The Power of Story

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Last November I wrote a blogpost about a keynote speech I attended entitled 'The Power of Story'. It was a truly inspired speech from Alison Owen, producer of Elizabeth I and the more recent hit 'Saving Mr Banks'. My previous post steered more towards what Owen said personally about her life and work, but having stumbled across my notes, there is more exciting stuff that I wish to share about the thing we all adore - STORYTELLING!

Stories exist in everything that we do. It is the latest news bulletin, the next X factor sob-story, the next TOWIE episode and in every play, song and piece of art that has ever been created. The problem is, that no matter how we tell these stories, how we symbolise them, they simply do not go to the same places that drama and cinema do. These are presented to the masses, critiqued by the hundreds and lapped up by an audience as though that Oreo milkshake was the last thing that would ever pass their lips. It has all that to battle. It also has a responsibility to suspend our disbelief and that is where it differs from other art forms. I share a wonderful quote from the evening,

'All art thrives on its restriction. Art does not move. Music has no image. Film has everything - but the challenge lies in leaving something out & inviting participation.'

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Film must leave out the clues we read in books, it must eliminate obvious character developments that give the ending away, it must deny access to flaws in the creation of an entire visual world in which interesting characters must live.

The speech went on to tell us that the hook of a story is always a need to know what happens next? These interesting characters we mention must be sympathetic to human nature, they must have a motive, a reaction and a reason for everything that they do. Whether we walk out of the cinema satisfied or feeling that the film was rather far-fetched, is likely to depend on how well these characters were developed and how often we asked ourselves what happens next? It doesn't matter how many times I saw Captain America throw a a good punch at the Winter Soldier, it was his backstory that interested me!

Oxytocin!

www.psychologytoday.com

What? I hear you say. Oxytocin is otherwise referred to as 'the love hormone'. The hormone is referred to by Alison Owen, as the storyteller's job. Well it's true isn't it? A story well told is one that leaves us feeling utterly in love with the film we just saw. The kind of Gladiator effect, or Amistad condition, or the symptoms that you suffer having seen 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' for the first time. Particularly within a recession, the love hormone becomes an even greater necessity within our film experience. We don't want angsty existential problems, we want stories of justice and happiness, that reflect the prevalence of the human spirit. We want our screens to woo us, whether it be by showing us a very estranged Scarlett Johansson in Under the Skin or indeed, the unbreakable nature and spirit of Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon Northup.

For me, it certainly doesn't matter what the critics say about amazing VFX or CGI brilliance, the STORY has always been central to our film experience. Gravity's amazing VFX still did not fail to alert me to the flaws in its script. I'll get back to you on this once I've seen Noah too. Story is not something that we can easily forget, it won't diminish with the advancement in technology to provide new ways to tell it. Social media, on demand, youtube sensations, viral videos, it is all simply another platform to utilise. We just haven't conquered it yet. The Power of Story will always surpass the power of technology, in my opinion. The power of Alison Owen's story about how producing 'Saving Mr Banks' brought her closer to her father, left me trapped inside the Curzon Soho surrounded by iron-hearted journalists and life-jaded professionals where I felt feeble, as all my being was holding me back from tears. Proof that stories are amazing! She didn't need a photoshopped image or CG projection to move me, it was her words alone that did that. I love story, the world does too, I just hope I get round to telling one.

OTHER LINKS: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/brit-producer-alison-owen-delivers-649424
http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/alison-owen-keynote-bfi-london-film-festival-2013