Last fall, I heard screenwriting guru Robert McKee say, “Only a fool shows their mediocrity to the world,” and that got me thinking. In my opinion, those are words to live by for filmmakers and, in fact, all storytellers. For the storyteller, substance (message) and form (story) are on equal footing; each is just as important as the other.
As someone who is interested in telling others about Jesus Christ and my personal journey of redemption, I realize that I have the best substance in the world to share. Yet my ability to share that substance in the form of excellent story is always in need of improvement.
That’s how I ended up at Robert McKee’s famous Story Seminar, eager to learn from the best. Though McKee can be described as an ornery, brash, and profane atheist, he remains a sentimental genius that knows how to teach storytellers (of any creed or culture) how to engage an audience.
From the first session of the intense three-day seminar, I knew I was in over my head. McKee knows story like we are called to know the Bible. He ponders it, wrestles with it, teaches it, and navigates through it with an epic knowledge of its power. He knows story so well that he utters profound insights while often oblivious to the impact they have on those listening.
Though I lack the space and ability to convey all that I learned that weekend, there are some key takeaways about the art of telling God’s story with excellence that I’d like to share.
“The cardinal sin is turning human life and nature into boredom.”— McKee
Human life and nature are not boring. Why we become who we are is not boring. How we succeed and stumble in following after Christ is not boring. As Christians and storytellers (hopefully, as a church leader, you view yourself as a storyteller regardless of your job title), we have a dual responsibility to share engaging metaphors that highlight the abundant life that has been given to us. Anything that falls short doesn’t serve the gospel well.
For example, take this issue’s cover story, the I Am Second project. Boiled down, the I Am Second videos are simply believers sharing their faith. It’s the Four Spiritual Laws personalized and brought to life. Each video contains incredible substance (gospel/message) as known and unknown faces share their remarkable, redemptive stories (form). As followers of Christ, each of us has a remarkable, redemptive story to tell—after all, the story of a sinner saved by grace is nothing if not remarkable and redemptive.
As powerful as the message is, the form of the I Am Second videos plays a significant role in capturing the attention of their audience. I Am Second has created an intimate setting where the audience becomes vulnerable and receptive, which is exactly what McKee suggests will happen when good story portrays human life and nature in its proper reality. Video after video, the viewer laments the poor choices of the storyteller while simultaneously identifying with them because of the poor choices sprinkled throughout our individual histories. As the storyteller finds redemption, the viewer celebrates.
Redemption and grace are not boring, so it’s vital that we learn to communicate those themes in a manner deserving of their divine origins.
“You must research your world or face becoming cliché.”—McKee
McKee says experienced storytellers should never trust their first inspiration. Why? Because “sitting on the top of your head is every film you’ve ever seen [and] every novel you’ve ever read.” Often your initial inspiration is something that has been done before. As Christians, we must avoid the trite and cliché. We’ve relied on substance for too long, and as a result, we’ve been lazy with our art form.
The only way to battle cliché is to brainstorm as many options for your various story elements as possible. Where should your character(s) first be found? What are their responses to the dilemmas they face? Per McKee’s suggestion, be suspicious of your first few ideas and take the time to do any necessary research. If it has been done before, throw it out. If you can’t find a new angle, ditch it. If a specific plot development isn’t reasonable in the context of your character’s world, move on from it. If you have never thrown away “inspiration,” McKee practically assures you that your story will fail. The divide between being received as average or as genius is not that wide. McKee suggests that the only difference between the two is that the genius has the “will to weed out” the banalities and clichés that destroy excellence.
The added battle of cliché that a Christian storyteller faces is that our material has been covered over and over again throughout the ages and through various media. Thus, it is imperative to pay extra attention to the originality and creativity of our form.
A great standard is The Passion of the Christ. Though its substance had been told and re-told for 2,000 years, Mel Gibson was able to capture the Crucifixion story in an original and captivating way as he focused attention on Christ’s unfathomable suffering. Gibson creatively incorporated flashbacks throughout the film to regularly remind the audience of the humanity of Christ, which only further accented the suffering we witnessed onscreen. Rather than regurgitate facts, verses, and bullet points about the cross of Christ, Gibson told a powerful narrative that reestablished the creative standard for communicating the gospel via modern media.
“It’s easy to be inspired to start; the hard part is finishing beautifully.” —McKee
Human nature is complex. Our world is complex. For that matter, God is complex. If story is a metaphor for life, it makes sense that fully executing those metaphors is often difficult and complicated. Let us not sacrifice the pursuit of excellence because we trust that the substance of the gospel will carry the day. When that substance is buried beneath poor form, it’s akin to lighting a lamp and then placing it under a basket. We know that’s not a good idea.
Excellence by definition is difficult to achieve. Typically, it’s the result of an arduous journey in which mediocrity is sifted out over time. As McKee says, “We all know in the midnight of our souls that 90 percent of what we do is less than our best.” The challenge of finishing beautifully is to make the most of the 10 percent that is our best. This may sound like fuzzy math, but making the most of the 10 percent requires 100 percent effort over and over again, so that we can claim that which is worth saving.
Be aware of this, not discouraged. Remember, starting an idea is actually the easy part. Fully executing it in a manner that serves the gospel well is the most difficult yet rewarding task we can undertake.
Mastering the art of story is the pursuit of a lifetime. Whether you are a fresh face or a veteran storyteller, we all have much to learn about what our stories say and how we can best communicate them. If you are not sure what step to take next, there are many resources available on screenwriting, but Robert McKee’s book, Story, is a great place to start. Toward the end of this year, Donald Miller will release a new book about how the principles of screenwriting and storytelling make an excellent frame through which we can better understand life itself, so be on the lookout for that as well. Books and other resources aside, just beginning to see yourself as a storyteller whether you’re a filmmaker, a graphic designer, or a small group leader, might be enough to propel you toward a new understanding of communicating spiritual truth—the story of God and His people—to whatever audience you’ve been given. Tell those stories to the best of your abilities; tell those stories with excellence.
Jeff Parker is a contributing editor for COLLIDE.