The Science of Story Telling

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When my good friend, orator and highly well-read gentleman, Nigel Gant, first stepped on set into the Museum of Stories he said, very quietly, "I am standing inside somebody else's imagination, it's humbling to think that!"   Actually Nige, it's humbling to be the person whose imagination you so willingly agreed to bring to life ... but let's leave the mutual appreciation there.    Throughout the day I noted that between filming sessions, whenever Nigel was sent outside to get some fresh air (it was well over 30 degrees on set on the hottest weekend of the year!) he would doggedly read, re-read, recite and practice the lines word for word.  

"Perhaps you don't have to be word perfect if there are phrases that give you trouble?"  I suggested.  

"Oh no!" he insisted "A lot of trouble and thought has been poured into writing this, I must do it justice and get it right." (I am abashed)

As you know I am a scholar, a PhD and an eternal student of all things human.  I love history, psychology, physics, maths ... you know?!  So, I would go so far as to suggest that our dear Nigel, without realising it, has understood an important scientific principle of good storytelling.  The science of what happens deep inside your brain makes for a fascinating study;  When you listen to a story that’s being told, or read, to you the auditory cortex of your brain become activated to receive the sounds and tones and interpret what is being said.  Engaging with a story also fires up your left temporal vortex (I fell like I'm writing an episode for Star Treck now!!). Your left temporal vortex is the region in your brain that receives and interprets language. This part of your brain is also capable of identifying overused words or clichés and allowing you to understand the point without becoming bored by repetition or annoyed by the over-use. An innate understanding of this is why the most skilled storytellers are careful about the language they use, employing a host of literary techniques to keep your brain engaged.  Sitting in the shade on that hot sunny day I joked about how my frequent use of alliteration was challenging Nigel's skills, but I also admired how he set the paces and poetic rythmns of the story as he told it. 

And once your temporal vortex is activated other regions of the brain soon begin to participate in the process too!  When you are immersed in the story you begin to feel some kind of emotional engagement with what is being said because the frontal and parietal cortices have been stimulated. Have you ever noticed how descriptions of food will also stir up your sensory cortex so that you feel hungry and can almost smell or taste what the storyteller is describing?  Passages that describe movement or action will get a response from a bit of your brain called the central sulcus (yup, I'm pretty sure that's a Dr. Whovian monster!), actually, the central sulcus is another primary sensory motor region of your brain. Indeed, just thinking about running can activate the neurons associated with the act . . . try it, some hypnotherapists and psychologists reckon you can actually lose weight by thinking about exercise but I've never managed that!

Researchers also tell us that this kind of brain activity can continue on for several days.  This goes a long way toward explaining why what we perceive as "good stories" stay with us, often in great detail. Additionally, stories also improve our ability to recall any information embedded in them. Scientists and psychologists suggest that people can recall facts up to 22 times more efficiently when those facts were heard as part of a story. 

Furthermore, all this brain activity will also bring about changes within other parts of your body. As I'm sure you're aware, if you listen to (or watch) scenes of high action or tension, the stress hormone cortisol is released into your bloodstream.  This, in turn, leads to you becoming more deeply entrenched and responsive to the story as it unfolds.  Apparently, more stories which are more heavily character-driven, that is where the characters are more prominent than events or plot points,  will cause the release of oxytocin into the blood. This is also called the “empathy” hormone because it helps people to bond with other people.  Unsurprisingly it's the same hormone that's released into the bloodstream of breastfeeding mothers.
Speaking of mothers - there is a lot more I could say on the science of storytelling and its relationship with childhood.   If you are interested and would like to read more on this then why not make a comment on this blog so that I know what you'd like me to tell you about.  

Nigel diligently studying his lines to get the words and the rhythms exact -
it's so hot he has a wet towel on his head!

". . . so too, so beautiful boy!"

Telling stories by candlelight in the Museum of Stories

Through the Long Forgotten Door:

One week ago, in the spot where I now stand, was the Museum of Stories.
Here we stood inside Heartsfelled the Storyteller's magical lair.  Here is where his collections of stories, portals into stories, and little clues and artefacts belonging to lost or forgotten stories were all to be found.  But like many magical and special treats - the Museum of Stories will only stay in one place for a little while.  When it's ready it will dissolve away and if you wanted to visit again you'd have to know the secret and how to step through the "long forgotten door".
As I stand here now I see only the grey, empty square building.   I look around, here is where I  built a hollow cardboard wall to dampen the sound for the film crew.  Here is where the woodland corner was built, and over there Heartsfelled's table ....  I kick over the traces of dust, bark and sand.  I try to recall in my mind's eye the island beach and the little boy's bedroom all ready for bedtime stories to be told. And, feeling quite sad as it turned out, I start to sweep away the last dusty reminders. 
The floor and walls echo now as I step around the empty room. 

Zak adjusts the "white" and gets ready to do some pretty clever stuff with his camera

Testing the framing and lighting
- it takes skill to get it right.

Heartsfelled gets ready for the next "take".

Zak in his element - look at that smile.

Assistant Director, Tina, making sure the angles are correct.

Is the pen (quill) mightier than the sword?

Blue screen . . . coz Julia's not really transparent!

Getting ready, trying not to melt - it's over 30 degrees in there by now. 
Hottest weekend ever!

Checking his Anglo-Saxon pronunciation perhaps.

Clapper Board Girl - the Assistant Director on such a small crew gets to do it all!

He's picked an interesting volume off the shelf there.

On being the writer . . . .

It is quite a thing to be the person that wrote the poetic saga which, years later, becomes realised in film form.   There is a big helping of responsibility attached as I see this as an important (not at all irreplaceable but I would go so far as to say significant) step in the development of the very talented young Zak Wylde Holland's career.  The director, makeup artists, costumiers, actors, and so-on all heave expectations. I may steer the ship alongside the Director from time-to-time, however, I am not to be lauded as anything more than a willing project assistant with a clear view on how things can be progressed.  I am the writer and that is my raison d'etre.  I look forward to the production with unbounded enthusiasm but the depth of my pleasure will be felt equally when the special edition book is released and I am holding it in my ink-stained hand!

            On the matter of being a writer, I have been creating stories and poems since I was a very small child.  I can recall back to when I was four or even younger, when I couldn't get to sleep (which seemed often in the way of my recall) my mother would say to me "Lie down, close your eyes, and tell yourself a story!"  So I did.  And I have been doing just that ever since.  Songwriters and sometimes poets will tell you that if you can remember the words in the morning then it's a good piece, worth developing!

            Of course the greater majority of what I have written in my adult, professional years has been textbooks and academic work.  That's what happens when you go and get yourself a PhD (mine is Law and Business would you believe!) they expect you to research in-depth, write with great clarity and have a good, strong sense of purpose.  Now that I have moved on and can fully indulge my passion for writing fiction I am finding that research habit very enriching.
              Being a writer to the core also means that I am entrenched in the new book I am researching and creating as well as keeping a weather eye on my duties towards this wonderful Heartsfelled project.  In time my role on this particular Heartsfelled film will melt away and I will sink down deep into the depths of being a writer once again.  The fantasy fiction that I created in a previous life, under a different name was well received so, although I have no wish to revive that series or be that person again, I am very much enjoying the escape into my worlds and the people who come to me there.
               In the meantime, out here in the real world, sets are being built, choreography is being refined and all things are making excellent progress.

Storytelling at its very, very best.

Today I went into the studio and listened to Nigel Gant, Heartsfelled himself, read the story of The Identity Stealer.  I knew it would be good, but I hadn't appreciated just how beautifully captivating he would make it.  What a wonderful and gifted storyteller we really do have.  I can hardly wait until I can share it with you so that you can sit, spellbound, as we did.  This was storytelling at its best.
Apart from anything else the lines in Anglo-Saxon were delivered so very beautifully, lyrically and with perfect rhythm and pronunciation.  And the switches from enthralling storytelling to verse are done so well that it is all pure pleasure to listen to.
My thanks go out to Carl Frearson at Solo Studios near Spalding too.  A talented and gifted producer-editor and, as I discovered, an award-winning filmmaker himself.  I am just knocked out by the wonderful people this project brings me into contact with.
Thanks, everybody.
PB (Writer)

Who is this 'Heartsfelled' ?

Coffee Cup Available from
crowdfunder.cu.uk/heartsfelled

 Grab yourself a nice cuppa, sit back and let me tell you about Heartsfelled.

As you may have gathered, if you've read previous blog entries here, the film we are making is based upon an epic, saga style poem called "The Fyrdhwaet Saga".  In real practical, down to earth terms, it would not be so interesting for so many people if we had just got somebody to sit and read out the poem on film with, maybe, a few flat illustrations.  So, being the writer of the project Patrisha Buck had to find a platform from which the tale told in the poem could be delivered.  But - poetry and performance poetry lay at the heart of this project's inception so Patrisha looked for a way to avoid just filming the story as a standard, linear, dramatic narrative . . . and that was when she met Heartsfelled!

Star Carr deer mask 

 Heartsfelled is the most intriguing fellow.  He is ageless and timeless and his soul raison d'etre is to gather, preserve, store and tell stories from across all of time and space.  As I've discussed in prior blog entries, stories are fundamental to humankind.  Our news, our education, our communications across all levels of encounter are all based on storytelling.  Recently our Director, Pete Buzzsaw Holland, was discussing the 11,000-year-old deer masks found at Star Carr in Yorkshire.  These are artefacts which represent the long-ago spiritualisation of nature and the telling of stories to encourage ritual and good behaviour among people who were struggling to survive an intense and significant climate change (Sound familiar?)  And d'you know what? Yep, Heartsfelled was there 11,000 years ago collecting those stories and storing them away for posterity.  Soon it will be time for those particular stories to be brought back into our life's repertoire, but not quite yet.  

Faith, religion, moral standards, cultural identity - these are all shared and passed down from generation to generation through stories.  But what of Heartsfelled himself, what kind of a character is he?  Well, he is a very gentle, very wise person.  He has a cheeky sense of humour and masses of charisma. 

Heartsfelled and his love
Julia.

When Patrisha first met him he gave her a fold with his stories about the goings on of a particular garden gnome community (pretty racy stuff as it turned out!) and told her three beautiful love stories, two his own and one from an ancestor of his from the days of the Viking raids ... and through sharing these stories Heartsfelled effortlessly let Patrisha know him to be unselfish, altruistic, self-sacrificing, self-denying. considerate, compassionate, kind, decent and noble.  He is a person of boundless generosity with a  raucous love for laughter!  He's also a lover of fine things, silk hats, fine clothes and, oh how he loves food and wine!

Patrisha also heard Heartsfelled read Dickens for the 350 years old Gentlemen's Society in Spalding, and she knew then that he was the one to represent her poem for the film . . . plus it turns out that he has studies Anglo-Saxon language and pronounces it perfectly ... what a bonus!

The Museum of stories

The Museum of Stories is where Heartsfelled resides and it's very interesting. It's hard to find because you have to believe in it and you have to "step through the long forgotten door" which is harder than it

sounds!  But, once there, you'll find glorious stream-of-consciousness displays that draw your eye and your imagination from one story to another.  The artefacts represent diverse tales  taking you from as shipwrecks to African jungle camps, from childhood comforts to creepy forests, through artefacts that tell of Roman, Greek, Egyptian or ancient Antipodean, Asian, Norse or European  tales you can linger on one or pass by and just let your thoughts take you wherever they will.  If you look hard when you first enter you might even catch a glimpse of one or two of the Ghosts for Times Past (as seen in our opening sequence for the film) as they are just a few of the people whose stories are there to be told ... or not, depending on what the viewer tunes in to or focuses on.  And, of course, you'll find Heartsfelled, if he's not out gathering more stories or walking the little dogs with his lady-love.

** If you would like a copy of food historian Julia Gant's collection of Heartsfelled's favourite recipes (genuinely authentic historic recipes) with illustrations and anecdotes all manner of good things included, or any other movie memorabilia or even a pre-order copy of the film .... you can get these by visiting crowdfunder.co.uk/heartsfelled

Brother Scuttle's Reflections.... Spalding Priory

One of our Ghosts from Times Past is just loving the opportunities to visit with us and have a look around . . . .

Hello again ghost watchers,

Richard had to return to his Dentist to have a rather large tooth removed, so had not the motivation to evoke my spirit from the depths... but here I am a wandering ghost, once again free from the Netherworld and able walk quietly amongst the living.

As you know the Priory was my home for many years and was a big feature on the landscape of Spalding. It was demolished well after my death... yet today, feeling melancholy and having a need to reunite myself with my former home, I am searching modern Spalding for traces of the former Priory.

From talking to Richard recently (in between bouts of toothache!) he was telling me what survives of our order's holy places in the area. Peterborough still has Abbey remains near the Cathedral, Crowland is still used as a Church and has recognisable remains from its time as an Abbey scattered 'round and about...
Even dear old Thorney has a few remnants left, used today as a fine Church. But alas Spalding's magnificent construction is ne'er to be seen evermore... Heartsfelled remembers it well, and the stories we both could tell...  But look a little deeper and you shall find pieces...

As I wandered along Spalding high street I saw a strange looking building that drew memories long distant... It has been a forge and a bakery, a hostelry and a shop that sells those square things you modern people like to talk into...  It is still known affectionately as 'The Prior's Oven' and I love it! From the oddly shaped exterior to the vaulted ceiling.
In my day it boasted another story and was used as a sort of prison for Monks not keen on moral behaviour... Brother David for example who couldn't keep his hands off the local girls of ill repute, and impregnated one of them! He was sorry after that I can tell you and Brother Ignatius who put his hand into the poor box...
There was a bell tower on that second level that, when tolling, told of imminent execution, usually some poor Saxon who had fallen foul of the Normans, who was hung from a gibbet in the Market Place. It sent a shiver along my ghostly spine just thinking about it I can tell you!  Sadly the grand entrance no longer exists, but as you walk into the area known as 'The Crescent' it all began to feel very familiar...

I was excited to discover a row of houses at the back of what Richard describes 'his favourite charity bookshop'. It was not known if they were from the Priory or not, but I was sure they were what was left of the Monk's sleeping dorms...
Inside they had changed much but little hints still showed through the fabric...  I was sure I had found the old block again!
As I travelled I saw little hints remaining in walls and in other buildings. Stone blocks that were recognisable from my time at the Priory.

I am settled again now. My beloved Priory still exists in some form or another and I am content to return to my domain happy...

I will return...

Brother Scuttle.

crowdfunder.co.uk/heartsfelled

How to make a film: Part 2

So, I am going to write an article about each of the following talented members of our film crew, and I am going to tell you why it isn't possible to make a quality film production without them.   But, in the meantime, let's let them say in their own words..... you'll soon see how each brings their own unique strengths and artistry to a project.

Let's Say it all out loud - Videos for your information and entertainment

How to make a film . . .

How to make a film?

Step One:
Go off on your own with a pad and a pencil and have an idea for a story.

 Write it down (It doesn't have to be beautifully finished just grab the basic characters, plot points and events)

The reason you don't have to worry too much about the finer details at this point is because it will be completed by the director when he does his storyboards, decides what he can and cannot film on location, and works out what his actors can and cannot do!

Of course, if you want to present the story as a book then you'd better get writing in depth and find yourself a great editor to make it perfect with you.

Step Two:

Walk up to a) a Film Director or b) a Director of Cinematography or c) (and this would be preferable), a multi-millionaire who is one or both of the other things.  I went for option a).

Having approached the film director, or whomever, you then need to talk about your story in such a way as to appeal to their imagination and coax them to say "ooh, yes! We could make a film of that!"

Of course, at this stage, you will be thinking small and uncomplicated thoughts about a few people making a nice video like the ones you make with your mobile, or even like the ones your dad used to make with one cine camera in the back garden!

Step Three:

Take a deep breath .... the director will now bring into being a whole crew of people with the most amazing sets of terrifying talent and technical skills. 

They will walk about confidently saying things like "oh yes that can be made to fly!" and "Oh, I can airbrush that!" and before you know it they'll be looking at you like you're some kind of Industry Executive ... just smile and say yes a lot, they like that!

Steve Locsy is an unbelievably visionary special effects makeup artist - the fantasty demon monsters in Heartsfelled couldn't be being given their faces by anybody better - Steve is launching his own theatrical and film sfx makeup business and we are just privileged beyond belief to have him on our crew.
I'll feature Steve and each of the crew members individually in later blogs.

 Hair Dresser Mark Brown is another person with the gift of creative vision - not only does he do the best gentlemen's hair in all of Bedfordshire, but when his imagination is sparked he turns ordinary folk into fantasy characters as if by magic ....

Heeeeeeere's Nealy.  What a special and beautiful soul NEaly is.  She has trained in makeup and beauty but is now setting out her stall to become a tv and film makeup and special effects makeup artist with a special interest in scars and injuries (think about all those hospital programmes and the myriad of film and tv series where she could ply her trade).
Nealy is in training but raring to go and again it is a genuine privilege to have her on our crew.

Jack Wilderspin is a director in the making.  I cannot wait to do a blog about Jack in his own right.

For us he is working as cinematographer alongside our Director of Cinematography Zak Wylde Holland.

I will tell you about our actors and other good things in Friday's blog.  In the meantime here is a "Show Reel" from Jack.  If you don't know (and I did not) showreels are what actors, cameramen and directors create to show their styles and skills. ..... Enjoy:

(may contain strong language etc.)

I am truly looking forward to writing individual features for each of our team - Nigel  and Julia, Pete, Tina and Zak, and all the wonderful folk you see in this blog and many more!

If there is anything you'd love to know - do leave me a note or ask a question.

Brother Scuttle's Reflections... Pulling Teeth!

Hello again my friends,

Richard has kindly allowed me some time once again to put my ghostly memory to work and take a trip back into the past...

I must say I'm getting used to your way of life here in the future... Even though my beloved Priory is no more! Still I can wander the Streets of Spalding as a ghost and observe what I can of humanity, which I find very entertaining...

Horseless carts, boxes you speak into, boxes that copy your every movement and utterance, boxes that generate visions from other realms... This 'Web' people speak of? That is the most terrifying thing of all, and once again I observe Richard and his wife spending hours pouring over this 'Web' from yet another box... I don't believe in Magic... never have, there is a reason for all this as Richard has tried to explain...  I think my time is not ready for all this jiggery pokery!

Today Richard had to go to the 'Dentist' or tooth Doctor as I discovered. He seemed to feel no pain or discomfort through the ordeal...  Good for him!

I remember Brother Simeon at the Priory... He pulled out bad teeth and enjoyed every moment of the suffering of others. Mercifully I only ever had to have him pull one of my teeth, but it is said my cries could be heard all over Spalding and beyond into the very fens!  I was told that his predecessor, Brother Maurice actually kept the teeth he removed! Even in God's good name could he be that foul? But it appears that you have drugs and medicines to reduce pain in your time, which can only be good. Richard says he's a martyr to his teeth... I never quite understand what that man is on about half the time!

Anyway it's raining today and quite miserable... I think I'll nip back to the netherworld or go and see Heartsfelled to swap a yarn or two... Pity I can't drink ale anymore, you should have seen me and him back in the day! Ha ha ha...

Oh, due to 'human error' in the last blog I just wish to confirm that I was born in 1068 the son of a Norman and a high ranking Saxon and went into the Priory at 15 to study and prepare for my vows.

Wishing everyone a very happy Weekend,


Brother Scuttle.

Sneak preview, designs on a demon

Wowza!  Today I got a sneak preview of one of the bespoke masks for one of our demons. This is the second demon costume to come together (you've seen the preview of the first one modelled by beautiful Amy, in an earlier post).
It's so exciting to see such craftsmanship and to know that your characters are going to come to life and look so good.  The demon battles are going to be amazing, I cannot wait until filming starts this summer.
Don't forget you can pre-order dvd or book or both, or get yourself an exclusive T shirt or sweatshirt and at the same time be supporting this project just go to -  https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/heartsfelled

The Great Thirsty Higghorþ under design
in the workshops of  Barefoot Leather.