This week, Nigel and Tazziii journey back to Wakanda for deep dive into the Black Panther sequel with Dylan from the Popcorn Podcast and Destinee Cleveland from the Burn Out Brighter Podcast. We consider the decision not to recast Chadwick Boseman before tackling the narrative itself, discuss stand out performances and how director Ryan Coogler’s vision fares against the weight of expectation and the Marvel Machine. This week’s storytelling tip is all about exploring grief through four corner opposition.
Other stories we’re enjoying: Rings of Power, House of the Dragon, Halloween, Romantic Killer, Oni, The Harder They Fall, Wednesday, Remake Our Life!, More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers, God of War Ragnarök
This week, Nigel and Tazziii welcome the Dynamic Duo of Greg Driver (Ace Comicals) and Annabel Anzy (Melanin Gamers) for a super powered deep dive into the latest DC film, Black Adam (from 28:39). We get stuck into this bombastic blockbuster to examine what worked and what didn’t across the story’s rollercoaster journey.
It’s a comic book film over a decade in the making so we take time to debate narrative choices, which characters stand out and answer some listener questions too! This week’s storytelling tip is all about developing the False-Ally Opponent character in your story.
Other stories we’re enjoying: Gotham Knights, Born A Crime, Death of Superman, Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities, Ultra Kaiju Monster Rancher, Spy x Family, That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime, Paddington, Return of Mary Poppins, Dragon Quest Heroes 2, Saga, Castlevania, Mr Robot
Nigel and Tazziii welcome YouTuber Daniel Morris to the show for a spooky deep dive into the stop-motion animation Coraline. We dig into what makes this well crafted story so creepy for young and older audiences while marvelling at the effort required to create such stunning visuals. The storytelling tip this week is all about setting the tone for your story.
Other stories we’re enjoying: House of the Dragon, Andor, Disney Dreamlight Valley, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime, Better Place, Spy x Family, She Hulk.
Nigel and Tazziii welcome manga artists Inko and Chie for a deep dive into Makoto Shinkai’s Weathering with You. We go on an emotional journey of young love within impending disaster to discuss this wonderfully animated feature. Along the way, we debate the environmental message of the film as well as the significance of the handgun in the narrative and Japanese society. This week’s storytelling tip is all about your protagonist’s false beliefs and actions.
Other stories we’re enjoying this week: Bloodlands, Delicious in Dungeon, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., She-Hulk, One Piece, Malcolm In the Middle, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, The Lighthouse Witches, Witch Way Hollows Bay, Stray, Isola, Odd Taxi.
We’re keeping it in house this week as Nigel and Tazziii welcome mayamada’s own Story Editor and ITV Programme Lawyer Lara-Lee Green for a deep dive into the impeccably crafted Pixar animation, Up. We take flight on a discussion about this unique Hero’s Journey with twists and turns that had us contemplating life’s meaning and the challenges of letting go to make space for new adventures in life…yes, it’s another podcast episode about an animation that raises deep existential questions! This week’s storytelling tip is all about using emotion to deliver exposition in your narrative.
Other stories we’re enjoying this week: Trying, Severance, Witch Way to Hallows’ Bay, Agents of Shield, Batman Unburied, Odd Taxi, Mr Robot, Demon Slayer.
This week on the podcast, Nigel and Tazziii are joined by writer Gary Swaby, also a member of the entertainment website The Koalition. We get into the 29th entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor: Love and Thunder…and do our best to stay positive. It’s safe to say we weren’t impressed but managed to find many (so many) storytelling lessons in the shortcomings of Thor’s latest adventure. This week’s storytelling tip is about setting the right tone for your stories.
Other stories we’re enjoying this week: Alex Cross, Power Book III: Raising Kanan, Better Call Saul, Hades, Sleepy Hollow, The Witcher: Introducing the Witcher, Queen of the South, Demon Slayer, Castlevania.
Story x Story is back from the mid-season break with a brand new deep dive episode! This week, Nigel and Tazziii are joined by film producer and screenwriter Jed Shepherd to discuss the multiversal delight that is Everything Everywhere All At Once.
We delve into this truly unique cinema experience to determine what makes this absurdly chaotic plot work so well, and why a film with an Asian-led cast has such universal appeal. This week’s storytelling tip is about creating meaning from the chaos in your stories.
Other stories we’re enjoying this week: Severance, The Time Traveller’s Wife, Where the Crawdads Sing, The Umbrella Academy, Dreamscaper, Isola, Love Death & Robots, Stranger Things.
This week on Story x Story, Nigel and Tazziii welcome G.Sus Coplay on for a deep dive into the incredibly animated world of Belle. We get to explore the real world of the rural Japan where trauma leads to growth, as well as the virtual world of U with all its parallels to our own online lives. This week’s storytelling tip is all about creating stories that exist in two different worlds.
Other stories we’re enjoying: Dorohedoro, Odd Taxi, Spy × Family, Kill Baxter. Showdown in Cape Town: Roman, Komi Can’t Communicate, Doll Face, Single Parents, Inside Job, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Love Death & Robots, Obi-Wan Kenobi
This week, Nigel and Tazziii have a bumper panel of guests for a dive deep into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. We’re joined by Jason & Rich from Woo Long Talks along with Vik Deluca from Mega City Comics shop in London. We debate the progression of Wanda Maximoff’s character arc in the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe release, its horror aesthetic and the brutal introduction (and exit) of the Illuminati! This week’s storytelling tip is about bringing your story’s MacGuffin to life.
Other stories we’re enjoying: Dune, Boxing Day, Pirates, Spy x Family, Dr Sleep, Elden Ring, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Sakamoto Days, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, Senior Year, Murder Any Witch Way, Moon Knight, Demon Slayer, Winning Time.
In this episode of Story x Story, Nigel and Tazziii welcome Taylor Campbell and Yasin Ali, two-thirds of the indie game developers known as Orthors.
We talk about the group’s London roots and developing their gaming startup and what they have learned along the way. Taylor and Yasin tell us how they are making waves in gaming industry and what diversity means to them. We also find out why they started their own platform to get their message heard, and where the name “Orthors” came from!
