1st Edition
Personal Voice A Practical Guide for Cinematic Storytellers and Beyond
Introduction
What Is Voice—Harnessing The Power Of The Personal—Identifying And Infusing—Storyteller Assessment (Pop Quiz!)—Want + Action—The Agreement I Enter Into With You
Part 1 - Voice: The Exercises
Chapter One: Orientation; Methodology, Harvesting and Gathering—"Good” Is Beside The Point—Essential Tools: Brain. Heart. Guts.
Chapter Two: Point Of View; The Perspective Embedded In Your Voice—Digging Deeper: Rorschach
Chapter Three: Realms Of Influence; The Forces Shaping Your Choices, Perspectives, Interactions: Internal, Interpersonal, Societal, Environmental—Story Spheres: Mapping Out The Realms Of Influence Encircling You To Identify The Conflicts, Connections, Complications And Curiosities Embedded Within (The Meat-And-Potatoes Of Story)
Chapter Four: Personal Topographies / Geography As Destiny; Drawing Upon The Internal Landscapes You Carry Around With You—Geography Is Destiny—You And Geography: Destiny?—Geography + Time, Then And Now—Geography + Cultural/Social Experiences—Personal Topography, The Impact Of Historical And Contemporary Environments On Your Voice
Chapter Five: Call Of The Wild: Exploring The Untamed; Drawing Inspiration From The Natural World—Your Specific Relationship With Wild Environments
Chapter Six: Imagination Repositories: Journals, Sketchbooks, Archives; Creating The Containers For Freeform Exploration
Chapter Seven: Know Thyself! Gaining Insight Into Your Own Complexity
Chapter Eight: Hello Dark Side; Exploring The Irrational, Illogical, “Unmentionable” Sides of Your Character—Consider The Id—The Shadow—Taboos—Uncomfortable Urges—Groupthink— Folie À Deux—Gossip—Bullies/The Bullied—Embrace The Villain
Chapter Nine: The Better Angels In Our Nature; Probing Your Finest Qualities
Chapter Ten: Self & Family / Self & Society; Examining Potent Story-Sources—Delving Into Tensions Between The Individual And Family—Delving Into Tensions Between The Individual And Society
Chapter Eleven: Digging Deeper: Pivotal Moments; Plotting The Critical Turning Points In Your Life—Decisions, Discoveries, Emotional Transitions—Advice For Filmmakers Going Into Production
Chapter Twelve: Digging Deeper: Wants & Needs; Gaining Insight Into Your Own Desires, Motivations, and Inner Conflicts To Gain Insight And Empathy For Others
Chapter Thirteen: Listening To The Voices Of Others; Enriching Your Story Landscape By Actively Reflecting On The Lives Of Others—Researching / Interviewing—Umwelt + The Object Lesson: Tapping Into An Individual’s Personal Reality Through The Exploration Of Significant Objects—Thoughts On Appropriation
Chapter Fourteen: Pop Quiz Redux; Assessing Your Growth—Transitioning From Voice: The Exercises to StoryCraft—Art Is Therapeutic, But Not Therapy—Useful Stories, Reviewing Your Work To Date
Part 2 - Storycraft: Strategies To Sharpen, Shape & Structure “Voice”
Chapter Fifteen: Introduction; Using Craft to Infuse And Amplifying Your Voice In Your Creative Work—The Purpose Of Telling A Story Is To Share It With An Audience—The Chauvet Cave Paintings: Lessons From The Past—Students Speak To The Power And The Purpose Of Story And Storytelling
Chapter Sixteen: Truth Through The Lens Of Fiction: Personal Investigation To Creative Realization Modifying, Embellishing, And Fictionalizing
Chapter Seventeen: Applying The Blade; Sharpening Your Voice By Excising Material—Honjo Masamune Approach—Review, Reflect, Cut
Chapter Eighteen: Story Core; Shaping Voice—Quick-Start: Diving Headfirst At Your Material
Chapter Nineteen: Aristotle! G.O.A.T.—The Elements Of A Play—Application To All Story—Employing Classic Techniques to Shape And Structure Your Voice
Chapter Twenty: Support Beams; The Narrative Fundamentals That Hold Up Your Story: Units Of Narrative Structure—Story Events And Plot Points—Twists/Turns/Reversals.
Chapter Twenty-One: “Advanced” Topics In Narrative Structure; Time—Dreams/Dream Logic—New Frontiers
Chapter Twenty-Two: Central Character; The Embodiment Of Your Story—Objective—Inner Need—Empathy—Flaw—Action—Defining Action—Trajectory Or Arc—Ultimate Test—Final Fight—Resolution—“The Hero’s Journey”—Antihero—Character Design Around The Central Character
Chapter Twenty-Three: Oppositional Forces; The Internal and External Elements Standing In The Way Of Your Central Character Achieving Their Objective
Chapter Twenty-Four: Exposition & Backstory; Essential Information—When, How, How Much—Strategic Deployment—Character Biographies As Backstory Source Material
Chapter Twenty-Five: Dialogue & Subtext; Purpose and Considerations
Chapter Twenty-Six: Theme; Navigating The Chaos Of Life To Bring Shape, Structure, And Meaning To The Human Experience Through Story
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Storycraft Cheat Sheets & Other Structural Assists; Genre As A Structuring Agent—Beyond Cheat Sheets: A Transformative, Process-Based Approach To Crafting Any Story In Nine Steps—“Lindberg Boosts”: Road-Tested Handouts For Getting The Script Out Of Your Head And Onto The Page—Peculiarities Of Short Form
Final Thoughts On Storycraft
Part 3 - Voice In The Marketplace
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Voice & Commerce; A Practice-Based Conversation With Industry Expert Kathleen Mcinnis, Demystifying The Relationship Between Art, Commerce, And Voice Focusing On Empowering The Creator And Amplifying The Original
Biography
Katherine Lindberg, an award-winning writer-director, is an Associate Arts Professor and Head of Studies for Production at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts Undergraduate Film and Television Program. Teaching across the writing, directing, and production areas at the #1 film school in the USA, Katherine brings an expansive knowledge of and deep understanding to the development of singular creative voices.
