HOLLYWOOD INFLUENCE
Would you like to make more money and have more influence? If so, I’d like to share with you how the most effective storytellers employ the Hollywood Classical Cinema style.
Hollywood Classical Cinema is not only the most dominant form of cinematic style, it is the most prevalent style of modern storytelling and probably the most popular style worldwide. In fact, it is so prevalent and influential around the globe that some people (especially outside of the United States) see as it as a form of imperialism.
Now think about that for a minute: a style of storytelling that is so prevalent that it is popular worldwide and influences citizens everywhere on the planet. Very few industries have that kind of reach and influence—even fewer achieve it without chemical manipulation. Now I want you to keep an open mind: Influencing an audience is not an evil act. Influential storytelling can be used to achieve a simple goal and a positive change. I have used the Hollywood style of storytelling to save lemurs in Madagascar and public libraries in Oakland.
But Hollywood’s ability to exert influence is up there with Coca-Cola and tobacco. Whereas the latter two use chemicals to get people “hooked,” Hollywood uses a drug that is invisible. This is the basis of persuasion in Hollywood storytelling: Guide the audience seamlessly and hook audiences in the first 10% of the film. And I bet each and every one of us took our first “drag” of that Hollywood drug before the age of 7.
Now, don’t hate on Hollywood for being savvy. You can throw rocks at the ivory tower or you can get inside and beat them at their own game. That means that you can entertain and influence your audience if you follow the same storytelling guidelines.
So how does Hollywood do it and how can the little guy or gal get into the game? Hollywood lives by three key principles:
- You need to “hook” the audience in the first 10% of the movie’s run time. By “hook” I mean you must draw the audience into the narrative and make them identify with and sympathize with the central character.
- The story or screenplay must follow a three-act structure: There’s a beginning, middle, and end.
- You need to make skillful use of the invisible production elements—primarily camera, sound, and editing. All the of the production elements must work together seamlessly and without the audience noticing that they are being guided through the narrative and being persuaded to identify with the central character’s plight.
If these three fundamental principles are not followed, audience expectations will not be met. They will feel alienated, they will likely leave, and they will definitely not be persuaded or influenced by your message.
KEA Productions web videos follow feature film and HCC principles. For example, to create Who Do You Like?, I worked with a jockey to show behind the scenes at a local race track and capture the excitement of an aging sport. The track was on high alert and had tight security because Lost in the Fog (the horse favored to win the Kentucky Derby), was dying from cancer. So although the track always wants some good PR to highlight the sport, the timing of having the favored winner of the Derby present and fighting for his life made them nervous. However, the Who do You Like? web series ended up winning over the naysayers (pun intended).
Did you know?
People Search for Web Videos
YouTube has become the second-largest search engine in the United States. –MediaPost, December 2011
Search engines LOVE informative content! Content is king, queen, jack and your ace in the hole. 89 million Americans watch up to 1.2 billion web videos a day. –comScore’s video matrix, December, 2010