminder I need right now. It is in these subconscious moments that the characters hop into the driver's seat and steer. It's what I love most about the process.

  • @benchristenson2280
    @benchristenson2280 Před 3 měsíci +166

    This sounds a lot why there is no continuity in stories today, with characters do what the plot needs them to do instead of being true to who they are as a character.

    • @genghiskhoo8312
      @genghiskhoo8312 Před 3 měsíci +11

      It’s funny how he contradicts himself right after saying the genius is in the subconscious. He quotes Einstein as saying you cannot solve a problem at the same level of consciousness that created it, but then goes on to state three elements of a story that resemble the all important plot. This I find is a recursion to conscious planning. I’d expected a deep insight of working with your creative subconscious but was instead treated to another standard 3-stage plot structure.

    • @giuoco
      @giuoco Před 3 měsíci +9

      @@genghiskhoo8312yea he also says to outline your story which is basically forming a blueprint for the entire story (problems AND solutions) in the same state of mind. Which is the opposite of what he says initially. I don’t think the greatest writers sat and outlines their script - I know my favourite writers don’t. It’s such bs LA advice - exactly like the fake yoga and therapy culture that’s so dominant nowadays.

    • @randell9667
      @randell9667 Před 3 měsíci +3

      Every Rian Johnson film ever made.

    • @bobbycenoura9064
      @bobbycenoura9064 Před 3 měsíci +2

      @@genghiskhoo8312 "Everything is and isn't at the same time." - The Kybalion

    • @anglach3l
      @anglach3l Před 3 měsíci +2

      @@genghiskhoo8312A changed mentality beneath the same action can produce a changed result.

  • @MisterBooSky
    @MisterBooSky Před 3 měsíci +68

    3:37 "The story is not about what happens, it's about the meaning we ascribe to what happens."
    What an awesome video! As a writer, I've learned so much from listening to Alan Watt.

    • @Mallarkey
      @Mallarkey Před 3 měsíci +2

      This is what I've always told my kids as they grew up. "What is it about" is very different from "what happens". Meaning overrides plot.

    • @kayskreed
      @kayskreed Před 3 měsíci +1

      I understood it as: "Plot is what happens. Story is what does it mean and why does it matter?"

  • @arttech4347
    @arttech4347 Před 3 měsíci +30

    "The fears you have in writing your story are identical in nature to the fears your protagonist has within the story."
    Beautifully said.

  • @jpgreer
    @jpgreer Před 3 měsíci +46

    Alan Watt’s approach and methods are fantastic. I wrote the first draft of a script last year, and the characters were flat and forced. I’ve been working through Alan’s “90 Day Screenplay” now as I do the second draft. The characters are alive and interwoven with the plot in ways I never could have imagined-a completely different animal! “Save the Cat” and other structure books are great, but they’re only part of the equation. Alan helps you utilize the creativity you didn’t know you had.

    • @julius-stark
      @julius-stark Před 3 měsíci +3

      Have you considered using the personality enneagram? I'm not sure how popular it is with writers, but after I kinda figure out what characters I want/need I use the enneagram to help me figure out what their core personality is, and then try to line up the characters they have to interact with the opposing personalities in the enneagram to ensure there's always some kind of conflict in what everyone wants, even if it's among people who love each other.

    • @jpgreer
      @jpgreer Před 3 měsíci +2

      I've toyed with the enneagram approach briefly. Still experimenting with it, but it seems like a viable method for pairing characters. Sometimes I find that the characters seem to develop (i.e., pair up) naturally in ways that seem to correspond to archetypal/enneagram models. Maybe this is part of our human condition. Where Alan's approach is really helpful for me is in letting the subconscious play with ideas that the conscious mind might squash because these ideas don't immediately "fit" the initial story idea. Admittedly, Alan's remark about being the "channel" instead of the "author" to me is semantics, but I get what he's saying. There's more to authorship than a conscious notion of what the story must be. The subconscious must have its day or the story will be flat. @@julius-stark

  • @thereccher8746
    @thereccher8746 Před 3 měsíci +24

    Good ideas are easier to write. Writing is difficult enough, no need to make it harder by going in without a premise you're passionate to see flourish.

  • @enthusiast1
    @enthusiast1 Před 3 měsíci +12

    I felt enlightened by the notion of not discarding a creative idea but seeing how it can be supported. He elucidates it in a manner that had me seeing the notion of my ego as referee, getting in the way, and it standing aside, allowing goodness to be nurtured to see where it goes if supported. I do not know much about the writing scene or Alan Watt but if I were seeking writing guidance I'd want someone like him, someone with solid process and hands off the story... It's really a beautiful thing to hear stuff like this, even for someone in a different field.

  • @theimaginarium
    @theimaginarium Před 3 měsíci +8

    "the unconscious is the seat of your genius" --you said it right there, Alan. Neuroscience is behind you on this, actually. Cheers

  • @AdamKucharczyk
    @AdamKucharczyk Před 3 měsíci +5

    Interestingly one of the best advices I received on being a god Game Master in RPG was: let go your scenario, let the players be and create the world, let yourself be surprised by the direction your game is taking in the frames of the world you are the creator of.

  • @user-uj7kd6mb5b
    @user-uj7kd6mb5b Před 3 měsíci +9

    Ideas are just ideas until a back story or deeper meaning is established. I'm going to go over my log lines and synopsis. Alan Watt Thanks!!!❤

  • @piyarudeechaiyaporn9626
    @piyarudeechaiyaporn9626 Před 3 měsíci +8

    The host did ask great questions.

  • @marscentral
    @marscentral Před 3 měsíci +4

    Talking about his fear exercise just made me realise things about the protagonist of a story I wrote a couple of years ago. I'm so glad I watched this because he is really insightful about the process.

  • @WookieeRage
    @WookieeRage Před 3 měsíci +4

    I have become a fan of screen writing because it helps me create the scenarios and stories for my group's RPG sessions. Roleplaying games are usually about a Cadre of characters and their heroes journey. Screen writing helps me weave a tapestry that the players can co-create their stories within.
    I love your emphasis on meaning because that is how the player's characters really come alive and what makes memorable moments and characters.

  • @successanimation
    @successanimation Před 3 měsíci +3

    5:43 This is one of the most genius things ever said.

  • @lisathuban8969
    @lisathuban8969 Před 3 měsíci +5

    You bring up "It's a Wonderful Life" because it's an amazing script?
    Great advice for writing. Helped me solidify a few things. Thanks.

  • @FlyingOverTr0ut
    @FlyingOverTr0ut Před 3 měsíci +7

    Watt has a lot of great info that maybe coincidentally, or maybe because writers find similar roads to their work that what he's describing is mirroring a lot of my own writing process currently and what other professional writers have coached me on.

  • @Tubymay
    @Tubymay Před 3 měsíci +2

    I really liked his book! It was so riveting that I had to put it down, take a breather, stop worrying about the main character, come back a few days later, keep reading and stop again out of anxiety for the plot. Even now I see the image of the dad character’s face in my mind very vividly and I read this a while ago. I was walking in time square one day and I saw a sign about a musical about Niel Diamond and I thought “who do I know that really likes that artist?” and then I realized-it was the dad character from the book 😂

  • @daltonstull1790
    @daltonstull1790 Před 3 měsíci +5

    This has to be my favorite channel on CZcams. I've obtained the most value here bar none. Thank you so much.

    • @filmcourage
      @filmcourage  Před 3 měsíci +1

      Wow, thank you! This is wonderful to hear. Glad the videos have been helpful.

  • @LAURENMORENOFILMS
    @LAURENMORENOFILMS Před 3 měsíci +2

    This is literally genius and so helpful! 🙌🏼

  • @dragonstooth4223
    @dragonstooth4223 Před 3 měsíci +8

    Great advice. Your bringing the story back to the human element which is what hooks viewers.

  • @forkfighter
    @forkfighter Před 3 měsíci +2

    Good video! I started work on a screenplay about a year ago. I figured it was going to be easy because I had what I thought was a good idea. But when I actually started writing the outline and thinking about it for more than five seconds, I realized that it's not that cut and dry. I've learned so much about my story and the characters and I stopped trying to force things to happen. Playing around with ideas has made writing more enjoyable. Needless to say, I'm looking forward to when I actually finish my first draft.

  • @yojimbo3681
    @yojimbo3681 Před 3 měsíci +5

    Exactly. Ideas are a dime a dozen. What happens next after your initial hook is what counts.

  • @lexc1560
    @lexc1560 Před 3 měsíci +3

    I like the way this guy talks.

  • @reezethevampire
    @reezethevampire Před 3 měsíci +9

    What an absolute bombshell at 8:05 to 8:40. What an interesting way to approach storytelling and getting into the right headspace.

  • @Monkwhispers
    @Monkwhispers Před 3 měsíci +2

    Wow! Wonderful he talk about the self conscious and spirit in writing! Ideas are last all is writers sub conscious minds!

  • @Rise876
    @Rise876 Před 3 měsíci +6

    8:05 is really interesting to me. Im definitely going to explore that.

  • @theoutcaste
    @theoutcaste Před 3 měsíci +2

    The unconscious is the seat of genius.
    I have been contemplating a lot about dreams for quite awhile. Dreams as in, while you're sleeping.
    Frequently i have, what i call, 'weird' dreams. Sometimes very vivid, detailed, long and involved. Many times things happen in my dreams that "I" would never think of.
    What amazes me is it takes no effort. The dreams are spontaneous. Scenarios, dialog, characters. Sometimes rather wise ideas. Formulated instantly by my Unconscious Mind.

  • @saint_odonnell
    @saint_odonnell Před 3 měsíci +2

    Hot damn! That was good.

  • @alexburke1720
    @alexburke1720 Před 3 měsíci +2

    Puts the courage in film courage.

  • @bldcaveman2001
    @bldcaveman2001 Před 3 měsíci +4

    This is a revelation to me thanks!

  • @lastdays9163
    @lastdays9163 Před 3 měsíci +2

    " The channel was being celebrated" is something that most fear to admit and to say out loud. The creative mind is a channel and what comes through isn't ours. I believe there are some people who construct their stories purely from their own imagination but many of us do not. Part of the process of writing is to be honest with ourselves and not obstruct the channel, even if what comes through doesn't adhere to what we are trying to construct.

  • @Hala-ataa
    @Hala-ataa Před 3 měsíci +2

    This is gonna sound crazy but…
    I’m a first time writer (writing a custom novel for my little bro’s Christmas present).
    And the last few days, I have been dreaming about these ideas. Like there was something I wanted to express about the process, but didn’t know how to articulate. And I knew if I could articulate how the story needs to flow (and what I need to surrender to let it), it will turn out amazingly.
    This video put all of those needs into words. Every single one.

  • @MrTomfooligans
    @MrTomfooligans Před 3 měsíci +2

    This is one of the best ones on this channel. This resonated deeply with me. Thank you.

  • @GamesbyMarcWolff
    @GamesbyMarcWolff Před 3 měsíci +3

    It's actually 100% based on our research survey, and the real reason is because they're not Grand Unified Theory compliant.
    I discovered what appears to be the Grand Unified Theory of Storytelling
    Based on 18 months of research we could not find a single complete story in all of human history.
    This now answers the question, "What is a story?", and formalizes the criteria of a story which also largely eliminates writer's block, among other things like guaranteeing an entertaining and inspiring result (regardless of genre, to a general audience).

  • @iBluefoot
    @iBluefoot Před 3 měsíci +5

    Fantastic, one of your best videos! Though, admittedly, that is because it entirely lines up with my own writing principles.

  • @TheMightyPika
    @TheMightyPika Před 3 měsíci +3

    This was fantastic. One of the most informative vids yet.

  • @user-zg3bc7rl4r
    @user-zg3bc7rl4r Před 3 měsíci +10

    Al Watt is a great writing coach with a unique process. I spent 14 years trying to write the first draft of a novel - and failed. I took his ‘90 day novel’ course and completed a decent first draft. I’m on my fifth and final draft now and looking to get it published. 😊

    • @filmcourage
      @filmcourage  Před 3 měsíci

      Awesome! Thanks for posting and best of luck with your novel!

    • @randell9667
      @randell9667 Před 3 měsíci

      You won't know if it's your final draft, until you've completed it, and re-read it once more.

  • @EwenBell
    @EwenBell Před 3 měsíci +2

    Some beautiful advice from Alan, thanks.

  • @TimMaxShift
    @TimMaxShift Před 3 měsíci +9

    5:50 If you don't restrain your subconscious, the script/story writing process can turn into a therapy session, an attempt to speak out rather than write a story. The ability to let your subconscious come out is a great ability, but the final decision should be made by the conscious mind so that it doesn't turn into a muddled mess that only a therapist can analyze.
    The "my character wouldn't do that" claim is a very good claim. It's not a reason to discard the idea, but it is a reason to think about why your subconscious mind is demanding these exact actions from this character. Maybe you're trying to put yourself into it? Maybe it says something about your problems and unfinished "gestalts"?
    Or maybe on a subconscious level you understand the character better than on a conscious level. And that means you need to pay more attention to character development. Perhaps your subconscious has found a double bottom, or has found far more important and valuable accents to place than your conscious mind.
    But you can't blindly follow your subconscious.

    • @naturesquad9174
      @naturesquad9174 Před 3 měsíci

      Jokes on you my story is about subconscious processes

  • @ashleyo9378
    @ashleyo9378 Před měsícem

    How much knowledge, insight and profound advice can you provide?
    Alan: Yes.

  • @ShingInAction
    @ShingInAction Před 3 měsíci +2

    I'm afraid to write this story because... "The fears you have in writing your story are identical in nature to the fears that your protagonist has in the story."

  • @JohnWick-mv5pr
    @JohnWick-mv5pr Před 3 měsíci +8

    Very insightful. Especially what Alan had to say about the Oscars. Amazing.

  • @lancasterpictures6951
    @lancasterpictures6951 Před 3 měsíci +2

    so many of these "story" blokes talk absolute waffle. this guy is excellent and the real deal. Particularly on the role of the subconcious in storytelling. Too many people treat writing as maths

  • @shopski
    @shopski Před 3 měsíci

    Absolute legend, loved this one!

  • @skiatauli
    @skiatauli Před 3 měsíci +4

    This was wonderful. It brought the crux of the matter back to the ground - to an artist's subconscious , to the channel (which is what matters as he said). It kind of rewired I guess to where it all gets created, to be aware of that. Awards serve the ego. I was surprisesd to know the story of how Oscars got created - out of fear.

  • @stephAnima
    @stephAnima Před 3 měsíci

    Thank you for bringing up the importance of channeling🙏 oh my what a synchronicity❤

  • @waynekent6239
    @waynekent6239 Před 3 měsíci +10

    I would say that several ideas that are brought together to make a whole, is what makes a story. All the characters are created to present the story themes.

  • @howardkoor9365
    @howardkoor9365 Před 3 měsíci

    Great interview

  • @savannahtaider
    @savannahtaider Před 3 měsíci +4

    I got to thank you SO MUCH for this interview. I’m amongst one of your avid viewers and this is BY FAR one of the most educative interviews you’ve done. So glad you got to collect all those gems. His perspective on meaning and fears is just 🤯🤯

  • @R3fuge
    @R3fuge Před 2 měsíci

    "You can't solve a problem at the same level of consciousness that created the problem"
    I was not ready for the truth bomb to be in the first minute of the video. I'm not even in screenwriting, but as a fellow creative these are so relevant to what I'm going through.

  • @randheerpykkat5157
    @randheerpykkat5157 Před 3 měsíci +2

    Waiting for the full interview

    • @filmcourage
      @filmcourage  Před 3 měsíci

      This is the first segment in a new interview with Alan Watt. Here is the link to our previous full interview with Al - czcams.com/video/tBR5BCLkHDE/video.html

    • @randheerpykkat5157
      @randheerpykkat5157 Před 3 měsíci

      @@filmcourage that is byheart😎

  • @timely383
    @timely383 Před měsícem

    Karen your questions are so good, I love you

  • @mrbigstuff1966
    @mrbigstuff1966 Před 3 měsíci +2

    Storytelling is the path of the unknown to the known.

  • @capguncarcrash
    @capguncarcrash Před 3 měsíci

    Kavalier & Clay is my entire adolescence, goddamnit i love that novel, so happy to be reminded of it

  • @AwesomeFullHDvideos
    @AwesomeFullHDvideos Před 3 měsíci +2

    thx will watch tomorrow as its gone 1am for me

  • @NonSenseMcGee
    @NonSenseMcGee Před 3 měsíci +6

    "Not the author, but the channel." Huh? I had to relisten to make sure he said that.
    If I wrote like this I'd have to be in a padded room.
    Edit: I dont think he actually watched the first half of Its a Wonderful Life. It made total sense to the story that Potter wanted to edge George out by bringing him in to work for him. He wanted full control of the town and George was always the fly in that ointment.

    • @G-Blockster
      @G-Blockster Před 3 měsíci

      Alan said when the story started, Potter wouldn't have offered to employ George. It was only after George had begun his transformation in the middle of the story, did Potter try to tempt him with a job.

  • @MiLES2iNFINiTYBIZ
    @MiLES2iNFINiTYBIZ Před 3 měsíci +1

    Thank you 🙏🏾

  • @rainertheile433
    @rainertheile433 Před 3 měsíci +2

    At last I know, i am not on my own!

  • @user-tc7lm9yg3m
    @user-tc7lm9yg3m Před 3 měsíci +2

    Beautiful tbh

  • @donjindra
    @donjindra Před 3 měsíci +4

    Of course ideas are not stories but stories without ideas are even more worthless.

    • @businesswalks8301
      @businesswalks8301 Před 3 měsíci

      yea but that doesn't trap members into their cult to be humbled as well... because you're the channel NOT the author.

  • @PoetryInHats
    @PoetryInHats Před 4 dny

    One of the most interesting videos in a long time. Literal inspiration. Hmmm...

  • @ryanhowell4492
    @ryanhowell4492 Před 3 měsíci +2

    awesome

  • @audiogarden21
    @audiogarden21 Před 3 měsíci +10

    This is my first exposure to Alan Watt. First off, I like him already because he spells his name correctly, A l a n. Second, I wholeheartedly agree with the channel aspect of creation. That's exactly how all of my stories have come to be, as a simple spark of subconscious inspiration. Heck, two of my stories literally evolved from dreams I had many years ago.

    • @galaxynote4752
      @galaxynote4752 Před 3 měsíci +1

      How else is Alan spelled?

    • @audiogarden21
      @audiogarden21 Před 3 měsíci

      @@galaxynote4752 Exactly. Some imposters spell it A-l-l-e-n.

  • @DeathScyther006
    @DeathScyther006 Před 3 měsíci

    "The story is not about what happens it's about the meaning we ascribe to what happens."
    I screamed "YES" when he said this. I'm so sick and tired of CZcams film critics giving their analysis at the level of summary.

  • @faithfaraday
    @faithfaraday Před měsícem

    I have no fears in writing my story. I'm not sure how I would complete that assignment...

  • @naturesquad9174
    @naturesquad9174 Před 3 měsíci +2

    I dont actually know what plot is, i just write my story and readers tell me they think i was born to write it. And its cuz i let my subconscious AND my conscious fears go buckwild. The weirdest analytical thing i discovered tho, was i ended up writing the subconscious and life details of a distant family member ive never met. I have to admit, that was possibly the most shocking revelation of my life

    • @naturesquad9174
      @naturesquad9174 Před 3 měsíci

      I also decided to approach my writing for this story role playing as a megalomaniac author, conversing with the true storyteller in my mind, a formless voice in the void... and the ideas, these unrefined germs that emerged, became living, wild things that opened new waypoints and twists in the story. Characters became scarier, more vulnerable, and the more salacious it gets, the happier (and scared) my readers seem to get. So who am I pleasing? My audience? Myself? Or the voices in my head who force my pen to the page...all I know is this choice delivered me to a confrontation with true meaning, one I dont need to tame or constrict, because it explains itself, under the trembling membrane of words

  • @jessebbedwell
    @jessebbedwell Před 3 měsíci +8

    In complete agreement that an idea can be the germ of a story, but is not a story in itself. However, he lost me with the needs driven paradigm. That is a way of telling a character story, but not the only way and I am all about breaking the rules we've all come to know and expect.

  • @WalterTheBalter
    @WalterTheBalter Před 2 měsíci

  • @eudaemonical
    @eudaemonical Před 3 měsíci +2

    Very good clip, but it seems to me that his point about outlining does not follow from the premise that writers shouldn’t be attached to their ideas. Wouldn’t it be more accurate to say exactly the opposite? That the answer is to not outline at all and just let the story and characters flow freely out of the idea? Outlining just seems to ossify it even more.

    • @minkya1010
      @minkya1010 Před 3 měsíci +1

      That's where I kinda get lost. How can you have an outline without plotting? And how can you plot but allow the character free reign?

    • @Ruylopez778
      @Ruylopez778 Před 3 měsíci +1

      TL;DR the process is about expression and experimentation, no matter how you begin, or how long you spend on each phase. I think trying to prove definitively that outlining does or doesn't harm creativity and flow is a mute point. I think it just depends on the individual and how it's easiest for them to problem solve.
      I think this comes down to how a writer outlines. Some people just go with their first instinct and list/fit plot points down until they have something to start writing with (and that's fine if that works for them). For others, the outlining stage is a thorough interrogation of the ideas and characters, where they experiment, and they don't start writing until they feel really solid about the direction. On top of that, outlines don't have to be followed to the letter. It's more like a safety net to keep you motivated and focused - for example, you could jump to a different scene from your outline if you're stuck on one scene.
      I suppose most writers probably jump back and forth between outlining and writing, either in their mind, or consciously by making changes to their outline. IMO, outlines aren't supposed to be rigid. I think his point is that without an outline to explore what could happen and why, the writer might be relying on their first idea of what they expect the story is, or want the story to be. I think many writers finish an outline or first draft, and find that what they're actually writing about is something very different from their first assumption, because the emotions they wanted to express are hard to articulate directly without exploration. And then the writer has a choice to follow the direction that the process has shown them, or try and force the story into being what they envisioned it "should be".
      I think it doesn't matter what the writer's process is and how much time they allot to each phase of the process. But it is important to really explore ideas and be open to being bold and vulnerable, and not constrained by expectations or fears of judgement.

    • @eudaemonical
      @eudaemonical Před 3 měsíci

      @@Ruylopez778 I see your point. It’s part of why I think it’s weird that he focused on outlining and not exploration or familiarization with character. Those do seem essential to writing.

  • @markwrede8878
    @markwrede8878 Před 3 měsíci

    I usually feel like I've entered an interesting world shackled to a fool.

  • @markothwriter
    @markothwriter Před 3 měsíci

    This is why actors need to do some acting. even if they hate it. You won't learn to communicate with your subconcious unless you act and be on stage.

  • @faithfaraday
    @faithfaraday Před měsícem

    "The channel" is an illusion. It's actually you, it just doesn't feel like it.

  • @ConsecrationChronicles
    @ConsecrationChronicles Před 3 měsíci

    2:52

  • @aclaylambisabirdman6324
    @aclaylambisabirdman6324 Před 3 měsíci +2

    It’s funny he says Channel, to me it’s God, who is Love, great video learned a lot of how to get out of my own way. Grateful 🙏🏼

  • @DAMON409
    @DAMON409 Před 2 měsíci

    The idea isn't the story but you need the idea before you can write the story.

  • @milkflavored
    @milkflavored Před 3 měsíci

    I don’t know how to get into a spirit of play when it comes to writing 😅 Its a hobby I’m trying to learn, but I’m afraid it won’t be good enough and boring to read

  • @WolfGr33d
    @WolfGr33d Před 3 měsíci

    So how the heck do authors plot a story without knowing the meaning? How do you know when you're adding meaningful actions vs when you're adding meaningless action that will just be totally scrapped later?

    • @FathomlessJoy
      @FathomlessJoy Před 3 měsíci

      Welcome to the storyteller's dilemma?

  • @maksimnikiforovski2034
    @maksimnikiforovski2034 Před 3 měsíci +1

    His ideas are really philosophical. His first approach is Hegelian and of course he mentions the Socratic Method.

  • @lancenwokeji6349
    @lancenwokeji6349 Před 3 měsíci +1

    Not gonna lie, I barely understand the arguments behind the point being made. I really wanted to understand what he meant when he said that many authors get so attached to their ideas that they don't let the story go where it wants. Does he mean we should let the characters do what comes naturally to them? If that's what he meant, it didn't come across well at all. I'm not even sure how the example he uses supports the point.

    • @VincentStevenStudio
      @VincentStevenStudio Před 3 měsíci +1

      I think what he means is to let the characters guide the story. Let it be a natural progression. Don't lock yourself into an idea just because it was your original idea. Maybe along the way, you discover that something more interesting can happen, something better than your original idea. Give that new idea a chance. I recently shot a movie and when we shot the third act I decided last minute to change the entire ending, we didn't go by the script. I rewrote it the night before filming it. And that idea came to me as we were filming.

    • @LouisWritingSomethingCrazy
      @LouisWritingSomethingCrazy Před 3 měsíci +1

      He's talking about letting the characters dictate the plot vs having the plot force the characters actions.

    • @milkflavored
      @milkflavored Před 3 měsíci

      Thank you for asking this bc I felt exactly the same way. I don’t struggle with letting the characters lead bc I never get that far with my ideas - I would have liked more explanation about making writing playful, embracing fear, and letting our subconscious take the lead - those are all the things I struggle with after an initial idea. I don’t know how to ascribe meaning to the story itself, and I think that (over characterization) makes my stories flat.

    • @MiguelCruz-oz7km
      @MiguelCruz-oz7km Před 3 měsíci

      I think "letting your story goes where it wants" is problematic advice because it is so vague in and of itself that it forces the listener to supplying their own meaning which could be wrong. He does mention other things though that are helpful, a lot of which can be found in many other craft books.
      Some of what he cites can be found in Lajos Egri's The Art of Dramatic Writing. Egri gets into the idea of the character goal. On a subconscious level the audience wants to know what the main character wants. Anything that isn't about a character trying to pursue a want and encountering obstacles is boring.
      That's usually the #1 problem in rookie drafts. The characters are either engaging in pointless banter, delivering exposition apropos of nothing, or doing stuff for which there are no apparent stakes or obvious problems to be solved. So if you were someone who came to the conclusion that your story "wants" to be about idle chit chat, it would be wrong 99% of the time, Kevin Smith and Richard Linklater notwithstanding.
      Egri also gets into theme or premise or meaning. He's one of the earliest proponents of the idea laid out in the interview of thesis, antithesis, and synthesis also called the Hegelian dialectic. Egri doesn't believe a dramatist should start writing until they have a solid idea of what it is they are trying to say. One of the examples he gives is that Romeo and Juliet's central premise is "great love survives even death." One's story should be about proving their premise and this meaning should only become apparent at the end of the story.
      To that end I think the interviewee forgot part of his made up example. It opens with the guy's wife divorcing him because she doesn't know who he is. So he runs off to his father's vineyard where he ostensibly finds himself. There isn't a tag that closes that loop definitively which could be the wife coming back, saying, "I now see who you are," or the new wife saying, "I love you because you know exactly who you are."

  • @ZexoZ8
    @ZexoZ8 Před 3 měsíci

    Just write it, STORYBOARD IT! Know edit and animation. And make it. Now finding the money to make it is a different story. I just shot a sci-fi film dealing with androids. I don't give a shit about going to writing school. If you write screenplays, DO IT! There's really no rules. But you need to understand the powerfull aspect of the cinematic visual storytelling. Too many screenplays in the market now and NONE will get made into a film. Unless you take hold and get it made. You need too storyboard. That's why comic book avenue is best answer. If you write and don't now your visual.... Story yes.... but visual... you're screwed.

  • @justintrotter4186
    @justintrotter4186 Před 3 měsíci

    #ThatsLifeOnGod

  • @LL-fw7hi
    @LL-fw7hi Před 3 měsíci +1

    I really want to hear what this guy has to say but, oh my gosh is he full of himself. I only made it 2 minutes in before I couldn't watch anymore.

  • @satyestru
    @satyestru Před 3 měsíci

    Most of this video feels like it's about pantsing. I don't understand his suggestion to outline. Can someone explain, please?

  • @cybr_4027
    @cybr_4027 Před 3 měsíci

    So he gracefully just ditched the Oppenheimer question?

  • @cleangreen2210
    @cleangreen2210 Před 3 měsíci

    "They'd have to be in some way germane to the events of his life." Dude apparently hasn't seen the Oppenheimer.

  • @zerostozeros
    @zerostozeros Před měsícem

    The story is always about what happened. In Alan's story, if he includes one small detail, it changes everything. If he says the man was throwing his wife a surprise trip to France before she dumped him, devastated, the guy decides he's going to take the trip anyway so he can commit suicide but meets a carrot farmer that gives him new purpose. It's totally different. Meaning is subjective. The sequence of events is everything. Everyone assigns their own meaning. The meaning you try to inject into your story may never reach your audience. People see what is happening and draw their own conclusions. Case in point: what is the meaning behind the spinning top at the end of Inception? Another misconception about writing, I'm afraid. Writers are not Gods; they are storytellers. Tell the story and let the chips fall where they may. By the way, Alan is another guy who is giving screenwriting advice without a single screenplay credit on IMDB. I didn't say he doesn't know what he's talking about. I'm just saying how come this guy has been unable to successfully put his advice into practice and deliver. Hmm🤔. Sorry to seem negative, but I'm a sociologist and always curious about what drives teaching practices. The last point is the story about Louis B. Mayer is totally made up. A folktale that has been floating around the industry for years. In fact, the actors union started in 1933, so I guess the plan didn't work. Now you see how Alan doesn't need a shred of proof to tell that story. I don't believe it. The Guys building Mayer's house advised him an actors' uprising was about to happen. So Mayer convinced all of Hollywood at the time, let's create a diversion with this awards thing. That's gonna stop them from unionizing. Laughable! But maybe it is true. We all have to draw our own conclusions. My point exactly.

  • @wexwuthor1776
    @wexwuthor1776 Před 3 měsíci +1

    Kind of ironic how everything he said is great for art but not for commerce.

    • @filmcourage
      @filmcourage  Před 3 měsíci +1

      Isn't this what separates most of the industry - art versus commerce?

    • @wexwuthor1776
      @wexwuthor1776 Před 3 měsíci

      @@filmcourage Bit art and commerce have been known to spend a romantic evening together now and then.

    • @filmcourage
      @filmcourage  Před 3 měsíci

      I hope they still call each other in the morning. Thanks for the comment!

    • @wexwuthor1776
      @wexwuthor1776 Před 3 měsíci

      @@filmcourage Thanks for the content. You guys are awesome!

  • @wexwuthor1776
    @wexwuthor1776 Před 3 měsíci

    Tad Hamilton is way out of Jan Brady's league. Marsha is a different story, but not Jan.

    • @SkyCoreLLC
      @SkyCoreLLC Před 3 měsíci

      It turns out Tad hooked up with the dad who was Alice's secret sex slave.

  • @andrewlane7517
    @andrewlane7517 Před 25 dny

    anyone who quotes 'einstein' ......

  • @drockopotamus1
    @drockopotamus1 Před 3 měsíci

    I don't see why he's acting like it's one or the other. A good story to the laymen reader is a combination of the characters' motivations and the story. Any good story writer knows this. Seems like a convoluted way of looking at writing. The default should be a mix of it all.

  • @businesswalks8301
    @businesswalks8301 Před 3 měsíci

    the moment you realize you didn't get a job, but you joined a cult

  • @ricomajestic
    @ricomajestic Před 2 měsíci +5

    Oppenheimer was not that great.

  • @PardeepSharmaTv
    @PardeepSharmaTv Před 3 měsíci +1

    90 to 120 minutes will not be explained in 3 to 30 lines. Yes idea just idea like a girl killed her boss this is an idea. But why without a solid reason without a perfect charecter its fell false story.

  • @douglaswright4716
    @douglaswright4716 Před 3 měsíci

    Did this dude work in marketing? 12 minutes of "good idea", anecdotes and self contradictions. Food for thought,I suppose.

  • @dejanmarkovic3040
    @dejanmarkovic3040 Před 3 měsíci

    Lost me with his choice of words in the first minute...pass...

  • @Psyclonus7
    @Psyclonus7 Před 3 měsíci

    Dude wrote 1 movie.

    • @mary-bethmanning3437
      @mary-bethmanning3437 Před 3 měsíci +3

      And that film won a number of independent film awards. He's also an award winning novelist. Check out Diamond Dogs

    • @InsanitysApex
      @InsanitysApex Před 3 měsíci

      1 successful film is more than enough to bring out the insecurity in a boy.
      Boy wrote 1 comment. and I made him click 1x too.

  • @misseclipse7415
    @misseclipse7415 Před 3 měsíci +4

    oppenheimer was LAME

    • @filmcourage
      @filmcourage  Před 3 měsíci +2

      What was lame about it?

    • @benchristenson2280
      @benchristenson2280 Před 3 měsíci

      @@filmcourage They argued about the concern with communist spy's without showing why.
      Think about the fact that western Europe and Poland in particular was given to the Russians based on that concern.
      Now consider how many millions and millions of people were sacrificed because of those spies.

    • @filmcourage
      @filmcourage  Před 3 měsíci

      Thank you for the comment, Ben. Was it trivialized? Did they not go in-depth for time's sake? Appreciate you explaining.