How A Master Storyteller Keeps The Audience Engaged - Mark W. Travis

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In this Film Courage video interview, writer/director/author/instructor Mark W. Travis by How A Master Storyteller Keeps The Audience Engaged.
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[@oracleofaltoona]

How about when you are watching the movie for the second or even third or more times and you find yourself wishing things would turn out differently for the character even though you know good and well it won't. That's masterful storytelling.

[@chriswest8389]

Especially when you can predict the ending and it still packs a wallop , that's great story telling.

[@Sam-lm8gi]

I'll never understand why people hate being manipulated by a storyteller or filmmaker. Being manipulated is the best!

[@sherlockinsomniac]

You must be into kinky shit

[@Sam-lm8gi]

Haha. ART is the only dominatrix I'm into. The freakier shit the better...

[@andrewparasino6476]

I read your comment and immediately thought “I hope he’s read CLIVE BARKER!” Lol

[@napppstar0]

People don't like to admit what they want. They say one thing and do another all the time.

[@elpalomitero]

It takes self confidence to appreciate being manipulated by the narrator in a movie or a book. If you don't have enough confidence in yourself it'll make you feel stupid, but if you are clever enough you'll just enjoy how the narrator got ahead of you and tricked you...

[@sunshinecodex4426]

He's a terrific storyteller he kept me captivated through the entire video!

[@ShowCat1]

I've written five books and four screenplays. After listening to Mark, I realize that I have a lot of rework to do. I wrote the screenplays after I wrote the books. Because of the nature of movie scripts (present tense) I believe it will make me a better literary author. Thanks, Mark.

[@CurriedBat]

I struggled for three years to write my first novel, before I realized I wasn't using the first person perspective... I picked up a book, gifted to me at the age of ten. Thank you George Martin for reminding me to use the naive narrator. Thank you also for this video! Thanks Mark!

[@emiliobanderas4269]

The word "gift" is not a verb, though.

[@CurriedBat]

@@emiliobanderas4269 lol, you've never had something gifted to you? Not even a re-gift move? Sadge. I feel for ya.

[@kyletitterton]

The incredibly well thought through, meditative, almost transcendental imparting of wisdom starts at 0:00.

[@malcolmdrake6137]

As long as you overlook the fact that it contradicts what he stated in other videos.

[@kyletitterton]

@@malcolmdrake6137 Done and done (and I mean done).

[@elijahlee3610]

@@malcolmdrake6137 what has he said before that contradicts this?

[@bobpowers9637]

@@malcolmdrake6137 take it with a grain of salt

[@moa3810]

"You are in the middle of The Story" - Amen

[@ComicPower]

Watching the videos on this channel feels like I am going to film school for Free. Thanks Film courage for creating this platform

[@filmcourage]

Thank you! Glad to hear you're enjoying the videos. :)

[@Maverick8t88]

He didn’t mean to, but he just described the problem with building suspense in prequels. They are, by their very nature, told in the past tense because we know which characters survive and what happens them. For instance: Solo didn’t work because we know Han and Chewie survive and pretty much everyone new introduced is expendable. Contrast to Rogue One, which was all new characters, the suspense worked because we didn’t know what was going to happen with any of them.

[@theTeslaFalcon]

So they rewrote 'A New Hope' & made Princess Leia a liar in the process. No, 'Rogue One' didn't work.

[@wiseauserious8750]

Great observation amigo. Hopefully they've learned their lesson with Obi-Wan, meaning I hope they create some original characters whose fates we care about since we know Kenobi lives

[@geneedgerton4482]

So true. The narrator has to deal with the emotions of the story before putting it on stage. So true!

[@MadMax22]

Sooooo you mean the writer right?

[@ericwilliams626]

There is only one main way to keep an audience attentive to your story. The mind wants something fresh, always, always. You use anticipation as a way to feed that animal. Once you do that externally or internally, that anticipation will keep them watching and wanting more even if your character is currently doing nothing in the moment. Underestand how to create anticipation.

[@CitizenKen1]

You just came to the conclusion William Archer discovered over a hundred years ago when writing plays. The essence of drama is “anticipation mingled with uncertainty” :)

[@LadyOfTheEdits]

I do that well and this is how.... I write. ^_^

[@ConcealedWeaponry]

Well how do you form and use anticipation well?

[@quyen3964]

wow, i love being mind-blowing by new perspective of the notorious thing

[@crucifixgym]

I can listen to everything this man has to say.

[@passdasalt]

This guy's yellow car story is better than my idea I've been thinking of for 3 weeks.

[@SharpDesign]

Narrator: so, there I was... Audience: well, he survived.. Boom. Mind blown from the first second of this video.

[@jaytile32]

Thats not always how it is

[@jesmarlesmar]

twisted boom american beauty

[@elpalomitero]

Unless you're watching American Beauty. Spoiler, BTW.

[@SharpDesign]

Oh, I see. 🙃

[@malcolmdrake6137]

James, from _Team Rocket,_ didn't survive _most_ of the stories he told about his past events...

[@Dadschairwisdom]

This is gold. 👌🏽

[@TheFeelButton]

When I'm busking I always try to be in the middle of the song for the passing audience to fully experience the music. It only takes a moment because all we have is the moment. Great interview!!

[@Scurvebeard]

Solid analogy.

[@jacksfacts20]

Good past tense story telling isn’t it the characters survive or not to the end (since you obviously know if they do) but to witness the trials and tribulations that made them who they were at the beginning of the story you already know.

[@deanpapadopoulos3314]

Brilliant. I guess this is the difference between a great story teller and others. I’ve wrestled this question for a long time without actually having the words to formulate it. There’s a place for all three but each must stay in their own lane: the omniscient story teller, the “naive” storyteller (misnomer there) as he’s telling the story as it happening as opposed to as it happened even though the event began and ended in the past, and the reaction to one’s past story which is called therapy which is important and should be done with a trained therapist. Moving in and out of the first two is fascinating, and I see it creates tension and anticipation which has been spoken much about in your other interviews. This really is master-level story telling. I liked what he said (all of it actually - such a brilliant man) that we want to be in it and that’s accomplished through second type of story teller. His example that movie scripts are in the present time (which use 4 of the present-time tenses) sealed the deal for me in making the point very clear. Wow!!!!!! What an amazing interview with amazing information!!! Lastly, his reply to the question of manipulation is so true!!!! And what he said that we cannot stand worse than a poor script or character is boredom. This is tremendous insight into the nature of our species. In other words: put us on a journey, a good one hopefully, but please DO NOT bore us. And, that’s why I believe that some of the screenwriters you interview are some of the smartest people in our country.

[@dreamcatcher5502]

What are the 4 present time tenses ?

[@deanpapadopoulos3314]

Simple present, present continuous, present perfect, and present perfect continuous. There is a fifth one from the conditional verbs.

[@ripcord93]

Ive been watching ur vids for quite a while now but never thanked you for the great job your team is doing..thank you all involved in this great production..

[@filmcourage]

This is very much appreciated! Thank you for the kind words. Hope you are staying safe during this time. Thank you again for watching. :)

[@edgarwilson2044]

Thank you @Filmcourage and Mark W. Travis for producing these well-thought out and insightful online storytelling masterclasses. It's always a pleasure watching them and learning from them.

[@CristenIris]

Excellent distinctions between narrative types. I never thought about it this deeply, makes perfect sense. Thank you for another excellent interview with an expert guest!

[@priyankaw3100]

This. Is. Gold.

[@filmcourage]

Thanks Priyanka!

[@AniketPatil-nk1vw]

Damn, he is good. In the past, the present & the future.

[@nachoooooo800]

This is so incredible that I pulled out a notebook and am literally taking notes right now...

[@teodorneshchadym6076]

One of the best storytelling life-hacks I ever heard

[@tintinfromindia2103]

Bloody brilliant!

[@meranism673]

Such an AMAZING information !

[@Jeremy.Sadoff]

This was amazing and very informative. Its so cool to dissect how good stories are told. Thank You!

[@filmcourage]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@inquisitivemind8672]

10:49 "Where are you going? 😂 I see that often in novels, an entanglement. The character explains and seeps what the author should have kept silent.

[@CraigHinrichs]

Great, great, great. Mark never disappoints.

[@einsteindarwin8756]

Thank you . I really needed to understand this. I had a manger who tried to explain this to me, but I couldn’t hear it because she didn’t explain it as well as you just did.

[@youtellmegod]

EXCELLENT! Thank You!

[@filmcourage]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ralphybillofrights7364]

Amazing explanation

[@davespurlock985]

This is gold.

[@BlueSpiritFire1]

This was fascinating! Really opened my eyes to my own way of writing, and especially why I'm feeling not too happy with it lately. I think I'm using the wrong narrator too much, or perhaps the wrong way. I'm going to binge these videos for sure!

[@TheSepia1]

This is GREAT!! Thanku!!!

[@robbmorris7790]

Super Valuable Info! This new knowledge prompted me to rewrite a monologue at a crucial moment in my script. Definitely made it more impactful.

[@filmcourage]

Love to hear it Robb!

[@_Johnny_BRAV0]

AWESOME ✨

[@yapdog]

Very good. I always write my novels in the present tense, as well. It's more immediate. Visceral.

[@Whimsy3692]

Eh.

[@yapdog]

@@Whimsy3692 yapdog ponders the meaning of "Eh," typing his reply to this enigma that is kateofthecity. However, as he hits Reply, he accepts the ambiguity, recognizing that not all things have meaning. Or relevance. Or value.

[@the7thseven873]

@@yapdog Perfect. "What will happen next?" The 7th Seven wonders as he press send.

[@yapdog]

@@the7thseven873 As the glow of the fridge’s light gives way to the that of dawn, on this day after the 5th day of the fifth month, I find myself lost in thought, contemplating the sum of what came before *The 7th Seven.* Would the scent of roses have given me clarity? Would playing the game have made me warier? Why don’t I ever let anyone talk to me about it? My feet praising the ceiling, head damning the wet tile floor, shards of a glass pitcher strewn, images of this unremarkable existence flash before me. Yet, in this fleeting moment, I can’t help but wonder: _What does it all mean?_

[@yapdog]

LOL! Figured that was way obscure and no one would post the answer :^D

[@brandoncobb4646]

I had to google him, but he's known as the "top brass" "director's director"

[@hassamgul2380]

Wisdom and that too for free: won't be a case in Masterclass...

[@gilgillis6193]

Excellent!

[@goodthoughtsco.9733]

Great tips!

[@dmlewey]

Really helpful, thanks.

[@filmcourage]

Glad it was helpful!

[@nathaniel4334]

This is excellent.

[@SuperTompo]

Very good advice

[@GUPRPEET-Singh]

Well, to me he actually described the whole gist if screenwriting.... Wow. Amazing knowledge in such a short video.

[@kenneth1767]

This is such good advice for the next telling of a campfire story.

[@DrRilwanuBello]

This is Amazon. Thank you, I will like to start writing stories soon that will help entertained and educate (health wise). Especially for Africa continents Thank you.

[@DMichaelAtLarge]

I have no idea what he's talking about. I mean, I do, but I've never heard this terminology before, in spite of all the books and articles I've read and all the presentations I've observed from other authors over the decades. The terminology of the omniscient vs. the naive narrator. And I think he gets it wrong in a specific and critical way. Fact is, most stories have traditionally been told in past tense. What he calls the omniscient narrator is really writing from the omniscient POV (point of view) and has nothing to do with what tense the story's written in. The omniscient narrator can get into the head of any character any time he likes, plus reveal any detail he wants, whether any character in the story is aware of it or not. You can tell a story that way in past or present tense. What he calls the naive narrator is really either first person POV or third person limited POV. That means there is no narrator outside the story. Each scene is told from the perspective of one of the characters, who can only reveal information that character knows up to that point. Which character is the POV character at any given point can switch, either at a scene break or a chapter break. Or with a first person POV story, only one character is allowed to tell the whole story---the character who says "I." But such stories can also be told in past or present tense. It's POV that defines whether you have an omniscient or naive narrator, not what tense the story is written in. Once you understand that distinction, sure, listen to everything he says about the difference between omniscient and naive narrators. Just remember that what he calls the narrator is actually the point of view the story is being told from. As for screenplays always being written in present tense, that's just a convention of the industry. When you write a screenplay, you can only include what's on the screen or in the soundtrack, because a screenplay is a written blueprint of what's going on the screen and in the soundtrack. Your screenplay can only describe what the audience will experience when they watch it. Since the audience watches the movie in real time, it only makes sense to write all screenplays in present tense, exactly as the audience experiences it. Also notice that, even though he also bills himself as an author (almost as an afterthought), he appears primarily to be a movie guy---you know, the medium where everything is in present tense and, for all practical purposes, there are no narrators telling the story. So while I'm sure he'd be a great resource for learning how to write professional screenplays, if you want to learn about narrators and POV and writing in past vs. present tense, I recommend you listen to those who use those tools as an integral part of their storytelling: book authors. UPDATE: Having read a bunch of other comments, I now stand by my comment more than ever. The misinformation Mark Travis dispensed about narrators has caused a bunch of people to trash past tense because tension can only be created and emotional stories can only be told in present tense. That's bullshit! Most written stories throughout history were written in past tense. I assure you, shitloads of them are loaded with tension and deep, emotional experiences!

[@exitrow767]

Great response 👍 I truly appreciate your comments and your clear explanation on this topic. You know what you're talking about and at the same time never attacked the speaker. You were most respectful and equally knowledgeable. My background is not in this area at all. When I first started to read your comment, I immediately thought why is this person disagreeing with this speaker in the video. I had an open mind and decided to continue reading your comment. Right away, I could see you were making logical sense. As I continued, to read on, I became very appreciative of your comments because you are right. I get it. Actually, I learned a lot from you. Now, I understand where the speaker misinformed his listeners. Thank you, for clearing all of this up for me.

[@amerehuman6791]

Your comment and his theory actually has the same essence for me... Maybe because like you say, I understood his talk about 'tense' is not actually about the tense. So I understood that he's talking about the suspense of not knowing... But, like you said,, in a perspective of someone who retell a story he's been through, suspense can exist as well... And, I don't think this person trying to dismiss that too... Neither he wants to misinform others. It is just a way that works for him... Since the beginning of this clips to the ends he does not advice people to only use the 'naive narrator' or 'present tense'. His point is to know when and how to use it to deliver the story properly in an engaging way... I think the different is,, whether you make people want to know what will happen... Or how it happen... To make people wonder will they survive,, or how they survive... It's up to the writer to 'manipulate' the audience in both ways... Also, of course he's a movie person, this channel is about screenwriting not book...

[@thac0twenty377]

You're missing the point

[@DMichaelAtLarge]

@@thac0twenty377 Apparently I'm not missing the point because you couldn't even articulate what point I'm missing,. After the extensive explanation I posted, you honest-to-God think you're going to impress me in any way just by uttering a meaningless "You're missing the point"? If you're going to participate in the discussion, then fucking participate! You know, like intelligent people do.

[@dreamcatcher5502]

​@@thac0twenty377 The point of view you mean ? He is right. I immediately wondered who is the narrator after watching this video. What is the POV ?

[@deusx.machinaanime.3072]

Nice concept.

[@LosinItwiththeHayes]

great advise

[@NIKONGUY1960]

Who is the best storyteller I know? John Grisham. He's a master. And this was a well thought out instructional video. Much appreciated.

[@drjmapple5510]

For me the best is Lord Nelson the British lawyer/judge.

[@uglehBaby]

You got a sub cos' of this amazing bit of writing wisdom.

[@filmcourage]

Welcome!

[@the7thseven873]

Present tense is what draws me more in a story. Even when I write through my novel it's like I'm seeing the scenes happening right there and then. Present tense is the Jam✨🙌🏾🏆 No doubt. Although, I must say. I sometimes do mix both. Present and Past tense. Yeah I know. It's kind of a Writer's Taboo or something. "No, You can't do both you must stick to one or the other." Understandable. However, I say I like to mix both. Why? Because some actions are in progress, and some action pass by quick. Done in an instant. Now, before you judge me, my friend. Let me show you what I mean by using both. Like this. "Yeah, ok," Fred agreed. Jess furrowed her brow in annoyance. "You can't just be following one line." She points at the large map, tracing each paths. "Look, there's more than one way to the top." "Alright." Fred takes a sip from his water bottle, clearing his throat. "Sounds reasonable. So which one is the fastest?" She flipped a coin in the air. "Well, that's up to you," she said, gazing up, catching the coin mid fall. "Can't rely too much on one thing, you know." And that's how I use it. For me it makes sense, and makes the vision clearer. Because it's happening in the moment. Like I said. Some actions are in progress, and some action pass by quicker. I hope this can prove to be useful to anyone who wants to add some extra mixture. Add a lil bit of that sauce in your scenes I believe it levitates the scene. What do you think? Oh, one more thing. Quick answers like: Yeah, Ok, Sure. Etc. Even when I am in present tense I still describe those words in past tense. Cuz it's quick. It's done before we know it. Not ongoing.✨✍🏾

[@FruitPunchSamurai44]

Hey can you give an example of this type of writing, using both present and past tenses for different situations? .. any novel in mind?

[@the7thseven873]

@@FruitPunchSamurai44 Hi, Unfortunately, I haven't read or seen a book yet from other authors that use both present and tense. I will definitely look for one. I believe it does exist. Because No rules are absolute truth. Especially in art. I mix present and past tense, because it allows me to keep the immersion. Of course you need to keep a good balance and not go crazy on it. This works well when the book is set in (Present) with small mixture of past tense in it. Present to → Past. Now, Past to→ Present. Is trickier. I tried it. Personally didn't like it. You can try it. But, yeah, I provided a Present to → Past tense example in my previous comment. The scene with Jess talking to Fred. It's written in both present & past tense. The main stage is Present. I'll look for other books to find out if any of them do the same. I hope I can find one. The way how I write has got me completely surprised and emerged in the story and characters movement making even small conversations feel more engaging. It's a strange hybrid, but one that works for me. present & past gives me more freedom to incorporate actions in dialogue. Anyways. ↓ www.quora.com/Can-I-mix-both-present-and-past-tense-in-first-person-fiction. In this link they show an example, but it is in first person. It's kind of how I do things.

[@UmairKhan_x]

This is some serious insight man im eternally grateful

[@the7thseven873]

@@UmairKhan_x ✨👍🏾

[@CaCriGuz]

Great! Thank you. :)

[@ScribblebytesWorldwide]

Love Travis! His actor work is amazing and so is this. I think Agatha Christie did this (what he explained) very well.

[@AntonioSilva-ld4dq]

Its funny. I have some reflections about this same thing, i wrote them in some computer or book some time, year ago maybe, the present tense keeps more things like in a 'i dont know whats happening next' so keep more the attention of the listener among other things. Very good insight from this man.

[@MRMORECOMEDY]

Wow!! That's a wonderful presentation there and I think henceforth I want to be a great naïve narrator.

[@filmcourage]

Thanks for watching, appreciate the comment.

[@stagename2]

I love writing in present tense with a naive narrator. It feels more visceral to experience the moment. Past tense often feels like your explaining an event instead of living it.

[@mattiachiaravalloti6884]

interesting, but debatable. it's full of great compelling stories written in the past tense.

[@animetrip18]

Great

[@lmathews5608]

❤❤❤classic

[@stagename2]

Present tense all day for me

[@fellowcitizen]

Keeps reminding me of William Goldman and the Princess Bride

[@SadiqKhan-vi8wz]

Nice

[@davemccrea9000]

I don't think people enjoy being manipulated per se, they enjoy feeling strong emotions because it reminds them of meaning and therefore makes them feel more alive

[@FreddyBaggett]

It's kinda like being fooled for the 5th time by your dad's "pull my finger trick". You knew what was about to happen, but that 5th time you heard no noise, only silence, so you thought you had beat your dad at his own game, and at that moment you figured out the silent ones are the deadliest... Dad, the master manipulator, wins again!

[@LadyOfTheEdits]

My preferred writing style is in preset tense ^_^

[@filmcourage]

Who is the best storyteller you know?

[@smokydogy]

I dunno, probably this guy haha

[@JamesPhan]

FIrst person that came to mind while watching this video is Patrick Bet David from Valuetainment. I noticed he speaks in the present tense after watching this video. Great video! I learned something new today.

[@filmcourage]

Love Pat, one of our favorites. Great to see you shout him out here.

[@mrjohnbaseley]

My teacher in 6th Grade. Mr Stanfield. He was the first I remember who gave life to words and can still remember it now 40 years later. There were better storytellers later in my life, but he was the teacher who sparked interest, joy and passion for language which I'm truly grateful for

[@painfulllife2899]

Christopher Nolan

[@shaaziaterry2715]

I always write in the present as first place

[@racewiththefalcons1]

Stephen King does this often and well, when he takes you away from the actions of the character and puts you into their heads momentarily.

[@Sannyasin]

PAST TENSE is the Key.

[@rogertucker2561]

Mark is so much better on writing than he is on directing. He seems to have missed his way! I wait patiently for his next book - on the script.,

[@ianhtexas]

What if you set it up in the past tense then switch to present? Break the rules, break the cycle...

[@saqlainalvi5485]

Wow

[@richieangel8150]

Movie audiences don't read screenplays. It's literally just stage direction. I've always called books written in present tense "joke tense." When I read a book, I'm physically holding a bound manuscript, including the final page, in my hand. It has happened; it is in the past. That doesn't make it any less engaging, but an unnatural present tense narrative will always feel forced and gimmicky to me.

[@youtubeguy2422]

You suspend your disbelief to get engaged into the narrative. You voluntarily commit to it so you can experience the pleasure of emotions a story has to offer. Be it with a book or with a film. So, what he says makes perfect sense. Especially, when you want to describe how you feel in relation to an event, you expressing it in present tense will make it more engaging to the experience than in the past, coz there you are talking about how you felt about something and they have a vast difference that affects how you perceive a story.

[@Scurvebeard]

I think the speaker in this video makes a mistake by speaking in the present progressive tense. "I'm running towards the balcony" sounds forced to me, whereas "I run towards the balcony" feels more like I'm in the moment. I don't know if that's a useful distinction for you. There's also the matter of past tense being the default in so much literature. We as readers are very accustomed to it, and departing from that can feel off-putting.

[@senthamaraithennavan8410]

That makes them

[@vimalmathew7408]

I have a question what type narration is used in money heist by tokyo ?

[@UNSCRIPTEDSHAWNRAY]

POWERFULL CLASS

[@victorallencook7107]

Get it written down .

[@vijaym2470]

How the present tense methode work on, we tell the flase back...

[@smeech5177]

I get it! Let me know if I’m wrong...The way I’ll explain it, is by saying this: keep the audience not from “guessing” but “asking”🤔. What do y’all think

[@brandnew4451]

How do you use this style to tell a story like Momento? With going back and forth with the time line.

[@sathya1451]

Please put subtitles

[@doellt4753]

The alternstive to manipulating responses is to do what? It is to be a truth-teller. What is it to be a truth-teller? It is to tell a story for it's own sake and not as an opportunity or vehicle for psychic advertising. To sell you into "buying stuff". It's crude and money centred. Then they eulogise themselves for being "manipulative'!

[@thomaslewis8438]

He's right and he's wrong. In a novel there is one narrator.That narrator can tell of a story from the moment of being in the story (and there is a way to do that which works, and present tense is not it), and the same narrator can then tell us about how it affected them afterwards. All it takes to do that is a line break, and now the moment has shifted and both the narrator and the reader are in a temporal position after the moment that story event happened. Still in the character's present, but the event isn't. This works in 1st-person quite well. So the storyteller does NOT have to remain in one mode or the other all the time, at least in a novel. If done properly, the reader will not be confused, they'll be entranced. A movie usually has no narrator. Even those who do narration the best (Dexter was as good as it gets for voice-over narration) like Faulkner's The Reivers, the narrator and the protagonist are still the same narrator, even if the narration is from an old man (Burgess Meredith) who is also the same little boy in the story. But movies typically have no narration. If a character tells other characters about a past event in present tense ("Of all the gin joints in all the world, she WALKS into mine"), they are still speaking about an event from the past. That's how historical present tense is used (all advertising and news headlines are in historical present tense). But that is not true present tense. What they are speaking of is still a past-tense event, an entity that the character still omnisciently knows the ending of, meaning a viewer knows that they already know. And dialogue, even in a past-tense novel set in 1830, is always in present tense, because characters can't speak in the past, only from their present.

[@dreamcatcher5502]

What about Dances With Wolves. Kevin Costner narrates that movie. Even talks about the past.

[@dreamcatcher5502]

But I agree with you. Who the narrator is was not talked about enough. He left us wanting more !! 😂

[@tomlewis4748]

@@dreamcatcher5502 Not sure what the question is. I don't recall ever seeing that movie, but IIRC it was well-received. Was Costner not also the protagonist? If so, or if not, the narrator and protagonist being the same character is nearly universal, unless it is constructed like a 3rd-p novel, where the character is not the narrator and the author is. Movies are rarely if ever constructed that way. Even if they might be, we're talking one narrator, and not two. Sometimes the main character is not the narrator, or not the character whose thoughts are followed, such as in the Sherlock Holmes novels and in The Great Gatsby, but even then, there is but one narrator. There may be multi-protagonist 1st-P novels, I guess, but even then, the followed protagonist in the moment they are being followed by the reader is typically also the single narrator in that moment. In multi-protag 3rd-p, there is still only one narrator, and that is the author. I may have not explained what my response to Mr. Travis's video was at the time. I do think he's right about what he says, but it is confusing, bc he implies that there could be two narrators in some stories. But in reality, the 'omniscient' narrator and the 'naive' narrator is the same narrator or character, making a grand total of ONE narrator who narrates from different temporal positions at different times. There are not two narrators (generally speaking), except in extremely rare instances not found in typical genre books or movies, and only very rarely even in literary novels. What there is, is two different kinds of approaches to narration by a single narrator. What he refers to as the 'omniscient' narrator is simply the narrator speaking about a past experience, and what he refers to as the 'naive' narrator is that same exact narrator speaking about their present experience. So the only difference is the temporal position that single narrator is in at the moment in reference to the the moment being narrated about. His 'naive' narrator and his 'omniscient' narrator are the same single character narrating from two different temporal positions at different points on the story timeline. Of course, it's difficult to explain this in words, which is why I struggle with this, and likely why he has, as well. I don't think he literally meant there are two narrators, but that is what it sounds like, which is why what he said is confusing.

[@tolvfen]

Now story, is my call, knowing the end, but try to suprise the followers

[@pixxelwizzard]

I'm a novelist, but I still enjoy storytelling tips, even if geared toward scriptwriting. This tip could be confusing for someone like me. The tense your story is set in has nothing to do with this advice. Past tense, present tense, there are advantages and disadvantages to both, however, the narrator advice applies regardless of the tense you write in.

[@danielburns1556]

Thanks. I am learning to write stories and am starting with novel form before screenplay, so I love these videos and ones for books, and am thankful for film courage and crew, and for commenters such as yourself. For a novel, can I write in third person omniscient past tense and it still be emotional? He describes it as only first person limited/close (he calls it naive in the video) can achieve emotion but Harry Potter was written in 3rd person limited past tense and there was plenty of emotion. What are your thoughts and wisdom regarding type of narrator and the tense? Specifically to novels? Maybe his advice was more geared to screenplay. While present tense is more immediate in novels (and I’m assuming in screenplays) I prefer reading and writing in past tense with an omniscient ir limited narrator. Can I still achieve emotion?

[@lturner7159]

The climax of The Dark Knight Rises

[@HonestArttsEntertain]

It appears that the movie, A Christmas Story, the screenwriter used both narrators.

[@alexispapageorgiou72]

So surreal that this interview gave me the idea to use a character as a naive narrator at a specific point of the narrative doing exactly what Mark suggests a naive narrator shouldn't do at the end of the clip. Of course, my guy is faking the whole thing with the past emotions, which I guess makes him the omniscient narrator masquerading as the naive narrator? Or is he none of the two? I only know that from first view, it looks to be working great!

[@stephenpitkin5492]

Are you familiar with the unreliable narrator?

[@tk_shadow_art]

Does it work for comics too?

[@yasharazimi6148]

What about Epistolary novel? Like in beginning of story is a section which said "The text you are about to read is real events that have been hidden by the government and ... blah blah blah" and then in each chapter, we read the latter or document or .... which every one of them is a story from a character prospective. so, this is also naive narrator?

[@JMaynardGelinas]

Somewhat unrelated, but I recently read Sacher-Masoch's Venus in Furs. Forget about the subject matter. We know. Instead, relating to Travis' point on the two narrators and past vs present tense, Sacher-Masoch quite deftly switches tense from past to present, back and forth, throughout the story. Know that the story begins as a wrapper, where a friend of the protagonist goes to see the protagonist at his house, and is then given a diary which becomes the main story line. But it's also clear the friend and the protagonist are one and the same. So you're faced with an unreliable narrator which doesn't become clear until later in the story. And switching between past and present tense becomes a structural element to the storytelling. Something we're all told never to do. But, of course, if you want to break the rules like that you better have a good reason and it ought be structured so it makes some kind of sense.

[@isabellediassilva2553]

4:00

[@slto91]

What about third person limited thinking? In that way, you're the omniscient narrator providing the reader with the character's thoughts as if in the present. Is that using the omniscient narrator wrong and making it a therapy session? I feel like it's correct though?

[@arthurthomasware5004]

I'm wondering why the word, Naive, is used? Is it naive for a storyteller to immerse himself in the 'Now Moment' deliberately? Going into and out of the story, changing from past to present, to complete outside observer and identifying as the teller...the changes taking place unthinkingly to meet the requirement of the audience - I've been doing that for decades. The idea is to create a movie in the mind's of the listeners, so that they FEEL they are the protagonist or hero, that what a Master Storyteller does.

[@dreamcatcher5502]

Makes so much sense. But what if you have multiple characters and you are narrating from the writer's point of view in the present tense. Is that still effective ? Or should one of your characters be the narrator for everyone. Or should each character narrate their own story lines ? The naive narrator I understand. Just not who the narrator should be. Thanks for the video.