Stonecastle

11/17/2025

How to find great stories:

To me, the most difficult storytelling technique to master isn't actually telling the story. It's IDENTIFYING one.

Stories are everywhere. They're hiding in plain view, but most people aren't trained to spot them.

As a director who's often brought in to help brands tell impactful stories, I've come to realize that at least half my job is just guiding them in a process of discovery to capitalize on the ones right in front of them.

If you're struggling with finding great stories out there in the real world, I suggest three things:

🧠 Think like a filmmaker. Great films are ABOUT something, so look for big themes: love, grief, forgiveness, grace, substitution, regret. Find one of these, and you hold the keys to unlocking deep currents of human emotion.

⚒️ Ask WHY questions. The reason behind why someone does something is so much more interesting than the thing itself. Ordinary people have extraordinary stories if you know where to look. Keep drilling with more why questions until you hit bedrock. This is the emotional core of your story. Build everything around this.

📣 Figure out what YOU want to say. What's your (or your client's) point of view? Every great story has an objective, a reason for existing. What do you want to say underneath it all? With branded work, I always say: This content we're making has a job to do — what do you want it to accomplish? Knowing this on the front end makes finding your story infinitely easier.

Knowing a great story when you see one is a discipline. It can be learned. But if you need help along the way, we'd be happy to share our expertise.

Book a free discovery call here 👉
https://stonecastlepictures.com/schedule-a-call/

11/14/2025

Heads up! The November edition of The Rundown is coming out soon.

Here's a quick preview of what's in the newsletter:

- Adobe's spot-on TikTok ad
- The best of what I'm watching. (Pluribus, anyone?)
- Copywriting tips we could all use to improve our writing
- Behind-the-scenes on Ken Burns' new 12-hour PBS documentary, The American Revolution.
- Plus, my super-simple framework for building better stories

Don't miss it!

Not a subscriber yet? Sign up here 👉
https://stonecastlepictures.com/schedule-a-call/

11/12/2025

What's in my director's bag?

It's actually a hard case, but this thing is my lifeline on shoot days.

Every director I know keeps one close by, and the idea is to pack it with everything you need to keep yourself focused, energized, and most of all, SANE.

Here's what I bring with me on my shoots:

1. Director's monitor / We custom-built this little guy around an extra-bright SmallHD monitor, which allows me to see what the camera operator is shooting without getting in his way.

2. Wireless headset / Hollyland Solidcom C1 Pro Wireless Intercom Headset. Lets me talk directly to my camera operator. Game changer in crowded situations or when my presence would be a distraction.

3. Remarkable 2 Paper Tablet / I load up this e-ink tablet with everything I need for the day: schedule, notes, interview questions, storyboards, etc.

4. Gum / For nervous energy 😬

5. Still camera / I get bored easily, so in-between setups I like to wander around snapping BTS photos with my Fuji XF100VI. This little rangefinder camera is a pure delight, perfect for street photography.

6. Advil / For the inevitable stress headache.

7. Business cards / Because you just never know!

8. Airpods Pro / For those moments when I need to concentrate

9. Extra CF cards / I always keep a backup set on me for worst-worst case scenarios!

10. Travel coffee mug / I've tried them all. This one's the best: The Stanley aluminum trigger-action travel mug.

11. Quick energy / Turkey Chomps. Nothing more embarrassing than being that guy whose stomach growls extra loud. These little snacks did the trick. I keep several of these on me at all times!

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My kit is always changing, so I'm always up for ideas. Throw some suggestions at me in the comments!

11/06/2025

Great job, 's -- and Studios -- for your powerful brand storytelling with THE NAPKIN PLAYBOOK. This is the kind of content audiences are, uh, hungry for.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5O-63cMQjX0

For a community that needed hope, five coaches sketched a new future on a McDonald's napkin: a football tournament to inspire a generation.

11/05/2025

Most brands are sitting on a gold mine of storytelling potential.

The problem? They can't see through the fog.

Fog of proximity
→ "This isn't interesting."

Fog of competing priorities
→ "This isn't important."

Fog of inertia
→ "We've never done it this way."

At Stonecastle Pictures, we help you hack through the distractions until we uncover the powerful human stories hiding in plain sight.

How do we do this?

We shift our focus from "what you do" to "why it matters."

And we ask the questions you're often too close to see:

🔹 What does your brand empower people to achieve or overcome?
🔹 Who are the people or groups living out your brand values?
🔹 Where is your brand's DNA most powerfully on display for the world?

This Discovery Process is the critical first step in finding clarity. It's where the right stories emerge — the ones your audience wants to hear and will actually connect with..

For 15 years, our Discovery Process has helped:
- Clarify creative approaches that led to award-winning campaigns
- Develop fundraising films that have raised > $100M
- Supply brands with LOADS of creative assets efficiently & affordably

Ready to hack through some fog?

👉🏻 Book your free Discovery Call here
https://stonecastlepictures.com/schedule-a-call/

11/04/2025

AI has lots of uses, but one thing it can't do is feed the soul.

Right now storytellers are excited about this shiny new thing, and I agree, it's a powerful tool.

We use it, too.

But when everyone comes down off their AI-induced sugar high, I think they're going to seek nourishment in the imperfect, tactile, and analog forms of storytelling.

Don't get me wrong: I enjoy the spectacle of AI dinosaurs romping around in tutus as much as the next guy. But it's also why our feeds are so exhausting. We're tired, hungry, and strung out.

We need stories to remind us of our humanity, belonging, and values - and so far, at least - AI can't give us that.

As a documentary storyteller, I find this most human form of filmmaking more essential than ever.

11/03/2025

When you make documentary videos for a living, you learn the value of comfortable shoes.

Our approach is low-to-the-ground and scrappy. We load our own trucks. Push our own carts. And if you're looking for the craft services tent, you're probably on the wrong set.

Sure, we enjoy a half-caf soy latte like the next guy, but when you thrive on capturing the magic moments that others miss, you take your coffee to go.

Fifteen years of hustle has taught us this: there are no shortcuts in storytelling.

If you want to make something special, you've gotta put in the sweat.

This pace isn't for everyone, and that's fine. But for the brands brave enough to go for the story that feels out just of reach, we're laced up and ready to go.

10/08/2025

Can you tell a story in just six words?

Legend has it that Ernest Hemingway was at lunch with several other writers and bet them he could not only do it, but move its readers to tears.

Of course, the other writers balked. Hemingway told each of them to put ten dollars in the middle of the table.

If he was wrong, he said, he’d match it. If he was right, he would keep the entire pot. He quickly wrote six words on a napkin and passed it around.

It said: "For sale: baby shoes, never worn."

He won the bet.

That's the power of clarity, which hacks away at distractions until all that's left is a core idea that either stands on its own or doesn't.

08/18/2025

This is so powerful.

Experimented with JSON prompting in Veo 3 this morning to see what it could do with our Stonecastle Pictures logo animation. Not perfect, but I can't get over this:

Ten years ago, this process took three weeks and $1500. I just did this for free in 15 minutes.

04/21/2025

It's rainy outside. Good day to hole up in a windowless room and edit. Somebody let me know when the sun comes out.

04/18/2025

A little workshop time with .

04/15/2025

Cue the sun! .johnny 📸 :