Once Upon a Time...

https://www.ted.com/talks/shonda_rhimes_and_cyndi_stivers_the_future_of_storytelling

The TED Talk I watched was a discussion between Producer Shonda Rhimes and Cyndi Stivers, who is director of the TED Residency. The conversation opened with Shonda stating that she feels something that will never change is people's desire to be told good stories; they let us know that we aren't alone in the world, that there is a sense of community found among each of us when we hear a story. In this conversation, Shonda touched on her wariness of having her TV show "Scandal" reflect what is the reality of politics in America today after Stivers brought up the fact that the show's predictions seem to have become reality. Shonda stated that she steered clear of having the show become a mirror of reality by altering the planned season finale, as she didn't want the messiness of politics in the real world to be explicitly repeated in her plot. When asked about her opinion on the trend of "binge-watching", Shonda made the point that it changes the story telling process because it creates an entirely different experience for the audience. Someone who has watched an extensive number of episodes in a short period of time is entirely captured by the show, and will have an entirely different arch of the show than those who watch it week by week. There is a different investment in the characters, and the show itself, when entire days are devoted to watching the plot unravel. When asked about her opinion on audience input, Shonda stated that she wasn't a fan because it changes the power of the story. She argued that the emotional impact is not the same, the story is not the same, when the character doesn't have the ending they are meant to. On a different subject, Shonda discussed the power of TV to educate its audience and how this is something that producers should take advantage of. She stated that 87% of television viewers base their medical knowledge off of medical shows they watch, and used that statistic to provide reasoning as to why she desires accuracy in her show "Grey's Anatomy". Stivers also asked Shonda what she thought about the shortening length of shows, to which Shonda stated that it makes sense because of the cost advantages and appeal to younger individuals with short attention spans. Another idea that the ladies discussed regarding audiences is the tendency for TV shows to further establish people in their opinions, and to do so in a way that people may not even recognize. When asked about her thoughts on the future of the industry, Shonda stated that she feels it's the duty of the TV producers to try and find unbiased ways to deliver the plots. She doesn't want her business to be about pushing an opinion onto her audience, so finding a middle road in her shows is important. Also on the subject of the future, Shonda touched on the centrality of electronics in today's world and how she has reminded her kids of life without them in her practice of "Amish summers", where she collects their electronics in order to resist a dependence on electronics to pass the time. Shonda's main point on this topic was that technology, though it shouldn't be something we are obsessed with, is an interesting thing in and of itself because of its capabilities in furthering the telling of stories, old and new. 

In this TED Talk, Shonda Rhimes explained her ideas of the transforming methods of storytelling and the pros and cons that are associated with these changes. She conveys the importance of accepting the changing world, and of expanding what we consider storytelling to be, while also cautions certain practices that have resulted from said transformations. In communicating her opinions on the pros of transforming storytelling, Shonda primarily relied on the use of logos. For example, in her argument regarding TV shows' ability to educate, Shonda pulled out the statistic that 87% of viewers get most of their medical information from medical shows. This is a statistic that strongly supports her implied opinion about the responsibility of Producers to communicate accurate information to their audiences, and- in regards to ethos- is one that can be trusted because of her respected reputation and access to accurate data regarding television viewers. Shonda effectively argued the cons of transforming storytelling through her use of pathos. This was best exhibited during her discussion of why she feels that audience input takes away from the story, where she talked about how even though an ending can be infuriating, disappointing, and/or heartbreaking, it is still successful in that it is the appropriate conclusion to the story. The use of pathos is reflected through her reference to the audience's emotional reaction to the end of a story, and makes her stance all the more acceptable because it's relatable.  Shonda's focus on communicating her own thoughts of altering methods of storytelling are acceptable because, as mentioned before, she is respected successful in the Television industry. Such a strong reputation makes the audience open to listening to her thoughts, and she is regarded as an expert in the field. Her explanation of her views on storytelling are likely meant to display to the audience that she herself is a viewer and understands the aspects - like the emotional attachment to characters or the relevance of plots in reality- that are characteristic among all good stories. By establishing a relatable stance, Shonda increased the likelihood of the audience being more accepting of what she had to say.

I feel as though I agree with the majority of the things that Shonda said in this TED Talk, specifically the parts about how the stories are altered based on things the audience has control over. Personally, I have never wanted to be the one who picks how the story ends because I've always thought- like Shonda said- that it would take away part of the impact. I don't watch TV shows or read stories because I think they're going to be exactly as I want/expect, it's actually the complete opposite. Like Shonda said, this is what makes stories art rather than games. I don't consider something that I can mold into my own every single time to be exciting, whereas a cliffhanger or a plot twist makes the whole story so powerful to me. I really like that this TED Talk discussed this, as well as how binge watching changes one's perception of the show. While that's something I didn't consider before now, I wholeheartedly agree that watching several seasons of a show in one sitting gives one a deeper sense of attachment and interest than watching an episode a week. I chose this TED Talk because its focus on the transformations of storytelling demands a mention of the aspects of stories that are both timeless and necessary, one of which I focus on is the two sides of humanity. It's easy to think of a story as nothing more than something we read, but I find it interesting to view it as a teacher of the desirable and repulsive qualities of people. Whenever I'm crushed that a certain character commits a malicious act, it's fascinating what is revealed to me about both humanity and my view of it when I step back and consider the deeper implications of what just happened. I am reminded or educated about the parts of humanity that I value and loath when reading/watching stories, and this is a characteristic that I would never want to lose as the mediums of storytelling change.