CHAPTER 8Don’t Tell Me a Story

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Evolution of Dance

This may sound sacrilegious, but the evidence for it is overwhelming. Contrary to popular belief, and unlike all other film and video, viral video is not about story.

Viral video is the twenty-first-century sideshow, and the sideshow isn’t about story. It’s all about the hook and delivering on the hook.

This means don’t waste our time with irrelevant narrative. What is irrelevant narrative?

Just about all of it.

Do we want to know the sword swallower’s life story? No. We want to see him swallow swords.

Do we care why the Will It Blend? guy wants to blend an iPhone? No. We want to see it gloriously ...

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