Track Changes

I came across this reference via Russell Davies. Blake Snyder wrote about the “Pope in the Pool” method in his book Save the Cat!

It’s a storytelling technique for a scene in a script with a lot of exposition. As we know, too much exposition can lead to audience boredom and detachment, something we definitely don’t want.

In Blake’s telling, writers solve this problem by providing the exposition in a unique way. For example, by having the Pope’s advisers share the information with him while he is swimming.

We’re used to seeing the Pope stand in his balcony, dressed in his traditional white robes. We’re not used to seeing him swimming laps, which is what makes the scene so intriguing. We’re focused on the image while being presented with the facts.

When you start looking for the method you see it everywhere. When you have information you need to share, think about how you can use this method to make complex information entertaining.

Different but related. The way we teach and present and tell stories in a hybrid world is different. In a live presentation, your physical presence (movement, facial expressions, pauses) does a lot of the work. A sage on a stage keeps a lot of attention.

In a Zoom presentation, your face is the only bit you control. But it is small, and pixelated, and people can easily click away. It doesn’t do enough to keep people engaged (sorry).

(via Russell) So perhaps the model needs to be more like this or this: