Cleopatra cost Twentieth Century Fox $44 million, by the studio's own estimate. That may sound like the budget of one of those genre pictures that winds up going straight to streaming, but if we convert those 1963 dollars into current ones, it comes out to $480 million.
One life, drawn at random from all who have ever lived.
What the hidden relationships of ancient folktales reveal about their evolution—and our own
The Americana music icon has had his razor-sharp lyricism seasoned by decades on the road
Louis Menand reviews “On the Mark,” by Florence Hazrat, and “Verb Your Enthusiasm,” by Sarah Kaufman.
Love it or hate it, improv comedy is neither dead nor dying.
It can be useful to see reality as malleable.
Click through for our favourite writing from the New York Times
Our love for telling tales reveals the workings of the mind
Neuroscience is revealing how our brains are wired for narrative
The primary glue for what remains is cause and effect
therefore
Click through for our favourite wrting from Aeon magazine
At 78, the king of horror and sci-fi movies is as much of a rebel as ever. He talks about creativity, compromise (he’s not a fan) and how he became addicted to moviemaking
Some stories are worth revisiting at every stage of life.
“What has been my prettiest contribution to the culture?” asked Kurt Vonnegut in his autobiography Palm Sunday. His answer?
A Better Use of Two Hours: Learn How to Instantly Command Attention Every Time You Speak
Practical ways to structure blog content so it’s easier to read, holds attention, and leads readers toward action.
1. Hook the reader
2. Make promises and deliver on them
Most people fail on Reddit because they write comments like ads. Reddit eats ads for breakfast. It's better to follow a Reddit comment framework that
A new book describes the challenges and joys of life as a letter carrier.
Great articles and essays by the world's best journalists and writers.
Once again, John le Carré is back. The TV series inspired by his post-Cold War novel, The Night Manager, is returning to our screens on New Year’s Day. There’s an exhibition about his “tradecraft” on
Shroud-chewers, lip-smackers and suckers populate this fascinating study of ‘the unquiet dead’ across the centuries
The three-act ‘hero’s journey’ has long been the most prominent kind of story. What other tales are there to tell?
I finally got around to watching Casablanca this year. I’m a little embarrassed it took this long. I think the delay was due to the fact that I already thought I’d seen it, on account of seeing clips of it so often. It’s part of the ether of pop culture. I knew all the famous […]
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
Explore some of the best-known medieval myths, about legendary characters and perhaps even real people.
Check out the film's original score by Jason Stamatyades here: https://jasonstam.bandcamp.com/album/the-god-man-original-motion-picture-scoreThe God Man Full...
A public speaking expert watched Valvano's speech for the first time and called her dad. “Have you ever seen this?” she asked. “Oh my God."
Steven Soderbergh was one of the earliest filmmakers to break out in what's now called the 'Indiewood' movement of the nineteen-nineties. He was early enough, in fact, to have done so in the eighties, with the Palme d'Or-winning Sex, Lies, and Videotape.
A huge collection of cinematic nonfiction
People who are rated as good storytellers exhibit a purpose-oriented mindset and big-picture thinking more often than others
Soon enough, artificial intelligence may be able to recreate the sounds — but there will be something missing.
And other oxymoronic observations about the oeuvre of Ron Oliver, the Hallmark Channel’s most prolific, flamboyant and unapologetically sappy director
Lovecraft’s and King’s fictional whip-poor-wills draw on widespread Indigenous, European, and American beliefs about the species.
The Whip-Poor-Will’s shrill, death-proclaiming song populates the works of Stephen King and H.P. Lovecraft. But the bird itself has fallen on hard times. Could it become a ghost of Halloweens past?
Live from New York, it’s an idiosyncratic list of ‘SNL’ moments we’re still thinking about—from the Belushi/Aykroyd/Radner years to the Eddie Murphy era to Sandler, Fey, Hader, and beyond.
Artists may jumble time for dramatic effect. But your unconscious is always putting the narrative in order.
I came across this recent video from Vicky Zhao last week and loved her brief summary of how she grew in her ability to clearly articulate ideas on the spot by getting to the point, using story str…
How to apply powerful storytelling to design a compelling and memorable digital experience on a landing page. A case study of the [Smart Interface Design Patterns landing page](https://smart-interface-design-patterns.com/).
Storytelling is a powerful tool for any UX designer. It helps create a product and understand the people who use it. In this article, Marli Mesibov takes a real-life example of an app she helped to build in 2017 and explains five steps you can use to help you build a story into…
The basic building blocks of storytelling
30 years of storytelling experience, in a box? Yes, that’s what you get with my latest guides – check out Storyteller Tactics here. My older material is here on the website, including…
Create quick UX design storyboards using the mix-and-match library and template. Pick and change the character's pose, expression, gestures, and more to fit your scenario. Adjust the background and create close-up scenes to describe your solution all from one magic card…
Crafting a good experience is like telling a good story. Improve your UX with these 6 storytelling principles.
How to Align User Research Presentations for Decision Making
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2018’s ‘Summer of Scam’ was just the latest in a strong American tradition.
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Think of them more as “enhancers” than “spoilers.” Knowing what will happen in a movie, TV show or book can provide a tantalizingly pleasing feeling, help you understand the plot and give you a sense of control during chaotic times.
Note: Back in 2013, when Alice Munro won the Nobel Prize in Literature, we published a post featuring 20 short stories written by Munro.
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Ten great opening paragraphs from one iconic author.
Accepted as [NeurIPS 2024] Spotlight Presentation Paper - HVision-NKU/StoryDiffusion
It all goes back to one man in the 1950s: a military-intelligence expert in psychological warfare.