Explainer Movie™ Masterclass #3 of 5:

Narrative Devices

How To Actually Tell Your Story In A Way That Keeps Viewers Captivated From Start To Finish

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“Only 1% of B2B content gets to me stop and say ‘I want to consume this in my spare time’. This is that 1%”

DEVIN REED 

HEAD OF CONTENT @ CLARI

78k followers

1643685009120 (1) (1)

“Only 1% of B2B content gets to me stop and say ‘I want to consume this in my spare time’. This is that 1%”

DEVIN REED 

HEAD OF CONTENT @ CLARI

78k followers

(Note: this Masterclass contains spoilers of the movie ‘Shutter Island’)

A woman has disappeared from a psychiatric hospital…

…and Marshal Teddy Daniels has been sent to investigate.

He’s close to revealing the truth.

Until…

He discovers that he is a patient at the hospital – and his entire identity as a U.S. Marshall is just a figment of his imagination.

 

That’s the plot twist from Leonardo Dicaprio’s movie Shutter Island. 

And it holds a powerful lesson in making your company video content incredibly captivating: 

Narrative Devices

What’s a narrative device?

It’s simply a way of telling a story. 

It’s different from a plot, in that, a plot is The What

What happens, what’s shown, and what’s heard.

A narrative device is The How.

A man with short term memory loss must solve the murder of his wife is ‘the what’ of Christopher Nolan’s Memento. 

The fact that the movie is told in reverse chronological order to simulate the mental state of the protagonist for the audience is ‘the how’ (the Narrative Device).

Explainer Videos Lack Narrative Devices (And Thus Engagement)

As we’ve mentioned (and will continue to mention) throughout this masterclass, almost all Explainer Videos follow the same structure of:

“Highlight the Problem –> Introduce the Solution”

This is the way Explainer Videos (and most B2B content for that matter) has always been created, therefore it’s the way they continue to be created.

But when something has been done by the masses, it loses its effectiveness.

This is why we preach that, by making your explainer videos feel less like – well, explainer videos – and more like the movies, you’ll better engage your audience, stand out from competitors, and make prospects excited about what you do.

So what are some other, more exciting Narrative Devices you can use to craft magnetic videos?

Well I’m glad you asked.

We’ll cover some now, along with some real life Explainer Movie™ examples.

Narrative Devices For You To Swipe

1. Plot Twist

A sudden, unexpected change or revelation in the plot that alters the audience’s understanding of the story.

Explainer Movie™ example: People.ai

We used a plot twist to highlight People.ai’s value proposition of “providing people with more accurate data to identify the right prospects”.

The first half shows the protagonist pursuing his “high value target” through thick and thin.

He finally tracks them down, only to reveal it’s not a high value target at all.

Watch it here:

2. Multiple Perspectives

A narrative device storytelling where a story is told from the viewpoints of multiple characters.

Each character provides their own unique perspective, insights, and experiences, offering readers a more comprehensive understanding of the plot, themes, and characters.

Explainer Movie™ example: PayByCar

The movie follows 2 characters in the same scenario, but with totally different outcomes – all thanks to PayByCar.

Notice how, despite there being no voice over, the value proposition is immediately very obvious. 

We believe most companies try to over explain their product, which only ends up killing engagement.

Remember, people don’t like to be talked AT. They like to be absorbed in.

It’s probably why this Explainer Movie™ got 600 likes from one organic LinkedIn post by our client, and was ranked in the Top 3 animations on Behance (the largest Creative Network in the world).

Check it out here:

3. Foreshadowing

Hinting at future events or outcomes within the story, creating suspense and anticipation for the audience.

Explainer Movie™ example: BabySteps

The movie opens with a young girl dreaming of becoming an astronaut.

Not only is this setting the scene for the rest of the movie (known as exposition and character development, as we saw in Masterclass #2) – it’s also  foreshadowing what’s to come at the end:

Her dream being realized while she takes a “giant leap” onto the moon.

Check it out here:

4. Unreliable Narrator

A narrator whose credibility or perspective is questionable, leading to ambiguity or uncertainty about the truth of the story. 

Explainer Movie™ example: People.ai

As well as the plot twist, this Explainer Movie™ also uses an unreliable narrator to build on the value proposition.

The information given to us in the first half of the movie – that the protagonist is pursuing a “high value target” – cannot be trusted, because, as the twist reveals, it’s anything but high value.

5. Irony

A narrative device where there is a contrast between what is expected and what actually occurs, often used for dramatic or comedic effect.

Explainer Movie Video Example: iCans

Shame on us – this is actually an Explainer Video (not an Explainer Movie™), because it’s one from our dark past.

Were we to produce this now we’d do something completely different, but the opening is still a good example of irony.

Notice how the narrator is saying the opposite of what the target audience is thinking – that being a dumpster rental operator (and everything associated with it) is easy.

(If we were to have a 2nd go at this nowadays, we’d be inclined to take inspiration from Jim Carrey’s The Truman Show and Ryan Reynolds’ Free Guy, creating a plot line where everyday everything is perfect – until realizing he’s living in some kind of unreal fantasy. 

This would be a lot more engaging than having the typical narrator that we opted for. 

Hey ho. You live and you learn, right?).

7. Frame Story

Quite simply, a frame story is where someone is telling a story, within a story. 

The outer story often provides context, introduces characters, or offers commentary on the inner story. 

Explainer Movie Example: Baby Steps

So, we never actually got to produce this because the client chose our other narrative idea (see ‘Foreshadowing’ above). 

But we had the idea that – given the nature of their business (babies & moms) – it would be a nice idea to have a mother reading her child a fairy tale, in which Baby Step’s mission is revealed through the hero’s journey of a young mom.

That would have been an example of a frame story. 

8. Flashbacks

A narrative device where the story shifts to a previous point in time to provide context, backstory, or character development.

 Explainer Movie Example Coming Soon!
 

Summary

B2B doesn’t have to be boring.

There are so many unique, interesting, and creative ways of communicating your message – all of which serve to increase customer engagement, emotion, and excitement.

Try leaning into these narrative devices – your engagement rates (and audience) will thank you for it.