Story TANK

We bring together experienced writers of screenplays and fiction, and allow them a prospective and pragmatic work process with researchers in adjacent fields, like cognitive or social sciences, physiology, mathematics, neuroscience…

It’s about cogitating together, in a non-dogmatic, European and humanist perspective, about the function – both physiological and social – of the story using images and sound, keeping in mind the new ways of a generation transformed by the digital revolution.

The StoryTANK opens new perspectives and new angles of understanding on one of the most complex and fascinating professions: that of the scriptwriter, the storyteller, the writer of fiction or the creator of singular worlds.

The manufacturing of narrative addresses fundamental issues, not only of an artistic nature, but also anthropological, societal, political and prospective. The function of narratives is to bring communities together through shared visions, emotions or constructions of the imagination.

Today, films, series and globally all narrative conveyed by the moving image, have become the life blood for our societies’ representations and projections.

For the better, and sometimes for the worse: over the past twenty years, the degradation and massive global export of a certain type of Hollywood narrative, particularly popular among younger generations – films for the box office promoting weapons, brutality, violence and superheroes – now raises a worldwide challenge. It’s as if we are facing a sort of breakdown in our capacity to dream, to embrace new horizons, to provide alternative models for the new generations.

Europe’s strength lies in its own distinctive traits which are too often considered as banal: its rich cultural diversity, its secularism, its own unique experiences, the personal stories embracing social criticism. Since the Age of Enlightenment, the fabrication of narrative in Europe covers a variety of themes rich with nuances and the ability to question the world which are unique in the world.

It would appear therefore, that regaining proficiency “storytelling” with a constructive and receptive view on new methods, has become a fundamental lever in the crafting of meaning, as well as a humanist “soft power” tool in a disorientated world. The challenge in creating stories proposing themes other than violence, and the need for contemporary stories projecting as many alternatives and collective representations as possible, has become crucial.

This is why LIM launched the StoryTANK

From a humanistic perspective, the key aim of StoryTANK is to build a European coalition of talent and researchers to refine our understanding of how narratives work, how fiction is constructed and how meaning emerges, clear of the systematized and symbolized archetypes produced by Hollywood. We aim to bring skilled film and fiction writers together to work proactively, pragmatically with researchers in fields juxtaposing narrative (cognitive sciences, human sciences, physiology…).

The StoryTANK lies within a middle and long-term perspective, as the final work that will be created is destined as much for the future generations of film professional and storytellers, as for the future spectators of stories carried by movie images.

The structure of the StoryTANK hinges on two axes

Well-aimed research workshops putting together experienced screenwriters, together with researchers in adjacent domains chosen for their potential contributions in the areas of elaboration and/or perception of the story. The object here is to open new perspectives or understanding of the field.

At the outcome of each workshop, the screenwriters and/or researchers will take part in public interviews or filmed masterclasses, broadcasted on the StoryTANK’s social media.

The first four seasons were fueled by discussions and deciphering the creative processes that lead to stories, their role in supporting our imaginations, and their ability to help us construct or understand.

As part of its 5th season, the StoryTANK team decided to try a new experiment, led by six captivated and captivating researchers. The goal was to test and film the emergence of story ideas in experimental settings created by THE FACTORY OF WORLDS—a unique facility in Europe that has been under construction at Groupe Ouest since 2023, under the aegis of the French Ministry of Culture. The experiment was off ered to 6 screenwriters or fi lmmakers from 6 European countries.

The StoryTANK allows us to explore and shed light on the practices of fiction writers, at a precise moment when story generation is being transformed by the digital revolutions, from artificial intelligence to algorithms. Also, at a time when our social, political, and ecological benchmarks are faltering. The StoryTANK focuses here on three experimental prototypes: (1) the Cave, (2) the Black Room, and (3) the Plateau. This experiment is a first.