"The audience wants to work for their meal, they just don't want to know that you're making them do that" good line, super true

For those who want a whole page of notes, here're mine, in case it serves something. Storytelling is joke telling. It’s knowing your punchline. Your ending. Knowing that everything you're saying, from the first sentence to the last, is leading to a singular goal and ideally confirming some truth that deepens our understandings of who we are as human beings. MAKE ME CARE. Emotionally, intellectually, aesthetically. Make a promise: in the beginning, make a promise to your audience, that this story will lead somewhere that’s worth their time. “A well told promise is like a pebble being pulled back in a slingshot that propels you forward through the story to the end.” The audience wants to work for their meal. They just don’t want to know they’re doing that. Meaning, we want to be given the clues to understand the whole story. We want to be told, what is 2 + 2? But we don't want to be told, 2 + 2 = 4. It’s this well organized absence of information that draws us in. make the audience put things together. The elements you provide and the order you place them in is crucial to whether you succeed or fail at engaging the audience. Give your character a main goal to pursue. All well-drawn characters have a spine. The characters have an inner motor, a dominant, unconscious goal that they’re striving for, an itch that they can’t scratch. Change is fundamental in a story. If things go static, stories die, because life is never static. Drama is anticipation mingled with uncertainty. When you’re telling a story, have you constructed anticipation? In the short term, have you made me wanna know what will happen next? Have you made me wanna know how it will conclude in the long term? Have you constructed honest conflicts with truth that creates doubt in what the outcome might be? Storytelling has guidelines, not hard rules. Like your main character. We all live life conditionally. Characters can be good, but have a fatal flaw in them, that doesn’t come out unless their one condition for being nice and kind isn’t met anymore. We’re all willing to play by the rules and follow things along, as long as certain conditions are met. After that, all bets are off. Theme in storytelling is having a constant, a guideline, a road map, where all roads eventually lead to. Who are you? Can you invoke wonder? “That’s what I think the magic ingredient is, the secret sauce, is can you invoke wonder. Wonder is honest, it’s completely innocent. It can’t be artificially evoked. For me, there’s no greater ability than the gift of another human being giving you that feeling - to hold them still just for a brief moment in their day and have them surrender to wonder. When it’s tapped, the affirmation of being alive, it reaches you almost to a cellular level. And when an artist does that to another artist,it’s like you’re compelled to pass it on. It’s like a dormant command that suddenly is activated in you, like a call to Devil’s Tower. Do unto others what’s been done to you. The best stories infuse wonder.” - Andrew Stanton Sometimes, characters deserve a second chance. Write from what you know. Draw from it. It doesn’t always mean plot or fact, it means capturing a truth from our experiencing it, expressing values you personally feel deep down in your core. “Be wrong as fast as you can. So the lesser in talent you are the greater in tenacity you must be to persevere."

I think this is the most underrated TED talk ever.

That’s curious how he told a story while he was telling us how to tell a story...

You write Toy Story they dont call you the writer of Toy Story. You write WALL-E , they don't call you the writer of WALL-E...but you write one John Carter...

He just told us his life story while giving us a lesson in screenwriting. That’s what good teachers do.

I was completely at tears, sulking and crying by myself when he mentions the second chance he had gotten from birth, and how it inspired the story of Finding Nemo. Because from my mother's own lips I was told that I too was sick and dying from birth according to 99% of all the Doctors I was taken to they said I had no chance. Except for 1 Doctor who believed that he knew what was wrong and he could help. And Here I am today striving towards what I'm good at. Always Loved Pixar. Now, even more!.

Notes: Then audience wants to work for their meal: 2+2 Stories aren't exact or predictable All well drawn characters have a dominant unconscious goal. Acknowledge what drives you take the wheel and steer it Change must happen in a story Drama is anticipation mingled with uncertainty An itch they can't scratch Singular goal Truth that deepens understanding of who we are Make me care Make a promise in the beginning Stories have guidelines Like your main character Theme: "who are you?" Invoke a sense of wonder You're welcome

1. Promise 2. Make viewers work for their meal 3. Characters has inner motor 4. Anticipation with Uncertainty 5. Add Good character arcs for your characters. With certain conditions are met. 6. Underlying theme. 7. Wonder.

Storytelling is a very difficult craft. Trying to put together the puzzle pieces for it to work is part of the journey. That`s why Andrew`s motto is: "Be wrong as fast as you can. So the lesser in talent you are the greater in tenacity you must be to persevere." They make mistakes in their stories over and over again until they get it right or good enough. The process can lead to discovering and learning more about your character, what works and doesn't, what scenes are more significant, the usage of flashback, backstory, the right voice talent etc. It`s an incredible journey faced with its creative obstacles, for the sake of finding that truth in your story. While there`s no such thing as the perfect script or movie I think that they've managed to come as close to perfection that you can get. And I have to tip my imaginary hat to Pixar. They've managed to travel through this journey proving how powerful the animation medium can be through laughter, charm and a deeper emotional level more so than it was before.

He tells you how to tell a story by telling you a story, oh what a story.

When I saw the part where he explained where the inspiration for the finding memo scene came from I cried more than I did when I actually saw the film. From an aspiring storyteller; thank you for explaining the heart that went into your stories. This is what every writer needs to hear and see to be great at what they dream of doing. Thank you.

That first scene of Finding Nemo is one of the only things that can make me truly cry every time I see it.

Fantastic insight. I personally love stories that are open for interpretation and don't spoon feed the meaning right from the start. Leaving room for mystery allows the audience to fill in the gaps with their own imagination.

I love Pixar just because of their set of rules. My childhood wouldn't be the same if I only saw classic "I want" song while hating the villain and wondering why there isn't a happy village near home.

Even after almost 10 years of this video being uploaded, I am rewatching this once in a while, when I am stuck with writing stories, to remind me what great storytelling is and clues to them. Also just realized this was uploaded on my bday lol. Amazing timeless video, Thank you Andrew!

at 12:30 did anyone think of Barbosa's line from Pirates of the Caribbean "They're more like guidelines than actual rules."?

This is absolutely one of the best talks I've ever watched.

I like the scene of Wall E and Eve. They didn't talk anything, but with the music and scene, it told everything. This is truthly 2 + 2

"Whatever I ended up been good at, I would strive to be worthy of the second chance I was given." I can feel that...

That's the point: When you can share something personal, something that is yours, with other people through storytelling, you've done a good job. Great insight.

"Change is essential for stories. Without it, stories die." Tell that to the Silicon Valley writers

This is The First TedTalk ever that makes me burst into tears, when Andrew said he was sick & his parents still believe in the second chance of his survival. Thank you for bring us so many beautiful movies into our lives Andrew!

I find myself coming back to this video over and over again. Andrew Stanton is a genius.

“Use what you know, draw from your experience.” Thanks for confirming this, sometimes I wonder if it’s gonna work or not, but I guess we can only use what we know, and keep learning more things and telling new stories as we experience even more.

This man is a genius. He opened my eyes more times in a single 20 minute lecture than all my years of school. Truly phenomenal. Truly inspiring.

Stumbling upon this talk was like stumbling upon a piece of gold. Story telling told through excellent story telling. Promise, Punchline, Drama, 2+2...

Nemo and Wall-E are both masterpieces

Not to diminish his well-documented successes at Pixar, but ten years on, this video endures as a stark reminder of how such accomplished people who are masters of their craft can still create a debacle like John Carter of Mars. It's a decent movie, mind; I speak more to what went on behind the scenes. You see, Stanton is part of a brain trust of storytellers at Pixar/Disney, whose members when a movie is pitched, come together and try to point out flaws and other problematic things like plot holes, messy structure, bloated scenes, etc. in the hopes of making the work stand taller, stronger. Stanton was prickly when it came to criticism and would forcefully shoot down objections, a treatment he would give other filmmakers when the shoe was on the other foot and someone else was pitching. In other words, Stanton is an example of the "I'm right, you're wrong. Don't you know who I am?" mentality that sets in when people have a string of hits and become successful for a length of time. He was a consistent money earner at the box office and felt he could not possibly falter. Well, everyone has their blind spots, but John Carter of Mars should be a good lesson about it, about hubris and having too much confidence in yourself that you don't listen to anybody anymore. Tale as old as time. Right, Elon Musk? lol Aside from this, good TED talk. Mine it for the gems.

My English teacher sent this to me and didn't realize it had that at the beginning. xD

The most profound and thoughtful and well constructed class in story writing I’ve ever seen. I’ve never seen any of the Pixar films but his remarks on story construction are profound and universal. They apply to all story, from Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby to Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind, Or To Kill a Mickingnird, Steinbeck’s East of Eden, from Wuthering Heights and Rebecca to Casablanca, Bridge on the River Kwai, The Wild Bunch, The Godfather, All good novels and films have these themes and structure running through them. This is deep and very impactful - a lot to think about and use.

I was almost in tears when I interviewed Andrew about WALL-E when it was getting ready to release, and I asked him a question, and he treated me like I was a moron and he wouldn't answer the rest of my questions without being completely and utterly condescending. It happened almost 12 years ago, and I still feel insecure when I conduct interviews for my job. He is a great storyteller, I will give him that, but he really hurt my feelings in the beginning of my career, and made me feel like I don't matter.

You didn't tell a *better* story by rejecting songs, a love story, and a villain, you just found a different way to tell a story. Aladdin and The Little Mermaid are two of my favorite movies of all time. I like Toy Story a lot, don't get me wrong, but I think I've seen it once or twice. I've seen Aladdin and TLM dozens of times each.

This has got to be one of the best TEDtalks for aspiring storytellers. I always visit this every once in a while to motivate myself and remind myself of the clues to a great story.

Andrew Stanton has a great mind for storytelling.

I am a person who watches a lot of TED Talks in his free time for no good reason, and I can say this was one of the best ones I have ever watched.

the fact that this TED talk was filmed (or posted??) on my birthday makes this talk double special. Loved every minute.

The “dancing” scene in walle is epic. Beautiful masterpiece

Storytelling is joke telling. 1. We all love stories 2. Make me care - give promise that will lead someone says it’s worth your time 3. Storytelling with dialogue 4. Make the audience put things together... give 2 + 2 ... don’t give 4 5. Drama = anticipation + uncertainty 6. MAKE THEM THINKING 7. Use what you know

One of the best talks on storytelling. One of the best TED Talks!

Loved it when he said “drama is anticipation. How do you construct anticipation... what’ll happen next? “

This man created the nearly perfect movie of all time. What a legend

By far the best explanation of what elements a great story should have. Great job!!

Most of the concepts Stanton talks about are not new, but he packages them in a delicious way. I think that is one of the subtly best lessons to take from this.

At first I had thought 19 minutes to sit through this is a long time then once it began the time just went by soo fast and I REALLY got into this. This was and is amazing and I really greatly enjoyed all that he had said. I am really happy that I had watched this. Thank you ever so truly much for sharing this. This was/is excellent and there was great meaning behind it, things like this are ALWAYS enjoyable and positive. Again, THANK YOU for sharing this.

This is, hands down all the way to my soles, the best TED talk I have ever seen.

Absolutely incredible! Andrew Stanton, my 2 favorite movies as a child were Toy Story and A Bugs Life. I watched them hundreds of times. Thank you so much for following your passion because it ultimately changed my life.

This is a fantastic TED. I was not expecting it to be this good. Many insights provided, totally worth your time.

Great talk! One of the best on Ted.

OMG, Lawrence of Arabia. THANK YOU. I spent my teenage years getting up at 5am so I could watch that film before school. REPEATEDLY. I knew every line, every scene, every gesture, back to front. And I tell my kids today and they just shrug. Damn them. Such a brilliant piece of work.

Fantastic opening, the middle was kind of saturated with facts and knowledge which could have been better explained or broken down but given the time limit he was given, he made this talk really enriching and engaging. Phenomenal ending. Nothing less to expect from one of the best story tellers in the world.

Beautiful. I've always been mesmerized by Pixar`s wonderful work. This has to be the most honest and purest form of storytelling there is.

Loved this talk, took notes. Thank you!

The best reminder of why I'm a writer ever; bloody brilliant.

The part about invoking a surrender to wonder in other people was my favorite. Such a beautiful talk!

My interest was piqued by Andrew Stanton's TED Talk on The Clue to a Great Story because of its focus on the effectiveness of storytelling and its importance of emotional connection. Stanton's delivery excited me since his enthusiasm for storytelling was evident in his expressive gestures and interesting stories. I 100% agree with the idea that great stories are those that inspire us to feel something, as I have personal experience of the deep influence of emotionally stirring stories. I was reminded of the transforming power of storytelling by Stanton's talk, and it inspired me to keep seeking out and delivering tales that make people feel real emotions and connect with others on a deeper level.

Andrew Stanton is a genius. Finding Nemo is one of the greatest movies ever made.

Listening intently on each word as his origin story comes to its climax and.......wait, did he say he was born with teeth?

Love the working for your meal, 2+2 rule, and giving your character a spine

Just what I needed as a break from typing my first screenplay. Comedy/drama/psych thriller. My soul makes it so easy when the words begin to pour out from my fingers into my computer. Perfect talk for writers block!!!!

This is undoubtedly incredible! I've been watching a huge amount of videos on KZfaq and looking for some incentive on the Internet to try to move myself again because I lost my passion and I thought there wasn't any reason left for me to do anything at all since a very long time. But right about now I found this video and I feel better, I feel that I do have a reason to keep on making my life the way that I've been making it for the las 5 years. That reason is the fact that I, just like everybody, can tell a story that can be invented at all or can have some influences of my own experiences. Thanks a lot to whoever uploaded this video!

13:06 woody face was hilarious

Life and storytelling all worked for my interest in storytelling and to apply in my life. Thank you ANDREW Stanton and TED team.

This was great and very insightful. I was almost at tears when he showed how he influenced Finding Nemo's story with his own towards the end - a baby given a second chance, one he was given. Makes me want to watch those animated films again.

Awesome talk, both of values and of great storytelling! Thank you, Andrew!

Thank You, Andrew, for this excellent video. I am very new at writing stories and eager to learn the craft of writing stories. This content is very helpful and informative. It makes me want to be a storyteller even more. Your delivery is so effective, it makes me sit up and take notice. I am happy and very grateful to have come to this page to see this video and hear your voice. I am inspired... Thank You. :-)

I love hearing different stories. It inspires us and we learned a lot from it. Thanks for sharing your story.

14:50 Peter O`Toole commanding the screen by standing still and staring. what performer.

This really is the single most important lesson ever learned as an advertiser. Thanks.

beautifully expressed. revived my love for cartoon classics and moderns'

For such a genuinely inspiring speech the guy deserves an award. He knew what he was talking about had actual results to back it.. Beauty with brains if u ask me.

I have been watched this video for many time. It's so inspiring and whenever it reaches to the end of this video, I kind of feel sad.

He is very intelligent

He is amazing

Loved this talk, I wish I could go to one of these talks one day

Got to love that opening joke. MAN, this is an incredible talk, as a writer it means so much to hear words of wisdom through a master like this.

Of all the storys that have ever been told in film, television and life........ That was probably the best one lol

the finding Memo part 😭😭😭😭😭

I learned so much in so little time. So many authors need to see this!

This is by far my favourite TED talk and it only has 12k views. What a shame

Those f----ing Disney/Pixar people get me every time!!! I've never needed tissues watching a Ted Talk! 😢😩👏🏽🙌🏾

I got confused about 12:04. B/c thinking about Toy Story the movie, the village was the toys in the room, the villain was the toy destroying bully, there was an I want moment with song when Buzz Lightyear tried to fly. They also had songs like you got a friend in me. The was Love for the kid and Woody had a thing for the Bo Peep toy. So which story is he talking about.

Is it weird that I almost cried while watching this? :) It's just so good. And don't think I didn't notice how he worked those principals into this talk too!!! I see what you did there!!!

One of the best talks, I have ever watched literally!

Fellow ‪#‎writers‬, invest 20 minutes to learn a few tips on telling a good story.

no joke wall e made me cry so hard as a nine year old that i had to stop watching the movie halfway through and exit the theatre. i was just a super emotional kid and the imagery and desolation and the loneliness of wall e and his big robot eyes really broke me lol

this vid shows all my unknown love for storytelling, literally got goosebumps

Many thanks for your service to humanity (Children, Adults) We enjoy your tremendous creativity, genius and hard work. God bless your heart & family Mr. Stanton.

So many people whining about a swear word. This is an audience of adults, being spoken to as adults by an adult. The assumption is that nobody gets hurt by "potty mouth". Nobody here was injured.

John Carter is massively underrated.

I loved it, thank you. You had me with the use of your opening joke. Brilliant and funny. Point made. No worries about the use of a teleprompter. I figure you’re a very busy dude who took the time to assemble a terrific presentation. Memorizing and performing is a separate set of tasks. Read on my friend and thanks for your gifts and talents.

Thank you so much for sharing this talk, I really appreciate it, I loved it. The meanings behind it are all fascinating. And that first story really got me🤣🤣🤣. May God bless this man and everyone.

Excellent insights. It's important to remember that everyone in an audience is an audience experiencing the story's meaning as it applies to them... or not. Either way, change occurs.

Muchas gracias a quienes subtitularon el video. Realmente me sirvió mucho poder comprender las palabras de Andrew Stanton. Uno de los principales pilares de Pixar Studios.

LOVE this talk!!! Thank you!!!

Probably the best TED talk I’ve heard yet.

Anyone else a little shook by that Woody yelling at Slinky bit?

"storytelling without dialog" Like _Angry Birds Toons_ . I am amazed sometimes at how much Rovio packs into a cartoon without saying a (real) word. I always kind of assumed that maybe this was deliberate so that anyone who viewed it, regardless of the language they knew, could understand it.

Excellent presentation. Thank you.

I LOVE this talk by Andrew. Resonated with my current situation in a big way.