How long?”, she asks the doctor, tears filling her eyes.

With that simple line we're immediately right in the middle of a story – which

is very typical for modern movies.

It's one of the aspects in which storytelling in movies has changed

significantly over the past few decades.

The average early nineties movie is hard to bear for many teenagers

because they started so slow.

Part of the reason was that filmmakers back then felt the need to start

as early as possible so we would have the backstory to understand

what was going to happen later.

Today's movies – and also TV shows – are very different.

They will start as late as possible, ideally right in the middle of the

action, at the most captivating event.

And they will give us only exactly the pieces that we absolutely

need to understand the action.

They make us care first before they inform us.

If at some point we would need backstory to understand what's happening, modern

movies will give it to us at that point, a point where we absolutely need that piece

of information to be able to follow along.

This makes for a much more tense story.

Actually today's most brilliant film makers push that principle even further.

They will make sure that we want a piece of information before

they finally give it to us.

They make us curious for the backstory.

In contrast, yesterday's filmmakers considered backstory as pure information.

Often, they would give us the information before we wanted it, just to make

sure that we had it when we needed it.

Now, how about your own comunication.

How do you treat background information?

Are you starting your presentation with it?

If so can you restructure your storytelling in a way that you're

giving the backstory at a point when your audience is dying to learn it?

Can you make them want the backstory?