Into the Elements
Donald Miller/BluefishTV
What’s Cool: We all love Donald Miller, right? Right. Into the Elements is a four-DVD set that allows us to sit in on a writing workshop Miller conducted two years ago in Portland. Informed by Robert McKee’s Story seminar and Miller’s experience developing the Blue Like Jazz movie, Miller guides the audience through an introduction to story and its importance, a discussion about characters and their desires, and an overview of plot and resolution.
As a guide, Miller is thoughtful and humorous as he presents a solid mix of technical information and illustrative anecdotes. Furthermore, while Miller is known for his talent as a nonfiction writer, he earns instant narrative credibility with his audience as he proves himself a talented storyteller and teacher.
Into the Elements presents Miller’s four sessions, totaling almost three hours of instruction, in a live and somewhat raw format—complete with audience laughter and Q&A sessions. The result is a production that feels more organic than an overproduced studio recording.
What’s Not: We’re sure Into the Elements could be improved somehow but we’re not sure how. Moving on …
The Bottom Line: If you want to engage an audience, you need to learn about the power and form of narrative—even if you’re not a screenwriter. As the back of the box says, “Public speakers, novelists, screenwriters, teachers, biographers, journalists, memoirists, essayists, and communicators of any sort are invited Into the Elements.” Absorbing and applying the lessons on this DVD set will help you create more engaging films, sermons, blog posts, essays, and even worship experiences. That kind of insight would be a bargain at any price but the $99.99 price tag makes Into the Elements a must-have.
Official Website:
www.intotheelements.com
Our Rating:
