What is Storytelling?

Now when I say (or technically write) the word storytelling the first thing that will come to your Now when I say (or technically write) the word storytelling the first thing that will come to your mind is that there is a story and it is being told. Then what’s the big deal about it? What do I have to write an entire post dedicated to storytelling? That’s because in filmmaking storytelling is not just having a story written down in the form of a script and presenting it on the screen. It’s way more than that… 

It’s about bringing a world to life. For me personally making a film is about creating a realistic and believable world yet separating it from the reality we actually live in. It’s like creating an alternative reality, which feels real but isn’t really real. Okay I know, I have used the real word too much! But it is what it is. I personally believe in creating stories that will feel real. 

Now you will say that there are some genres like for example fantasy that can never happen in real life. Agreed but when I think about making a fantasy film what I do is create a world that feels real. A world that the viewer will be taken to. A world which they’ll see and experience as if it were real. 

And the most important part of this world is the inhabitants of this world. Who are they? Why are they interesting? Why would someone be interested in their story? And how does someone connect with them? For these are the most important questions that I ask while looking at a script. There is this character written down on a piece of paper (or a computer), I look at it and try to bring it out of the paper into this world that has been created for it to live in. 

When a writer writes a script they are not just putting down words on a paper, they are creating a world, the inhabitants of this world, their lives, their journeys, their emotions. The writer has put in a lot of thought into making this world and it’s the filmmaker’s job to bring this world to reality and give the writer’s work the justice it deserves. 

So no storytelling is not just about having a script and presenting it. It’s about creating a world for the audiences to enjoy. It’s about building these unique worlds where the audiences can be transported to while watching the film and experience it as if it were their reality. It’s about taking the audience on a journey… 

It’s about creating characters that the audience can connect with… feel what they are feeling… Go through the ups and downs of the character’s journey. Now I am saying all the characters should be exactly relatable. Like maybe a fairy living underwater might not be relatable but should be a character that the audience can empathize with. They can understand her pain, cry with her when she is sad,  feel the fear she feels and celebrate her happiness. 

Yeah so that’s what storytelling is for me. That’s how I try to see every script I have and try my best to create this world for the audience to dive into and enjoy!