The Sequencing Of A Story: Where To Start And Finish? - Mark W. Travis

BUY MARK W. TRAVIS’ BOOK - DIRECTING FEATURE FILMS:
The Creative Collaboration Between Director, Writers, and Actors
amzn.to/2v7nx9K
BUY THE BOOK - FILM DIRECTOR’S BAG OF TRICKS: How To Get What You Want From Actors And Writers amzn.to/2SmMTKA
MORE VIDEOS WITH MARK W. TRAVIS
bit.ly/2loqKcu
CONNECT WITH MARK W. TRAVIS
www.markwtravis...
thetravistechni...
/ markwtravistechnique
/ markwtravis
BECOME A FILM COURAGE MEMBER
/ @filmcourage
CONNECT WITH FILM COURAGE
www.FilmCourage...
#!/...
/ filmcourage
/ filmcourage
/ filmcourage
BUSINESS INQUIRIES
bit.ly/22M0Va2
SUBSCRIBE TO THE FILM COURAGE KZbin CHANNEL
bit.ly/18DPN37
LISTEN TO THE FILM COURAGE PODCAST
/ filmcourage-com
PROMOTE YOUR MOVIE, WEBSERIES, OR PRODUCT ON FILM COURAGE
bit.ly/1nnJkgm
SUPPORT FILM COURAGE
/ filmcourage
Stuff we use:
CAMERA - This is the camera we have used to film 90+% of our interviews (over 200 interviews and counting) It continues to be our workhorse - amzn.to/2u66V1J
LENS - Most people ask us what camera we use, no one ever asks about the lens which filmmakers always tell us is more important. This lens was a big investment for us and one we wish we could have made sooner. Started using this lens at the end of 2013 - amzn.to/2tbtmOq
AUDIO
Rode VideoMic Pro - The Rode mic helps us capture our backup audio. It also helps us sync up our audio in post amzn.to/2t1n2hx
Audio Recorder - If we had to do it all over again, this is probably the first item we would have bought - amzn.to/2tbFlM9
LIGHTS - Although we like to use as much natural light as we can, we often enhance the lighting with this small portable light. We have two of them and they have saved us a number of times - amzn.to/2u5UnHv
COMPUTER - Our favorite computer, we each have one and have used various models since 2010 - amzn.to/2t1M67Z
EDITING - We upgraded our editing suite this year and we’re glad we did! This has improved our workflow and the quality of our work. Having new software also helps when we have a problem, it’s easy to search and find a solution - goo.gl/56LnpM
*These are affiliate links, by using them you can help support this channel.
#writing #screenwriting #screenwriter

[@ekeneosuagwu6919]

What's so great about this channel is Karen's way of asking questions. She seems to know all the places the shoe pinches.

[@sullyfox4993]

This has nothing to do with the lesson, and everything to do with his story about receiving a gift when he was ten, but when I was younger (in my early twenties), I was spending Christmas with my family. There was a theme of "travel" that year, and most of the gifts seemed to cater towards going places. In keeping with this theme, my father and step-mother got all of us kids GPS's as gifts. It was me, my two step-sisters, and my two step-brothers. Everyone of my step-siblings got a $200+ GPS for their cars (this was before they came standard in cars), but when I opened my gift, it was a knockoff GPS from Best Buy that cost about $30. I only found out the value of my GPS when I had to return it the next day because it wouldn't connect to the GPS service. It wasn't so much about the money as it was the "value" of the gift in comparison to what my siblings received. It we all were given the same gift it wouldn't have mattered as much, but there was clearly bias in the purchasing of these GPS's, and that stung at the time. Hearing his story of his tennis racket press reminded me of that moment. That feeling of diminishment in the eyes of your parents, and, in return, the diminished way at which one sees their parents.

[@TheSocialAlchemy]

This guy is a great communicator. Wonderful.

[@izzy4el]

FILM COURAGE, You put out such great content. So many wonderfully brilliant industry insiders you've interviewed, but I must say that Mark W. Travis is by far my favorite guest you've had on. Always glad I tuned in.

[@deanpapadopoulos3314]

I hope in another interview he covers why he initially mentioned that the sequence for telling an autobiographical story is different from the sequence for telling a fictional-, novel-, or xxx-story. I’m not in a position to request that here, as I’m grateful for everything you’re sharing with us. If you happen to know where he provides this information, kindly consider letting me know please. Always grateful. I loved his personal story and could relate to it. My guess it’s one of the reasons that he’s become such a wonderful and brilliant person…to show himself and them that he’s just as important as his older siblings. He’s a lovely person, and I am thrilled that he made it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@faibabernard]

Maen...It's never a bore to watch this channel, Damn!!... ✌🏽🖤✌🏽

[@bobdhshshxhzvs2314]

The first lie we believe is the most impact full, and drives all of us till death.

[@bobdhshshxhzvs2314]

@KZbin Freak thank you!

[@natedavidoff668]

I love the way Mark tells the story! So relatable.

[@sunriseeternity300]

I like the mans demeanor and his way about answering the questions, this video and the others. Thank you for the video.

[@assianeu197]

4:46 your parents did you soo dirty, i would have use the tennis racket press on their faces 🤣🤣

[@Thenoobestgirl]

Lol same

[@passdasalt]

It took me 3 Xmases to 'save' up for a train set. Built it up, added hand-made trees, tunnels etc. spanning over 5 years. My mom gave it to my younger cousin while I was away camping. She was right, I had lost interest in it. She's a better person than I will ever be.

[@rayharatian]

What a personal, authentic, and touching story. Chapeau to Mr. Mark W, Travis for being so open and brave to be so vulnerable. Love everything about this channel -- keep up the great work. Thank you and stay safe :0)

[@filmcourage]

Thank you so much! Please stay safe as well.

[@victorallencook7107]

This is my career ! !! I claim it !!

[@NickRossi]

This is fantastic. I never cease to be amazed by the trove of wisdom I can find on this channel. Thank you so much for this interview!

[@filmcourage]

Cheers Nick!

[@davidram9511]

3rd of 6 children = will make you a great writer

[@aliousidibe3033]

I've been looking for better ways to share my guests' stories on my podcast and I have to say that this is super super useful!! Thank you for sharing this - you just gained a subscriber!

[@johnrobinson4445]

You can't start right at the opening of the gift because the audience doesn't realize the importance. It will be shrugged off. You have to build up to it a bit and then cut before the reveal and go back and show what the other kids' got and REALLY build it up even higher and then replay the opening from another visual angle and POW.

[@Tom_Roberts]

This guy is a genius.

[@TheFeelButton]

Pick out the juiciest piece of the story put a hook in it and reel the audience through the tale. Good stuff Film Courage! 🙏😊

[@tygerbyrn]

Sequencing & Structure

[@victorallencook7107]

I got this !! But I want to speeeed up the process to a finished product ! !! 📖✏📒📒✏✏

[@reelscreenwriting8940]

Thanks for this :) Always valuable content, I love it.

[@thumper8684]

Yes your life is not a story. Story is something you construct to make sense of your life. I remember being obsessed with a woman (once or twice) and all sorts of possibilities about what she meant when she said a thing, and what I meant to her. I found the cure. It is this: "If it sounds like it would make a good story it probably isn't true." That does not mean give up hope, just recognize what your mind is up to.

[@nobbystyles4807]

she gets so sucked into him telling his story about being a kid she actually asks him a question about it even though its only for reference hehe....

[@faibabernard]

Writing in anti-chronology is my default styLe. Love it! I Like how u coherse audience to agree to your manipulating them, simply on the basis of their curiosity... It's almost as though one is happy to have been confused from the start, ha!

[@ekeneosuagwu6919]

How do you pull this off without losing your audience. How do you sustain interest before revealing? I'm trying out this technique in one of my features. In my POV, I feel I'm holding the reader's interest due to my opening sequences, but I'm not sure about if this interest is still sustained 40 pages down the line. How do you do this?

[@noteem5726]

This one is easy. Regardless of the type of story that you're trying to tell it needs to do three things that are unconditional; establish the genre and show us the boundaries of the world we find ourselves in (world building), show us the weaknesses and strengths of our protagonist that creates the reason for the thing they desire most in the world but can't have and lastly, define the conflict of the movie that once forced upon the protagonist will sets us on our journey of self discovery. Where you start the story is dictated by a single thing, what is the moral of the story you want to have featured at the end of the movie when the story comes full circle and we arrive back at the beginning having changed.

[@ironheart191]

Did you catch that, Karen? His short story had you interested, and questioning, about the story rather than remember 'where to start?' Even if that's the case, kudos on listening!

[@thereseember2800]

The Accused had a fantastic sequencing where it opens with Jodie Foster running for her life.

[@BlackCatFilmProductions]

I'm doing my story in out of order sentence and I think it does add a sense of wonder to it. And build the attend for the audience. Most people I've talk with said why is the film out of order.

[@michellehao2000]

well if most people are confused about why its out of order then that might also be a problem?

[@sullyfox4993]

Just remember that while most stories told out-of-order tend to SEEM more interesting, unless you're telling that story in that manner to mask the outcome of some huge plot twist later on, you're ultimately stifling all emotion in your story. A linear telling will almost always bear more emotional weight in the end than a non-linear story.

[@danielburns1556]

How can/should I determine where/when to start a story? What should I keep in mind? If I have a kid looking for a present to get someone for their birthday, can the reader/audience be aware of that, or, should I sequence it so that they see the kid deciding on an item, but the audience doesn't know it's a gift for someone yet? What are the benefits of withholding info, especially if there's no real reason to generate any mystery or intrigue? That was just an example of how it can either be in a clear order with little to no mystery, or, a more curious unfolding. If I don't feel that the kid looking for a birthday present for someone needs to be anything more than that, is it ok to write/show it as such, or should I always be injecting questions and mystery to make readers wonder? sequence and the questions being asked/answered during how the story unfolds creates different experiences, and may even tell the exact same story a different way - meaning they may even be different types of stories depending on how the same story is sequenced. I think there's no benefit to having mystery in my story example, and knowing that the kid is getting a present for a birthday present vs not knowing it's for a birthday present isn't necessary, but I don't know how to determine which to use. Anyone with advice for knowing how, when or why I should consider and implement a story's sequence?

[@jessicamdenham]

Great film courage!!!!

[@JohnFraserFindlay]

Intimidating😮

[@TheMichaelCardoza]

He needed that moment to let that off his chest. Perfect timing.

[@UmairKhan_x]

By the time the story ends the audience is goung to have all the information they need to understand the story but that doesnt mean that it has to be in chronological order. Where do you wanna start and where do you wanna finish, that's the sequencing of the story.

[@kelonphillips5376]

I learned more in 9 minutes than I did in f film school.

[@gopro_audio]

[@midwestmonster9886]

I got a Super Nintendo for my tenth birthday.

[@wester9208]

Wow

[@ndsmith7119]

So...where do you start a story? Mark talks about all the different ways you can sequence a story and the effect that can have...how do you assess which is best for your story?

[@utsavdhyani8839]

the one that affects the story more. Has the most juice- emotions, turning point or the most impactful one. All hit MCU character based movies is a good example. They all go by the same formula- Iron Man- His terrorist capture which led him to be Iron Man Dr Strange- Kaecillius stealing the pages leading to Dormammu Ant Man- Pym's disrespect Cap America- Red Skull finding Tesseract Black Panther- Illegal Vibranium trafficking and Villain's origin They all are crucial plot points that lead to a great twist in character's journey or state of mind or emotional development.

[@Scout555]

2:50 starts

[@crashandersen602]

Found out too late, but thanks

[@YogGroove]

Forget where to start and end a story... how about where to start and end editing? The first half of this clip was painful.

[@clubsnatcher]

Yes

[@badjokezach6359]

The only Karen the internet doesn't hate!

[@thumper8684]

Start with a tennis racket in its press and the boy crying. Go from the start telling the story straight. The boy is hoping for a new racket. At the end his parents give him the press. Dad says "Hey son why don't you get your racket and try it out right now!"

[@alexispapageorgiou72]

No, you start exactly how he subconsciously told it, before putting his brain into the equation, confusing things. It's the night before and the anticipation. The talk with his brother and sister and his smirk, indicating how sure he was of getting something even better than they did. You build the anticipation and excitement and then you have the disappointment. (If you put the big brother and sister In it with greater roles, you can reverse or empower the feeling - brother disappointed as well, or happy that the present was crap) Then the story revolves around him and the present and his mom and dad and the why, so you have plenty of questions to answer, and surely the arc he will go through. The mystery approach of starting after he opened the present, empowers the mystery but kills all those emotions that make this a story in the first place. Different story would surely require the mystery approach, but this is not it. Even if that wooden thing he got had a deeper meaning and value, making it the better present of all, I'd still go with the humane design. You get more of everything ... Better all-around meal.

[@danielburns1556]

@@alexispapageorgiou72 I'm glad I read your comment, I was thinking the same thing but wasn't sure. I asked this above would like to ask you. How can/should I determine where/when to start a story? What should I keep in mind? If I have a kid looking for a present to get someone for their birthday, can the reader/audience be aware of that, or, should I sequence it so that they see the kid deciding on an item, but the audience doesn't know it's a gift for someone yet? What are the benefits of withholding info, especially if there's no real reason to generate any mystery or intrigue? That was just an example of how it can either be in a clear order with little to no mystery, or, a more curious unfolding. If I don't feel that the kid looking for a birthday present for someone needs to be anything more than that, is it ok to write/show it as such, or should I always be injecting questions and mystery to make readers wonder? sequence and the questions being asked/answered during how the story unfolds creates different experiences, and may even tell the exact same story a different way - meaning they may even be different types of stories depending on how the same story is sequenced. I think there's no benefit to having mystery in my story example, and knowing that the kid is getting a present for a birthday present vs not knowing it's for a birthday present isn't necessary, but I don't know how to determine which to use. Anyone with advice for knowing how, when or why I should consider and implement a story's sequence? I guess when I'm writing, or not even writing but just considering ideas and story concepts, they tend to flow in order, and I don't know if I should nor how to sequence things other than the order the appear to me in my head and heart. I suppose it depends on the journey I want the reader/audience to go on, and what will create the best impact for the moment, but I don't want every scene to raise questions like a kid crying over a present does.

[@filmcourage]

Do you like to tell stories out of order?

[@AgMak]

yes very much, i find it more effective than the chronological order

[@thumper8684]

It is kind of unavoidable isn't it? You at the very least have to give hints about where you are going. However: to totally turn around the sequence of events I expect you need to frame it somehow. I would like to try that. I would need a good reason to do it.

[@muzikmanner6019]

After the character is introduced, I like to use one or two quick flash backs to convey to the audience how the character evolved.

[@dreaminglifepodcast]

Now I want to hear about Karen’s childhood devastating moment.

[@filmcourage]

Sort of boring. It entails not having straight hair and living in dread that another classmate might see me shopping at (gulp) Kmart. Things like this. :) But thank you.

[@dreaminglifepodcast]

Film Courage 🙏

[@jonlevert]

@@filmcourage Very relatable, and arguably, very compelling.

[@straighttalkfromagayguy4695]

HE SHOULD BE A POLITICIAN,,, HE CAN'T ANSWER A SIMPLE QUESTION