The Importance of Storyfinding in Filmmaking

The Muse Team discusses the critical importance of Storyfinding in filmmaking, which is the process of understanding the story space and identifying strong characters for consideration in the story before starting production, and how it lays the foundation for creating powerful and remarkable stories, using their experience making a film for CBS for Super Bowl 49 as an example.

Key Takeaways in this lesson

• Storyfinding is a critical first step in creating world-changing stories that most filmmakers miss.
  
  

• It involves speaking with multiple people in a given story space to develop a deep understanding of the context surrounding the subject matter and to identify the strongest and most relevant characters for consideration in the story.
  
  

• The craft of listening is essential to the Storyfinding process, which is about gaining a much deeper understanding before making creative decisions.
  
  

• The best stories are missed entirely when you assume you already know the answer right from the beginning.
  
  

• Storyfinding involves a thorough and robust research process, including reading books, hitting up Google, and talking to relevant people.
  
  

• Finding strong characters at the onset is critical to paving the way for an amazing film.
  
  

• Listening pays mighty dividends back in the form of less production time, more efficient post-production, fewer revisions, happier clients, and a much higher perceived value on your work.

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