The Mechanics of Storytelling

Special Effects (and Explosions!) with Becca Suh-Hee Han

Mon, 5 Jul 2021 07:00:00 +0000

Becca’s origin story: how she got into special effects work (2:10)
Defining what is special effects (6:05)
Working your way up in the special effects world (13:30)
What is it like in the day of a special effects professional? (21:10)
What is something in real life that doesn’t actually happen the way special effects makes it seem like in the movies? (25:40)
Thinking of the overall story/storytelling when doing special effects (28:30)
How does faith life affect your work in special effects? (43:50)
Spiritual Question: What have you learned about yourself and the world this past 1.5 years during the pandemic? (49:05)

Bye for now! <3 <3 <3

Performing on Broadway with Catherine Ricafort McCreary

Tue, 18 May 2021 07:00:00 +0000

Catherine’s origin story (6:45)
Catherine’s first equity job (15:00)
Catherine’s Broadway debut in “Mamma Mia!” (18:10)
Hundreds of hours of training, practice, and injury to perform (26:43)
Catherine starts the “Artists Who Code” organization (38:20)
Spiritual question: What theatre superstition/ritual have you been able to bring into your day-to-day life? (46:35)

Connect with our podcast:

https://www.instagram.com/mostpodcast

Connect with Catherine:

https://www.instagram.com/cattricafort/

Artists Who Code:

http://artistswhocode.com/

https://www.instagram.com/artistswhocode/

Documentaries with Geneva Peschka, WOMXN Documentary Series

Tue, 20 Apr 2021 07:00:00 +0000

How Geneva got into documentary-making (3:55)
Why did you choose to be behind the camera as a documentarian instead of in front of the camera? (11:05)
How the Womxn video and podcast documentary series came into being (13:30)
Listen to first episode of Womxn Podcast (season 2) with Minnijean Brown-Trickey (20:05)
How do you get your documentary subjects to bring out their moving or interesting stories? (28:00)
Spiritual Question: Could you share the moment you stepped into your beauty, power, and greatness? (33:15)

Geneva’s website: https://www.genevapeschka.com/

Womxn Podcast: https://anchor.fm/geneva-peschka

Womxn Video Documentary Series: https://www.womxndocseries.com/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/gneva

Cinematography with Christopher Yang, Wong Fu Productions

Mon, 5 Apr 2021 08:00:00 +0000

Wong Fu Productions's content during 2020 reflects the COVID experience (3:10)
Christopher’s origin story: how he got into cinematography (9:22)
Christopher talks through his technical process as Director of Photography (20:30)
Thinking quickly, responsively, and on the fly when on set (34:00)
How to think about lighting/color and developing your own style as a cinematographer (35:50)
Spiritual Question: What's the meaning of your life and how does it relate to your work as a DP? (39:25)

Connect with Christopher and Wong Fu Productions on Social Media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yangstopher/
Personal Website: https://www.christopherhyang.com/about
Wong Fu Productions YT Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCutXfzLC5wrV3SInT_tdY0w

Voiceover Acting with Edward Hong (AKA the Cinnabon Monster)

Mon, 8 Mar 2021 08:00:00 +0000

How Edward got into voiceover acting (4:40)
Edward’s act of social activism: creating a directory of Asian American and BIPOC voiceover actors (8:30)
How casting works (12:35)
Role preparation tips for beginner voiceover actors (19:30)
Sound equipment you need to get started as voiceover actor (25:09)
Challenges of dubbing work (27:48)
Is racism and stereotyping still an issue for voiceover actors of color in Hollywood? (37:10)
Spiritual Question: How do you get through the suffering and rejection attendant to being an actor? (42:18)
Our first bloopers this podcast! (50:40)

Connect with Edward Hong on social media:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cinnabonmonster
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cinnabonmonster/

Connect with us or drop us a line on Instagram (@mostpodcast): http://instagram.com/mostpodcast

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Keywords:

podcast, Asian American BIPOC representation, voiceover acting technique process, dubbing, animation, commercials, Hollywood, TV Film Theatre performance, storytelling

Asian Representation in Hollywood with Nancy Wang Yuen, Sociologist

Mon, 8 Feb 2021 08:00:00 +0000

How Nancy became interested in sociology, racial justice, and more equitable racial representation in Hollywood (3:10)
Nancy’s first experience seeing positive Asian representation in film (5:55)
Importance of racial representation and mental health amongst youth (8:33)
Asians perpetually being portrayed as the outsider and "noble immigrant" (10:15)
Becoming creators of our own storytellers, creators and content producers (16:25)
The role of regulation and policy in improving diversity and representation in TV and film (25:15)
Why the current system in Hollywood is difficult to change (29:30)
“What encouragements would you offer to Asian/BIPOC actors and creatives in the industry now?” (31:00)
Spiritual question: “How do the spiritual and moral dimensions come together in your work, research, and fight for racial justice in Hollywood?” (34:10)

You can connect with Nancy:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nancywyuen
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nancywyuen

Connect with us or drop us a line on Instagram (@mostpodcast): http://instagram.com/mostpodcast

Storyboarding with Bobby Rubio, Director of Pixar Short "Float"

Mon, 18 Jan 2021 11:00:00 +0000

ORIGIN STORY: "How did you get started with storyboarding for animation?" (2:29)
Bobby talks about his creative process. (12:30)
Taking feedback from others but staying true to your story’s vision. (14:44)
Thinking about Asian heritage when Assistant Director for “Avatar: The Last Airbender”. (23:10)
“How do you access or experience the divine?”(30:05)

Creating Rotten Tomatoes with Patrick Lee, Founding CEO

Mon, 19 Oct 2020 15:00:00 +0000

ORIGIN STORY: How Patrick and his college friends started Rotten Tomatoes (0:30)
When creating a start-up company, how do you deal with discouragement at the onset--or even before you get started? (5:19)
Patrick’s experience as Executive Producer of a film (16:30)
As an Asian American in a very white space (i.e. Hollywood) did you encounter any racism in Hollywood and in your professional experience with Rotten Tomatoes? (20:50)
Experience transitioning from computer science/engineering to the world of business and movies (26:40)
What do you think is the meaning of life? (28:55)
Life legacy (32:20)

To connect with our podcast, check out our Instagram: http://instagram.com/mostpodcast

This is the final episode of Season 2. Thank you for supporting our podcast! We aren't sure when Season 3 will be coming out, but if/when it does, we hope to see you then. Please take care during these tentative times. And if you're able to, please VOTE!

Screenwriting with Ross Hartmann, Writer and Creative Director of Kiingo

Mon, 12 Oct 2020 15:00:00 +0000

ORIGIN STORY: How Ross got into storytelling, screenwriting, etc. (3:50)
Combining TECH AND STORYTELLING: How writers can use tech to enable better writing or overcoming writer’s block (5:35)
How to make a story interesting (drama) and meaningful (theme)? (12:30)
What makes a great story? (13:50)
Using “dramatic questions” — or questions that make the audience want to know what the answer is— to retain audience interest and to push forward a story (18:30)
Importance of theme (24:00)
Is exploration of moral questions necessary for a great story? (31:20)
What is your process of getting your ideas to paper — how you actually start writing the script itself?(43:10)
Snowflake method of writing (46:00)
Ross, what is the meaning of life?! (51:30)

Preorder Ross's upcoming book "The Structure of Story" here: https://kiingo.co/preorder

More about Kiingo here: https://kiingo.com/

Connect with Kiingo on Instagram here: instagram.com/kiingocreative/

Connect with Ross on Instagram: instagram.com/ross_hartmann

Improv Comedy with Donald Chang, Producer of UCB's "Asian AF" Show in NYC

themechanicsofstorytelling@gmail.com (Ezra Justin Lee, Ezra Lee, Donald Chang) — Mon, 4 May 2020 07:00:27 +0000

How Donald got into improvisational (“improv”) comedy and acting (1:15)
Improv as a way to break out of his shell (4:00)
How you become the producer for the Asian AF show at Upright Citizens Brigade New York? (7:25)
Do you improv differently when your audience is mostly Asian? (11:45)
Basic technique to improv comedy (14:20)
As an improv actor/partner, what are you trying to achieve in each improv skit? (20:15)
How you know when the skit is over/ending! (20:50)
What goes through Donald’s mind as he performs improv (23:35)
Even in improv, audiences want to see interesting relationships between people (25:00)
Being afraid of being yourself and improv as a way for repressed adults to return to a place of childhood playfulness (26:30)
What NOT to do when doing improv(29:00)
How improv will help you in your life (33:40)
Doing improv in a way where you’re not worrying about saying the wrong (even if morally wrong) thing (34:11)
Why do you think there’s suffering in the world? (36:45)

Connect with Donald Chang's Instagram at http://instagram.com/donaldkchang

Learn more about UCB's Asian AF show (and about upcoming performances) at https://www.asianafshow.com/

Telling Jokes (and Emotional Healing) with Youngmi Mayer

themechanicsofstorytelling@gmail.com (Youngmi Mayer, Ezra Justin Lee) — Mon, 20 Apr 2020 07:05:02 +0000

Youngmi grows up in Korea and Saipan (1:00)
Feeling like an outsider as a white person in Korea (5:00)
How feeling like an outsider has influenced Youngmi’s comedy (9:00)
Complexities of biracial upbringing (10:45)
Youngmi retraces her history with starting Mission Chinese restaurant (14:30)
Working through co-dependency issues (17:58)
How Youngmi was able to assert her own creative desires and goals, working through baggage of Asian American upbringing and depression (19:15)
Doing the scary thing of pursuing creative endeavors and honestly facing the possibility of failure (24:40)
The challenge of living transparently emotionally and being vulnerable (25:30)
Processing and healing from repressive Asian upbringing (26:50)
“Was it scary to get into stand-up comedy?” (28:20)
Coming up with stand-up jokes and practicing them (31:00)
Power dynamics: Commanding the room as a stand-up comedian while also being vulnerable (36:30)
Stand-up comedy as means of self-healing and talking about personal history on stage as comedy (38:25)
“Do you think you could handle fame/celebrity?” (40:05)
Youngmi answers a spiritual question: “Why is there suffering in the world?” (42:55)

You can check out Youngmi's podcast "Feeling Asian with Youngmi Mayer and Brian Park" here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/feeling-asian/id1481891689

Connect with Youngmi on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ymmayer

Making Zines/Comic Books with Eddie Ahn

themechanicsofstorytelling@gmail.com (Eddie Ahn, Ezra Justin Lee) — Mon, 6 Apr 2020 07:00:23 +0000

How Eddie got into drawing comics (1:00)
Eddie talks about his previous zine/comic book “Sidewalk Empire” (4:30)
Comic strips vs. Zines/Comic books (7:10)
Learning to draw as a kid up until now (11:30)
Eddie talks about his latest comic book based on his life as a lawyer in non-profit work (16:25)
How to work within the comic book panel form? (22:25)
Crafting the ending of the story first or develop the story as you go? (24:00)
Ezra talk about what he liked in Eddie’s previous comic book “Wish the World” (31:00)
How to create storylines, fictional universes, and characters for a zine/comic book? (36:20)
Eddie answers a spiritual question: “What is the meaning of life?” (38:55)

Find Eddie's comics and drawings here: https://www.instagram.com/ehacomics/

We talk about Eddie's latest comic book release (which he published on Instagram)--to check it out, you can start at this IG post here: https://www.instagram.com/p/B9KA-7ZB_0s/

More of Eddie's zines, comics, and drawings: ehacomics.com

Singing Opera with Luba Yudasina, star of "Life of Luba" YT Channel

themechanicsofstorytelling@gmail.com (Ezra Justin Lee, Luba Yudasina) — Mon, 23 Mar 2020 07:00:03 +0000

Luba’s YouTube Channel “Life of Luba” (3:05)
“You don’t need to know a lot about opera to enjoy opera” (5:00)
How Luba got into singing opera (6:00)
Why Luba wants to share opera with everyone (9:16)
Stereotypes of opera singers (14:35)
Thinking of singing technically and with the story/character of the opera in mind (17:45)
Luba sings for us! (23:28)
Luba helps Ezra sing (25:25)
Dealing with negative comments on social media (27:14)
“What is the meaning of life?” (30:45)

Connect with Luba's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifeoflubaa

You can also check out Luba's YT channel/opera videos--here's a great one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKGYps-BTx8

Making Trailers with Eric Butler, Creative Director & Executive Producer (USA Network, HBO)

themechanicsofstorytelling@gmail.com (Ezra Justin Lee, Eric O. Butler, Ezra Lee) — Mon, 9 Mar 2020 09:00:07 +0000

Using sounds to effect emotional response in trailers (3:45)
“What is a ‘marketing campaign’ and ‘creative marketing’?” (9:30)
How Eric started at HBO (10:55)
Configuring the story of a trailer (19:50)
How to navigate Hollywood as someone from underrepresented background (29:00)

Check out Eric’s trailers here: https://vimeo.com/ericobutler

Podcasting with Jonathan Hernandez, Creator and Host of Lakers Legacy Podcast

themechanicsofstorytelling@gmail.com (Ezra Justin Lee, Jonathan Hernandez) — Mon, 24 Feb 2020 11:00:04 +0000

Kobe Bryant’s death and legacy (1:00)
How Jonathan became a Lakers fan (10:53)
How Jonathan got idea for podcast (18:02)
Logistics of setting up a podcast (18:50)
Building podcast’s legitimacy and brand image (28:28)
Marketing for his podcast (35:45)
Preparing for a podcast episode (38:20)
“Has being a Lakers fan taught you anything about spirituality or faith?” (45:45)

Connect with Jonathan at his Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/jhun88/

The Lakers Legacy podcast at https://twitter.com/LakersLegacyPod

Listen to Lakers Legacy podcast on Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/show/2ykVwciCmU7wdkrGofobvY

Find more of Mark Dragicevic's music (composed one of the interlude songs) at https://soundcloud.com/cactusbloom

Telling Stories with Matthew Dicks, Writer and GrandSlam Champion on The Moth

Tue, 11 Feb 2020 11:00:14 +0000

How Matt got into writing and storytelling in high school (1:40)
Storytelling as means of self-exploration and meaning (10:30)
Matt’s process in crafting a story to tell (16:35)
“What is a story?” (17:15)
Workshop: Matt crafts a story for us in real-time (26:50)
Contrast makes things interesting (42:00)
Scenes: placing stories in physical locations, avoiding exposition (46:39)
“Where do you think we go after we die?” (67:00)

Find Matt's books, podcasts, and everything else at matthewdicks.com

Find Matt's book on storytelling, "Storyworthy" at http://www.matthewdicks.com/storyworthy

Find more of Mark Dragicevic's music (composed one of the interlude songs) at https://soundcloud.com/cactusbloom

And thanks to Tape Works in Hartford, CT for the recording space and sound engineering help: https://www.tapeworksinc.com/

Animated Short Film with Edwin Chang, Writer and Director of Pixar short "Wind"

themechanicsofstorytelling@gmail.com (Clara Suh, Ezra Justin Lee, Edwin Chang) — Mon, 23 Dec 2019 08:00:03 +0000

Edwin’s origin story (1:50)
Edwin pitches his short film story (15:35)
Coming up with the idea for “Wind” (17:45)
Inviting coworker feedback to improve the story (27:26)
Reworking story per critical feedback (35:45)
How Edwin pitched his story (39:40)
Edwin helps Clara and Ezra craft story for a hypothetical short film (42:26)
Edwin shares generic story structure we can use to craft our story (55:19)

Connect with Edwin’s Instagram: www.instagram.com/edwinwchang/

Watch “Wind” on Disney Plus: www.disneyplus.com/movies/wind/1EvvZOeiTFGb

Stand-Up Comedy with Ann Chun

Mon, 9 Dec 2019 08:00:17 +0000

Origin: Why/how Ann started into stand-up comedy (1:30)
On Failing: How do you push through the failures? (6:15)
Coming up with New Ideas: And on importance of knowing who you are. (9:54)
Crafting the joke: Establishing subtext (12:25)
Joke structure: premise, subtext, reveal/surprise (13:45)
Excerpt/Sound Clip from Ann's recent set (15:24)
Breaking down the mechanics behind jokes from Ann's set (17:22)
Sharing personal material, learning about yourself (25:45)

Connect with Ann on IG here! (IG: @ann_chun)

Writing & Comedy with Daniel Mallory Ortberg-Lavery, NYT Bestselling Author

Fri, 22 Nov 2019 15:00:20 +0000

Daniel talks about the “Untitled Goose Game” he’s playing on Nintendo Switch (1:30)
Origin: Daniel’s upbringing and origin story (2:40)
On fame: Is it difficult to be well-known? (10:00)
Daniel talks about his transition and how it’s influenced his work (11:20)
Technique: Daniel discusses his technique in comedy and writing (18:20)
Drawing unexpected but feasible associations/comparisons for comedic effect (23:48)
Comedy as natural talent vs. learned skill/technique (26:06)
Daniel’s upcoming book (29:25)
Random personal question time: “Where do you go after you die?” (31:50)
Ezra’s happiest moment and the movie Melancholia (33:30)

Pre-order Daniel’s upcoming book Something That May Shock and Discredit You here. See Daniel’s Instagram here!

You can also subscribe to Daniel’s hilarious and fun newsletter The Shatner Chatner and/or check out The Toast (which Daniel co-founded).

Illustrating with Hannah K Lee, Art Director at The New York Times

themechanicsofstorytelling@gmail.com (Hannah K Lee, Ezra Justin Lee) — Mon, 4 Nov 2019 08:00:08 +0000

Origin: Why/how Hannah started into art and illustration (2:00)
Making her book of zines, comics, and drawings (11:12)
Cultural expectations & Mental health, and their relationship with Hannah’s work (12:30)
Becoming an art director at The New York Times (14:35)
More on mental health and its influence on Hannah’s process and work (15:32)
Dealing with addiction and recovery (19:15)
Hannah finds her Chastity Ring (21:43)
“What is your general process from beginning to end (for illustration)?” (26:05)
Approach to doing illustrations for The New York Times (31:24)
Advice for budding artists (33:00)

Check out Hannah's book Language Barrier here!

Cooking with Michelin Star Chef James Syhabout

themechanicsofstorytelling@gmail.com (James Syhabout, Ezra Justin Lee) — Sun, 13 Oct 2019 07:00:12 +0000

Origins: How Chef James Syhabout got into cooking (1:55)
Growing up in Oakland in an immigrant family (3:19)
Re-connecting with the food of his heritage culture (7:10)
What catalyzed Chef James’s reconnection with his heritage culture and food? (13:15)
Cooking with confidence and without worrying excessively about how food is received (17:40)
How do you formulate your dishes? (19:40)
Thinking about presentation (24:05)
Anthony Bourdain’s friendship and legacy (25:33)

Check out Chef James Syhabout's cookbook here.

Developing Stories for TV/Film with Toni Natalizio, Story Consultant and Creative Producer

themechanicsofstorytelling@gmail.com (Toni Natalizio, Ezra Justin Lee) — Tue, 1 Oct 2019 07:00:26 +0000

Toni’s origin story (1:20)
Arguing in the writers’ room (3:58)
Toni’s professional journey: becoming a creative producer (6:44)
Getting ideas for stories (11:51)
Difference in stories for TV and film (16:26)
Getting audience to connect with characters through universally relatable desires or scenarios (22:55)
Writing for dialogue and character-to-character relationship (27:07)
Writing characters into and out of seemingly inescapable situations (32:27)
Character psychology profiles: Mapping out characters’ psychologies, wants, and fears (34:09)
Making character actions believable by tying in aspects of their psychological profile (36:00)
Common pitfalls in the writing room (39:00)

You can find Toni's Instagram here.

Making Music with Run River North

Mon, 16 Sep 2019 11:00:10 +0000

Origins: How Run River North was formed (1:05)
Navigating interpersonal relationships in the band—aka infighting! (9:49)
"What kind of stories are you trying to tell?" (10:45)
Creating songs from place of joy (15:00)
Writing songs that capture ethos and experiences of moment (18:40)
"What story trying to tell through song 'Casina'?" (19:52)
LISTEN TO RUN RIVER NORTH'S SINGLE "WAKE UP" (22:07)
Honing the sound of “Wake Up” with music producer Nick Anderson (26:04)
Learning new instruments and “Maintaining the Illusion” (MTI) (34:00)
Why Alex goes shirtless (39:39)
Ezra confesses/explains why he used to hate Run River North (40:55)

Check out Run River North...

On Instagram here.
On Spotify here.
Online website here.

Writing a Biography on North Korean Dictator Kim Jong-il with Author John Cha

themechanicsofstorytelling@gmail.com (John Cha, Ezra Justin Lee) — Sun, 1 Sep 2019 07:00:01 +0000

Author John Cha’s personal history (1:52)
Life of Hwang Jong-yop, mentor of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il (16:40)
Connecting with the reader (18:35)
Structuring the biography narrative (20:45)
Humanizing villainous characters like Kim Jong-il (28:26)
Pitching the book to publishers (33:50)
Advice for budding writers (35:37)

FInd author John Cha's Twitter here.
Find John's book here.

Making a Food Show with Matthew Kang, Editor of Eater LA

themechanicsofstorytelling@gmail.com (Ezra Justin Lee, Matthew Kang) — Thu, 15 Aug 2019 16:20:10 +0000

Starting out: blogging, writing for Eater LA, hosting Eater’s YouTube Series “K-Town” (5:33)
Ideating pilot episodes (10:31)
Pitching episode ideas to producers (17:12)
Connecting featured foods with Korean culture/history and personal experiences (25:01)
Camera work for food (30:29)
Capturing B-roll —aka supplemental footage (31:55)
Helping guests (ex: chefs) feel comfortable on camera (35:19)
What would your last meal on earth be, Matt? (44:00)

Find Matt's Instagram here.
Find Matt's Eater YouTube Series ("K-Town") here

Crafting Instagram Web Comics with Filmmaker & Web Comic Artist Elisa Oh

themechanicsofstorytelling@gmail.com (Elisa Oh, Ezra Justin Lee) — Thu, 1 Aug 2019 23:00:12 +0000

Coming up with ideas for Instagram Web Comics based on personal life experiences
Structuring each comic strip’s leadup and punchline (comedy time!)
Storyboarding — writing out the content/dialogue/action panel-by-panel
Planning/Storyboarding before actually drawing out each panel
Finding the funny/comedy through trial and error
Good stories connect people

You can find Elisa's web comics here.

Making a Comedy YouTube Webseries with Robert M. Lee

themechanicsofstorytelling@gmail.com (Robert M. Lee, Ezra Justin Lee) — Mon, 22 Jul 2019 02:45:07 +0000

Coming up with an idea for Comedic YouTube Web Series
General approach/process involved with writing the script
Three-act Structure
Thinking about character psychology and goals
Production logistics: Planning, budgeting, venue-scouting, scheduling
Difference between Writer, Director, Producer, and Editor roles

You can find the YouTube Web Series comedy "Low Key" here.