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Storytelling

Learn How to Tell a Story Pixar-Style

by | June 12th, 2012

Pixar might make kids movies but they are impeccably crafted kids movies. Their films tend to be simple, not because they're dumb or shallow, but because there's no wasted story. This makes Pixar storyboard artist Emma Coats's advice particularly worthy of attention. Over the past month or so, she has been tweeting words of wisdom she's received from Pixar's top people. Below are the 22 that have been getting around; however, she's constantly offering sage advice on her Twitter. No sight yet, however, of "Kids like cars, so make a movie where cars talk and said kids will be PUMPED."

Storytelling

Danny McBride: Eastbound and Down Is a 12-Hour Movie in Three Acts

by | August 4th, 2011

Eastbound and Down doesn't really feel like a normal TV show. And there's good reason for that! Danny McBride and Jody Hill write the show as if it's a long movie, and from the get-go they knew they wanted three seasons, with each representing an act with its own arc. Their process sounds pretty unique and is definitely fascinating. Here's McBride from a new GQ interview:

From the get go we knew no one was going to greenlight me and Jody to make a fuckin' four-hour movie. So we thought: let's make a TV show and stretch it out. We'd done The Foot Fist Way together, and we [...]

Storytelling

Watch Conan Narrate a Story About a Bear-Wrestling, Clock-Dancing, Ice Cream-Eating Little Boy

by | May 31st, 2012

I'd be in 21st grade if the school grade system continued on through adulthood. That is 19 more grades than the 2nd grade boy who wrote this delightful story. I don’t know what's better: having a character run away "just because he felt like it" or describing a bad guy as "uglier than a snake cut in half" or ending a story with an ice cream party. It was written with the help of the Story Pirates, which is an organization that teaches young kids to write stories – crazy, weird, ice creaming-ending stories.

Storytelling

Telling Stories in New York

by | April 5th, 2012

Over at the Times, comedy critic Jason Zinoman takes a look this week at the flourishing storytelling scene in NYC, talking about stories and shows by Ophira Eisenberg, Dave Hill, Kevin Allison and others. It's worth a read if you're interested in this oft-overlooked form of comedy.

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