We speak with BAFTA nominated executive producer and professional story consultant Nic Guttridge about how to craft the documentary story.

Hosted by Karoline Pelikan (@PelikanPictures) and Paul Hulligan (@paulhully).

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Episode guide:

00:36 - Introduction

01:26 - What a ‘story consultant’ is, and who hires one

03:25 - Favourite story that he’s worked on

06:07 - Shaping a story that’s unfolding naturally / in real time

08:12 - The importance of following your instincts

12:45 - Mapping the story

16:45 - How does a typical ‘story arc’ work

18:05 - What if there is no arc -  adding layers to the story

22:36 - Putting yourself in the film

24:20 - The importance of bringing others into the creative process

26:05 - What is a storyline, synopsis, treatment (the pitch) - examples

31:56 - How to avoid losing site of the story

32:28 - Practical advice for planning the story

33:43 - Scripting the film

35:05 - Plotting the arc

36:11 - How do you sell a foreign story

38:19 - Nic’s top crafting the story tips

45:50 - How you can find Nic ‘the story consultant’