July 24, 2017

How to Overcome Stress with Visual Storytelling

We all carry worries and anxieties about future events that could go wrong in our lives. When you really unpack what exactly is this worry or stress your mind is producing, you find a simple truth.

Stress or worry is in essence, a story we tell ourselves with a bad ending. It’s an imagined outcome that has never happened yet and may never will. These negative stories tend to pop up deep in the night when your storytelling mind is wandering with a wide range of dramatic narratives, chasing away your sleep.

It’s an old survival mechanism we’ve been using for eons. Most likely since the first cave man tossed and turned all night, worrying that there are no wandering bears outside his cave.

Then you wake up in the morning, upbeat for a new day – and those wild stories are replaced with hopeful thoughts (translation: the same horror stories from last night where you just edited the ending to a more positive resolution) – and go happily with your day.

From this perspective, your storytelling mind is like a big data story trafficking engine that based on a wide range of variables; past experiences, hopes, and beliefs (even time of day) – is constantly churning out stories to make sense of and respond to the world around you. And you get to play, pause, rewind or fast-forward these visual stories in your mind.

If you’re thinking a Demand-Side Platform (DSP) from the digital advertising world, you’re not far off. Just replace the ads with stories and you get a Demand-Story Platform.

The difference is that only you manage the story inventory and the Real-Time Bidding (RTB) for a convincing story.

When your mind is seeking to find a meaning to an event, it will demand a convincing visual story to rationalize it and a proper call-to-action.

As I mentioned in a recent post since we are constant seekers of meanings, “we’re all players in our own movies where we play the hero, the director, the cameraman and most importantly the editor“ – then we edit what we see in order to create meanings. Such editing work could play with the narrative timeline back and forth until landing on a story we find personally meaningful.

Now that you understand how stress works – at least from a storytelling perspective – and why the editing principle is so powerful, try to distribute positive visual narratives in your campaigns.

These vivid stories will empower your audience and their minds to picture a great outcome to a burning problem they’re facing. What’s more, your solution could be that key to transforming their stress into an opportunity.

In short, your story will become THEIR STORY! 

Let me know how this strategy is working for you. If you’d like to chat, I’d be happy to exchange ideas.

Source: Visual Storytelling

July 23, 2017

Dunkirk Veteran on Christopher Nolan’s World War II Drama: ‘It Was Just Like I Was There Again’

With a 94 on Metacritic and a $50 million debut at the box office, Dunkirk is already one of Christopher Nolan’s most well-received films. It isn’t just critics and fanboys who appreciate his tense new World War II drama, however, as at least one veteran of the battle itself is now signing its praises as well: “I never thought I would see that again,” said 97-year-old Ken Sturdy. “It was just like I was there again.”

“It didn’t have a lot of dialogue. It didn’t need any of the dialogue because it told the story visually and it was so real,” he continued. “Dunkirk” is light on conventional plotting and dialogue, as Nolan opted for an experiential, you-are-there approach that favors action over words. Study, who was 20 at the time, served as a signalman in the Royal Navy and helped soldiers evacuate the beach where 68,000 British soldiers were captured or killed and more than 300,000 were eventually rescued.

“I had the privilege of seeing that film tonight and I am saddened by it because of what happened on that beach,” he said. “I was 20 when that happened, but watching the movie, I could see my old friends again and a lot of them died later in the war. I went on convoys after that in the North Atlantic. I had lost so many of my buddies.” Learn more about Sturdy here.

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Source: IndieWire film

July 23, 2017

‘Captain Marvel’ Concept Art Shows Brie Larson Fighting the Skrulls — in the 1990s

When it hits theaters in 2019, “Captain Marvel” will become the first Marvel movie centered around a female superhero. Brie Larson has the distinction of leading the upcoming film, which was teased at Comic-Con with new concept art yesterday — as well as the revelation that it will take place in the ‘90s, well before any other chapter in the ongoing Marvel mythos.

It will also pit Captain Marvel (aka Carol Danvers) against the Skrulls, a race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters most familiar to comic-book fans for their appearances opposite the Fantastic Four. Helping the superheroine in that task will be Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), who at this point will still have the use of both eyes — and thus no need for his signature eyepatch.

Marvel Studios’ Kevin Feige told Variety last year that Captain Marvel is one of the most powerful heroes in that particular cinematic universe: “If you had the collector cards of the Marvel characters and you could see the power levels, she would be off the charts compared to anyone that we’ve previously introduced in a film.”

“Captain Marvel” is slated to arrive in theaters on March 8, 2019 and will be directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. Avail yourself of the concept art unveiled at Comic-Con below.

Captain Marvel! pic.twitter.com/fOjQPiEMGo

— Brian Truitt (@briantruitt) July 23, 2017

#CaptainMarvel concept arts !!! #MarvelSDCC pic.twitter.com/WXpJrgqh4b

— Best of Marvel (@thebestofmarvel) July 23, 2017

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Source: IndieWire film

July 23, 2017

‘Dunkirk’ and ‘Girls Trip’ Prove the Box-Office Value of Original Ideas; ‘Valerian’ Does Not

This is an unusual summer weekend, with three original non-franchise titles opening wide. Even odder: Two of them did extremely well.

Christopher Nolan’s “Dunkirk” opened above advance estimates with $50 million. Not only does that place him on par with “Interstellar” in 2014 (adjusted opening gross: $50.9 million), but he did so with a film that didn’t specifically appeal to younger audiences, or even Americans.

If “Dunkirk” goes on to the four-times multiple as “Interstellar” (which was boosted by Thanksgiving and Christmas play time, rather than the summer dog-days ahead), it could score close to $200 million. With initial international grosses strong ($55 million, with no China, Japan, Germany, or Latin America yet), it could reach the break-even minimum of $500 million worldwide.

Another overperformer is Malcolm D. Lee’s “Girls Trip,” which scored a rare A+ Cinemascore (“Dunkirk” was a decent A-) and earned $30 million. That’s only $3 million less than the best African-American lead-character release of the year, “Get Out” (and one of the few to open since then). At under $20 million in estimated production cost, and the potential for strong word-of-mouth among women (79 percent of the initial audience, which was 59 percent African-American), it could see an ultimate $100 million haul.

STX Films/Europacorp

Unfortunately, Luc Besson’s French production “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” didn’t have the same luck. At an estimated cost of around $200 million, it had to settle for a $17 million opening. While its intended audience is international, it will take a massive performance to make up the difference.

The Top 10 totaled $171 million. That’s about $7 million less than the same weekend last year and the year-to-date decline continues.

Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fo

Hurting the cause was the continuing collapse of “War for the Planet of the Apes.” Reviews were great, but the opening was the smallest of the trilogy and its 64 percent drop put the film in fourth place after debuting at #1. The first two entries fell only half in their second weekends.

“Spider-Man: Homecoming” came in at #3, with a third weekend drop of 50 percent. That makes expensive sequels in this perennial Marvel series more challenging than expected, but it gave the studio a needed mid-summer hit that will rank among the season’s top performers.

Amazon Studios

A foursome of films kept their declines between 30-35 percent. “Despicable Me 3,” “Baby Driver,” “The Big Sick,” and “Wonder Woman” (Warner Bros.) all more than held their own against three new films. “Wonder Woman” now is the top-grossing domestic film of the summer, with its next goal to reach $400 million.

Last year saw two summer films open past this weekend to over $50 million with “Jason Bourne” ($59 million) and “Suicide Squad” ($133 million). We probably won’t see that again before the fall. Expect the 2016 falloff to accelerate over the next few weeks.

Warner Bros.

The Top 10

1. Dunkirk (Warner Bros.) NEW – Cinemascore: A-; Metacritic: 94; Est. budget: $150 million

$50,500,000 in 3,720 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $13,575; Cumulative: $50,500,000

2. Girls Trip (Universal) NEW – Cinemascore: A+; Metacritic: 72; Est. budget: $19 million

$30,371,000 in 2,591 theaters; PTA: $11,722; Cumulative: $30,371,000

3. Spider-Man: Homecoming (Sony)  (20th Century Fox) Week 3; Last weekend #2

$22,010,000 (-50%) in 4,130 theaters (-218); PTA: $4,130; Cumulative: $251,712,000

4. War for the Planet of the Apes (20th Century Fox) Week 2; Last weekend #1

$20,400,000 (-64%) in 4,100 theaters (+78); PTA: $4,976; Cumulative: $97,751,000

5. Valerian and a City of a Thousand Planets (STX)  NEW – Cinemascore: B-; Metacritic: 51; Est. budget: $200 million

$17,020,000 in 3,553 theaters; PTA: $4,790; Cumulative: $17,020,000

6. Despicable Me 3 (Universal)  (20th Century Fox) Week 4; Last weekend #3

$12,714,000 (-34%) in 3,525 theaters (-630); PTA: $3,607; Cumulative: $213,323,000

7. Baby Driver (Sony)  (20th Century Fox) Week 4; Last weekend #4

$6,000,000 (-31%) in 2,503 theaters (-540); PTA: $2,397; Cumulative: $84,234,000

8. The Big Sick (Lionsgate)  (20th Century Fox) Week; Last weekend #5

$5,000,000 (-34%) in 2,597 theaters (no change); PTA: $1,925; Cumulative: $24,539,000

9. Wonder Woman (Warner Bros.)  (20th Century Fox) Week 7; Last weekend #6

$4,630,000 (-32%) in 1,971 theaters (-773); PTA: $2,349; Cumulative: $389,033,000

10. Wish Upon (Broad Green)  (20th Century Fox) Week 2; Last weekend #7

$2,478,000 (-%) in 2,154 theaters (-96); PTA: $1,150; Cumulative: $10,522,000

Source: IndieWire film

July 23, 2017

Amazon’s ‘Landline’ Leads Specialized Releases, Followed by Indian Rom-Com ‘Fidaa’

As “The Big Sick” crosses over to 2,500 theaters and “Dunkirk” takes up all the oxygen as the best-reviewed film of the year, this is a quiet moment for specialized releases. Here’s where they stand.

Opening

Landline (Magnolia) Metacritic: 65; Festivals include: Sundance, San Francisco, Seattle 2017

$52,336 in 4 theaters; PTA (per theater average): $13,084

Amazon brought Magnolia on board to handle theatrical on this Sundance acquisition, a complicated family drama about adult kids dealing with parental infidelity and sibling dynamics, with an eclectic cast including Edie Falco, John Turturro, and Jenny Slate. Opening in four top New York/Los Angeles theaters, this scored the best numbers for the weekend but otherwise not especially impressive. Saturday grosses fell slightly from Friday (in-person appearances were a likely factor).

What comes next: Magnolia adds 35 new dates this Friday as Amazon continues its commitment to the traditional three-month window.

The Midwife (Music Box) Metacritic: 63; Festivals include: Berlin 2016, Seattle 2017

$20,250 in 3 theaters; PTA: $6,750

This French drama with Catherine Deneuve is at three ideal New York/Los Angeles locations, including the Francophile Paris in Manhattan. That helped raise its grosses to still mixed results, as French films continue to struggle on art-house screens.

What comes next: This expands to 25 total screens this Friday.

International releases:

Fidaa (Big Sky) – $(est.) 1,050,000 in 139 theaters; PTA: $7,554

A strong initial result for Sekhar Kammula’s Indian romantic comedy, his first in Telugu.

Week Two

Lady Macbeth (Roadside Attractions)

$123,140 in 40 theaters (+35); PTA: $3,079; Cumulative: $219,420

An aggressive expansion for the second weekend of this 19th-century erotic drama that’s more akin to Flaubert or Lawrence than Shakespeare, with average results. A strong Saturday boost over Friday could suggest initial positive response from an older audience.

Endless Poetry (Abkco)

$(est.) 28,000 in 11 theaters (+9); PTA: $(est.) 2,545; Cumulative: $(est.) 64,000

Alejandro Jodorowsky’s late-life recounting of his Chilean childhood expanded to other large cities, with a result that doesn’t quite sustain its initial New York/Los Angeles momentum.

Ongoing/expanding (Grosses over $50,000 in under 1,000 theaters)

Maudie (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 14

$390,198 in 233 theaters (+134); Cumulative: $4,065,000

Most of the film’s North American gross comes from Canada, the country that produced it and served as its setting. The total gross for the U.S. is $1.4 million.

The Beguiled (Focus) Week 5

$251,600 in 331 theaters (-395); Cumulative: $10,155,000

Sofia Coppola’s period Gothic drama will end up at about a fifth of her biggest success, “Lost in Translation” (adjusted gross: $65 million).

Courtesy of Sundance

Little Hours (Gunpowder & Sky) Week 3

$162,530 in 114 theaters (+9); Cumulative: $971,637

This contemporary-dialogue comic adaptation of “The Decameron” isn’t getting the same response as its initial platform dates, with a per-theater average of under $1,500 in limited release.

A Ghost Story (A24) Week 3

$141,148 in 43 theaters (+23); Cumulative: $480,478

A continued modest result for David Lowery’s acclaimed reteaming of Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara.

The Hero (The Orchard) Week 7

$145,214 in 191 theaters (-124); Cumulative: $3,705,000

Another summer specialized release for an older audience. Decent response, but likely didn’t get higher because of the amount of alternative films for the same group.

Beatriz at Dinner (Roadside Attractions) Week 7

$114,342 in 116 theaters (-89); Cumulative: $6,706,000

Miguel Arteta’s dinner-gone-wrong drama continues its decent run as one of the above-average recent specialized performers.

Lost in Paris (Oscilloscope) Week 6

$61,500 in 42 theaters (no change); Cumulative: $242,176

Unsophisticated Canadians bewildered in the French capital continues its niche fun as another subtitled film getting modest results. In the same number of theaters it held well, dropping only about 25 percent.

Paris Can Wait (Sony Pictures Classics) Week 11

$53,784 in 66 theaters (-111); Cumulative: $5,449,000

Eleanor Coppola’s film winds down its run after a respectable art-house showing.

Also noted:

The Women’s Balcony (Menemsha) – $34,469 in theaters; Cumulative: $978,263

City of Ghosts (IFC) – $18,216 in 18 theaters; Cumulative: $73,216

The B-Side (Neon) – $16,265 in 25 theaters; Cumulative: $94,584

13 Minutes (Sony Pictures Classics) – $11,984 in 19 theaters; Cumulative: $74,540

Source: IndieWire film