Film Courage: A well-told story should feel almost like a roller coaster ride?
Margaret Kerrison, Immersive Storyteller, Narrative Director and Writer: I believe that. I think that a well-told story has ups and downs and it has twists and turns and it surprises and delights you and terrifies you. A really well told story should have that variety of emotions. When you think about some of your favorite movies and books and experiences they really take you on that journey from beginning, middle, and end. They take you on a journey where you truly let yourself go, you are present, you suspend your disbelief and you trust that the storyteller and creator is going to take you on this magical journey and it’s not just about the thrills and the screams and the excitement but it’s about that anticipation. You think about a roller coaster from the moment that you’re lining up to get on the vehicle itself, your heart is beating, you’re excited talking to your family and your friends, you’re so pumped up and excited to go on this adventure and even when you climb into the vehicle and you have your safety on and everything, going off of that ramp and when you start chugging up the track you’re not thinking about anything else. You’re thinking about Oh my gosh! I’m just going to go on this really fast ride and there’s nothing I can do. I’m out of control. I have to trust that this coaster is going to take me back safely to where I started. But for those few moments you really let yourself go and be present and just enjoy the ride. I feel like well-told stories do that. You trust that you’re going to be taken to some extraordinary place to go on your hero’s journey if you will and depart and embark on this adventure where you have this excitement and anticipation. You go on thrilling twists and turns and ups and downs and all kinds of things that you don’t have control over and you’re surprised by how not only you survive in the end, that you had a great time. It’s this feeling of…(Watch the video interview on Youtube here).
BUY THE BOOK – IMMERSIVE STORYTELLING FOR REAL AND IMAGINED WORLDS: A Writer’s Guide
BIO:
Born in Indonesia and raised in Singapore, Margaret Kerrison received her Master of Fine Arts degree in Screenwriting from the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. Her career spans television, film, digital media, games, brand storytelling, location-based entertainment, and immersive experiences. She has worked as a Story Lead, Story Consultant, and Writer for multiple projects around the world, including Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Star Wars: Launch Bay, Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, Avengers Campus, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, National Geographic HQ, and the NASA Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex’s Journey to Mars: Explorers Wanted. She was the writer for five projects that won Themed Entertainment Association (THEA) Awards. She has appeared in the Disney+ series Behind the Attraction, the Freeform television special Star Wars: Galaxy‘s Edge – Adventure Awaits, and the online educational program Imagineering in a Box. She was a Disney Imagineer from 2014-2021. She is currently a Sr. Experiential Creative Lead at Airbnb. Immersive Storytelling for Real and Imagined Worlds – A Writer’s Guide is her first book.
CONNECT WITH MARGARET KERRISON
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