Comments on: How to Win Over An Audience

By: Luis Cavaco

Luis Cavaco — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 11:05:24 +0000

Wells did what he was talking about, with the talk show audience, taking them out of their comfort zone, shocking them by saying that they were not a real audience.
Just enough to have their attention, not really insulting them, and then luring them back in with compliments and jokes, dominating the audience and the host.
The tv viewer is also draged in with the “monster lurking in the dark”.

You can choose to make a strong emotional statement that affects and grabs your intended audience, just like Up did in the begining, Akira with the the city explosion, etc, etc.

Or you can choose to seduce your audience :)

By: NC

NC — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 00:49:53 +0000

I think what he was referring to was the growing decline in live theater audiences.

By: Tony W.

Tony W. — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 09:43:45 +0000

I wonder what he meant by saying that the audience was almost extinct.

By: NC

NC — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 17:19:09 +0000

Oh by the way Kevin where I can hear Joseph Campbell speak I’d love to hear his lectures.

By: NC

NC — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 17:17:44 +0000

I think Kevin’s got it down on the head. Although to add I think what Orson has to say applies much less to animators and more to the film in itself. It’s true that animators cannot act the same way an actor can in front of an audience. But if the filmmaker approaches the audience with an idea of what they are looking for he can start to tailor his film to what the audience needs. That’s my two-cents on it.

By: Andy Greenaway

Andy Greenaway — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 22:20:24 +0000

Orson Welles was one of the greats. Such insight into how the world works. He was the original maverick (I believe he was the first celebrity to throw a TV set out of a hotel window – down in Rio), a tremendous womanizer and a monster drinker. Here’s a cartoon in tribute to him.

http://manfromzork.blogspot.com/2010/04/how-to-be-drinking-buddy.html

By: Nina Paley

Nina Paley — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 16:00:53 +0000

You can dominate and seduce an audience, just as you can “a bride on her wedding day.” But if you want a meaningful, lasting relationship, my advice is to offer love and respect. Then that “monster lurking in the dark” becomes your best friend.

The very best analyses of audience-performer relationships are here, in my opinion.

By: Kevin

Kevin — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 21:31:08 +0000

It’s a fun, inspiring clip, but Nicholas is exactly right — aside from the inspiration, there is nothing about how to achieve either domination or seduction of an audience. And, contrary to what someone suggested, Welles says nothing about ‘ideas,’ and even if he implied that, he certainly says nothing about how one separates entertaining ideas from weak ideas. For my money, the one specific thing he seems to imply is crucial is spectacular talent, and then he points out different ways such spectacularly talented individuals can interact with their audience.

I find what Welles is saying an interesting counterpoint to what Chuck Jones frequently spoke about (“I don’t think about the audience, I think about me.” That is, he made his films to satisfy himself, rather than try to guess what would satisfy an audience.)

Ultimately, listening to clips like this inspires me the same way listening to Joseph Campbell does. There’s no ‘how to’ in it, just a master speaking masterfully.