The Power of Cinematic Storytelling

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. The Sound of Music. Mary Poppins. These are the kinds of movies I was raised on. Though I was born in the ’90s, my parents gravitated more to these types of movies purely for the ‘great classic’ feel. Not only were these movies an amazing introduction to my crazy love for musicals, but to how powerful visual storytelling can be. 

Bear with me for a moment, while I share with you the growing global impact of cinema over the past few years. 

Did you know that in 2019, global box office revenue was at its highest ever at 42.3 billion dollars? (Statista, 2022) Of course, with the hit of a global pandemic forcing cinemas to shut down in 2020, that statistic went way down. But, since we were all then stuck in our homes, let’s look at the rise of online movie streaming services. From early 2020 to late 2021, 38.98 billion people subscribed to Netflix, bringing the total number of subscribers to 221.84 billion. Since the launch of Disney Plus in November 2019, 118.1 million people have subscribed to it over the span of just two years.

So, why do you think movies are so popular?

Movies have been intriguing right from their inception in 1888. Did you know that the very first ‘movie’ that still survives today was just 2 seconds long? It’s called Roundhay Garden Scene and has the Guinness Book record of the oldest surviving movie in existence. See for yourself!

Surely, seeing that in 1888 would have blown people’s minds as to what was possible in this world. Fast forward 134 years, and there are now over 595,970 full length movies that exist in the world today (IMDB, 2022). And we seem to be only eager for more! 

Because movies are a big part of this blog (and you’ll see why in the many blogs to come), I wanted to share a couple of thoughts about why movies have exploded to the level of popularity that they have today. Let me know if you agree!

Firstly, they’re a way to escape.

How often have you wished you could teleport to another world; away from the problems that are hounding you? Movies provide us with an outlet, a way to escape for a couple of hours to a place where we can be a different person or breathe in a different atmosphere.

Have you ever thought about frolicking around Hobbiton; seeing your Hobbit friends and enjoying the simple life in the luscious, green grass? Or, maybe you’d like to go flying with Peter Pan to Neverland and use your imagination for all sorts of mayhem with the lost boys. Perhaps you just want to ‘skippity hop’ and ease on down the yellow brick road in the merry ‘ol land of Oz, or play croquet with a flamingo and hedgehog in Wonderland.

Whatever appeals to you, doesn’t it just sound nice to escape the negativity in our own world sometimes? Visual storytelling is an amazing way to be transported and to give us a break once in a while.

But wait!

This can be dangerous, and I do speak about this from experience. Spending a large amount of time lost in the escapism of movies is a huge way to waste time, distracting us from what God has called us to in the real world. While the temptation is strong to continually resort to movies as a coping mechanism for our issues, we’re not really going to get very far in realising our role in God’s plan. 

So check yourself. Are you spending more time watching movies than you know you should? With most things, there are pros and cons to consider, and you need to make sure that you find the balance between reality vs fantasy before the latter gets a hold of you. Have you already found this balance? If you do, will you let me know how you do it? Because I still need help!

Have you seen the movie ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’?

Ben Stiller in 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty' (2013)

Walter Mitty is a man who works in the negatives assets sector for Life Magazine. Everyday he sees photos from the photographers who live a life of adventure, travelling the world and experiencing new things. But Walter lives a mundane life, usually just going to work and coming home again. All of the adventures he actually experiences are in his fantasies. He’s a socially awkward dreamer, known for staring off into the abyss while he stars in his own action scenes that play out in his mind. 

Have you ever been in Walter’s shoes? Do you only dream about an action packed life full of adventure, or are you taking chances and opportunities in reality? While stories and dreaming are both good things, we must be careful not to let them take over us actually living our lives. The enemy wants you to live in dreamland, because the more time you spend there, the less time you’ll spend living for the Lord. 

Jesus put it best when He said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” John 10:10 ESV.

Secondly, they’re a way for us to not feel alone.

A huge reason visual storytelling is so powerful is that we see with our own eyes someone else’s story play out right in front of us. Whether the character is based on a real life person or not, it’s easy to find connections between ourselves and people we see in movies. 

It might be because we’re going through something similar to a character, or maybe we relate to their personality. Whatever the connection is, it can be a huge remedy for loneliness.

But wait!

Watching people live out your story, or watching people embrace what you are not, can also be dangerous. I was talking to a friend about this last year, and he said something so great, I think we all need to take it to heart. 

“You don’t want to watch people live your life and have no life left to live yourself.” - Matthew Ferri, Oct 2021. 

This is one of those quotes that hits deep because he is absolutely right. Do you get engrossed in stories so often that you are now depending on others to live your life for you? I may just be preaching to myself here, and that’s okay. Because as I write, I’m having a huge epiphany. How much time have I wasted, watching others live a life I want to live, or taking opportunities I should be taking?

Let me just say, “thank you Jesus, that you use us just as we are!” Thankfully, Jesus knows the power of storytelling the best of all. After all, He is the King of parables!

Finding the connection with Jesus.

Storytelling is ingrained in our DNA because we are related to the ultimate storyteller! Jesus loved to tell stories. It was His go-to way of explaining an answer when anyone asked Him a question about life. It was His way of connecting to the humanity of people, showing them that He understood what they were asking. I just love how people gathered around Him as He spoke amazing wisdom straight from God. 

“Later that same day, Jesus left the house and sat beside the lake. A large crowd soon gathered around Him, so He got into a boat. Then He sat there and taught as the people stood on the shore. He told many stories in the form of parables, such as this one…” Matthew 13:1-3 NLT.

I love that, through His storytelling, He was connecting with people. Even though these were back in Biblical times, we can still learn the lesson that Jesus shares. Visual storytelling through the medium of movies is a great way to connect to characters, but don’t let that stop you from connecting with people around you. Connect with the people God has brought into your life. Make the connection to storytelling more than an escape. 

Remember “the thing inside of us that values people over price tags and lives over logos. 

Jesus was someone who was able to embrace this aspect of people’s identities and use it to further His purpose. He wasn’t there simply to sell; He was there to connect. People saw that; they felt it.” Alexander Pierpoint.

When we feel connected to good storytelling, it’s because we’re connected to truth. Any good story connects back to The Good Story, the Gospel (another wise quote from my friend, Matthew). We see it time and time again when movies explore themes like good vs evil, justice, freedom, doubt, trials and temptations, just to name a few. We identify with stories from the movies, just like we identify with the parables Jesus told in the Bible. This is what is so captivating with storytelling!

But wait!

While sitting and listening to Jesus tell stories is a beautiful thing, it wouldn’t actually be useful if we didn’t get up, head out, and put what we’ve learned from these stories into action. How tragic would it be if we spent all of our time listening and learning, only to miss out on serving God and the people He’s brought into our lives? As much as Jesus taught, He also encouraged the people who followed Him to put their faith in action.

Ben Stiller in 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty' (2013)

Let’s go back to our friend Walter Mitty. His story took a turn when he needed to track down a photographer to recover a lost negative that was meant for the cover of the magazine’s next issue. This set Walter off on a journey around the world that gave him more adventure than he could have ever dreamed of! 

Today I encourage you to embrace the power of storytelling and use it to bring honour to God. Connect with people instead of just characters. The power of cinematic storytelling is huge, but let’s not live full time in fantasy. Just think of the miracles God could do if you would only grab hold of the life of abundance that He is offering!

How has the power of storytelling, in any form, impacted you? Share with us in the comments below!

Sources:

https://serifcreative.com/news/jesus-the-greatest-storyteller/