Jean-Dominique Lavoix-Carli

Narration and Writing are close to Illustration and Design because all these disciplines tell a Story… Depending on its field of application, Narration can deliver its message in an instant (Slogan) or be progressive to bring the reader to immerse himself voluntarily in a well-defined universe (Scenario).

For this, it is necessary – as for the Visual Arts – to fully understand the context that will generate this Story, to understand the client’s request and the paradigm it is supposed to obey :

The 2 requirements of Narration are : Coherence and Anticipation.

And it can be broken down into 3 fields : Fiction, Non-Fiction and Branding.

What matters first, to create a believable and attractive story, is coherence : meaning the system of the narrative universe presented must never contradict itself and that it must verify itself at each moment or with every scene.

In second, this Narration must anticipate the possible development of your story : how a fictional universe will develop? What will be the reactions of the audience targeted by a certain copywriting? What are the invisible potential stakes of a real geopolitical situation?

A realistic context can become incoherent very fast if we have forgotten to anticipate certain variables. And a fiction can develop coherently if we have anticipated all the major variables constitutive of its context.

Coherence defines the Past of your story. Anticipation defines its Future.

Regarding Storytelling and Copywriting. Their practice allows a product, a brand, a franchise, a concept to sincerely incarnate and develop itself beyond the basic frame of reference.

Any storytelling from an adulterated or insincere referencial will only propagate the same negative feelings, which can even be perceived as propaganda or manipulation.

Storytelling is much more about “Who” than about “What”. It’s not your product that speaks to the viewer, it’s the person who conceived it who speaks to the person who receives it.

It is a dialogue of “Who” to “Who” and not of “What” to “Who”.

This is why it is essential to study all the components of your narrative persona :

1. Know yourself.

2. Know your product, brand or concept.

3. Know the audience you are addressing.

4. Establish the Dialogue between the 3 previous points.

Storytelling must lay the foundations for a dialogue and not a stage for a monologue.

And to establish this dialogue, the essence of Storytelling is not to talk only about the qualities of your production, but to talk about the reasons why your production will be useful to your audience, client or consumer.

A consumer, a reader, an observer does not want to be told stories… he wants to be told ONE Story. A heartfelt story that conveys who you are.

The concept of “Red Team” was enhanced by the US Army in 2003, to anticipate future surprise attacks following the attacks of 9/11. But the origins of the concept traces back to the 60’s.

To be on the “Red Team” is to think like the enemy.

It means adopting your adversary’s point of view, objectives, culture, way of thinking, ideology, beliefs, fears, etc. It is to no longer project onto the adversary the vision of what you think he is, but it is to become that adversary to think and act as he would.

If we allow ourselves to be blinded by subjective values ​​that we take for granted, true and universal, then we allow ourselves to be surprised by an adversary who will have radically different values.

And when we are surprised, we are vulnerable.

I have already worked for the French army in a context of Red Teaming. But I also apply this method to all fields, in any paradigm requiring the adoption of a radically hostile point of view in order to challenge and test the “camp” that one might defend :

• Fiction (Video Game, Comics, Cinema, Literature, etc.) : Conceive enemies and/or a credible threat to give readers/players/viewers a real coherent challenge.

• Branding (Storytelling, Copywriting, Visual Identity, etc.) : Who are your detractors? Which flank are you going to expose to such or such contradictory ideology? Is the context favorable to such or such statement?

• Nonfiction (Strategic Foresight, Realistic Wargames, Serious Gaming, etc.) : Do you project your own cognitive biases onto the adversary? Do you overestimate or underestimate him? Who really benefits from crime… or war?