Using Story Keywords to Define the Purpose of Your Film

In this tutorial, The Muse Team discusses the importance of the Purpose and Places pillars in storytelling, which are often overlooked during the Storyfinding phase. The Purpose Pillar is defined as imparting meaning to the story and is crucial in ensuring that the film has a clear objective and message.

The Muse Team recommends defining the Purpose through a set of five Story Keywords, which act as a filter for all creative decisions.

The five prompts to generate Story Keywords are:

• "What is most inspiring about this story?"

• "What makes this story different?"

• "Who is the audience?"

• "How do we want this story to feel?"

• "What do we want our audience to do?"

By asking these questions during the Storyfinding phase, the filmmaker can develop a clear understanding of their objective and make creative decisions that serve that objective.

Overall, the Muse Team emphasizes the importance of using Story Keywords to drive decision-making and align stakeholders during Creative Development. Using Story Keywords can lead to increased intentionality, more substantial alignment with clients, and, ultimately, more effective storytelling.

KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS LESSON

• The Purpose Pillar of Storyfinding is related to the broader objective and why behind your story.
  
  

• Story Keywords are a tangible way of defining your objective for a film and become a filter for all of your creative decisions.
  
  

• The 5 prompts to generate Story Keywords are: "What is most inspiring about this story", "What makes this story different", "Who is the audience", "How do we want this story to feel", and "What do we want our audience to do"?
  
  

• Knowing your Story Keywords will help align your team and clients, build trust, and make intentional creative decisions.
  
  

• Understanding the power of Story Keywords can lead to client projects being approved without any changes.
  
  

• Using Story Keywords is key to creating a strong and clear Purpose for your film, which is essential for making a lasting impact on your audience.

Click the downloads above to snag a transcript of this tutorial.