TECHNOLOGY
From Screenwriting To AI and Beyond
The evolution of storytelling through technology
Cognitive science has revealed: our brains ‘think in stories’, creating multi-sensory narratives that form our personal perception of the world.
This ‘internal’ storytelling is as old as humanity itself.
Sharing a story with others, or ‘external storytelling,’ was primarily an oral tradition for about 300,000 years of human history. But then, about 40,000 years ago, visual storytelling emerged and rapidly evolved due to technological advancements.
Today, artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) are about to revolutionize the creation and consumption of stories in ways previously unimaginable. However, we cannot predict with certainty how patterns of production and consumption will change.
What we can do, though, is try to find some clues by examining how technology has changed storytelling in the past.
The Dawn of Storytelling
Our journey begins about 40,000 years ago, when our ancestors first carved their narratives on cave walls, creating the earliest examples of visual storytelling.
Along with these primitive sketches oral storytelling evolved into writing which produced comprehensive story worlds. This finally made it possible for stories to transcend time and space.
Theater and Playwriting: The Power of Performance
Around the 5th century BC, storytelling in ancient Greece gave birth to playwrights such as Sophocles and Aristophanes, who crafted stories with deep character development, intricate plots, and lively dialogue.
Their work was a direct precursor to the modern screenplay — stories intended for performance and visual consumption, rather than to be read primarily.
Cinema: A New Medium Arrives
Finally, the dawn of cinema in the late 19th century provided an entirely new platform for visual storytelling, setting the stage for an evolution in narrative techniques.
The introduction of synchronized sound in films, known as “talkies,” in the 1920s revolutionized the medium, placing dialogue, sound effects, and music at the heart of cinematic storytelling. In retrospect, it can be said that this was the seismic shift that triggered the emergence of screenwriting as a craft in its own right.
Screenwriting conventions that we recognize today were largely formulated during the renowned “Golden Age of Hollywood” (1930–1950), an era cementing the industry-standard screenplay format and narrative structures, such as the three-act paradigm.
Television and Episodic Writing
The rise of television in the mid-20th century marked another significant shift in screenwriting. Television scripts, episodic by nature, required a unique writing style and encouraged the establishment of writers’ rooms — a collaborative space for creating the large amount of material needed for serialized content (and taking care of consistency, diversity of ideas, and constant feedback).
The rapid pace and strict schedules of television production required writers to adapt in terms of narrative structure and story pacing. A technological shift changed story creation and consumption: multi-layered story arcs had to be told in less than an hour.
The Digital Revolution
The advent of the Internet and the introduction of digital tools led to a democratization of storytelling: Now, anyone with a camera could record their stories and share them online. At the same time, platforms such as YouTube, Netflix, and Amazon Prime emerged, offering unprecedented opportunities to professional scriptwriters and challenging traditional forms of storytelling.
In addition, the age of data analytics began: Binge-watching became a sought-after behavior, and algorithms tracked and analyzed instances where viewers dropped out of a series halfway through the first season. These insights into consumer behavior significantly influenced production decisions and story development (e.g., cliffhangers became a must, and binge-watching influenced story arcs and pacing).
The Future: AI & VR Redefining Storytelling
In 2023, technologies like virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and artificial intelligence (AI) are about to transform storytelling once again.
AI algorithms are now enhancing not just consumer behavior analysis but also aiding in screenplay development, fostering creative brainstorming, and transforming the profession of screenwriting itself. Additionally, the combination of VR and AI will offer audiences immersive and reactive experiences, transforming the way stories will be created and consumed.
However, we persist as a species of storytellers. Always exploring novel and creative ways to share our personal experiences.
As professions rise and fall, this storytelling instinct remains constant.
➡️ Follow me on Twitter or Medium (use my referral link to get full access to all my articles and those of thousands of other writers).
➡️ If you like my content, why not leave a “clap” at the end of this article, so more people can see it?
Originally published at https://streamlife.com on April 18, 2023.
- Subscribe to Storius Direct to receive articles like this to your inbox
- Subscribe to Storius Digest to receive a weekly digest with links
Elsewhere: LinkedIn • Facebook • Instagram • Twitter • Flipboard
