The ONLY 5 Lines You Need To Tell Any Story
By Tim Runia
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AI Summary of "The ONLY 5 Lines You Need To Tell Any Story"
Get instant insights and key takeaways from this YouTube video by Tim Runia.
The Five-Line Story Method for Filmmaking
📌 The speaker previously struggled with video planning, resulting in messy timelines or starting filming without a clear narrative direction due to overthinking and getting lost in details.
💡 The solution is a "stupidly simple" five-line story blueprint that provides a framework to create emotionally resonant stories and scripts.
🎬 This method helps filmmakers avoid getting distracted by technical details like gear, transitions, or color grading by locking down the emotional core of the story first.
Deconstructing the Five Lines
📍 Line 1: Situation establishes the starting point: where we are, what's happening, and the world context.
🎯 Line 2: Desire defines the character's goal or what they want to obtain, sparking audience curiosity and investment.
💥 Line 3: Conflict introduces tension, obstacles, or challenges that prevent reaching the desire, which is essential for keeping the audience engaged.
🔄 Line 4: Change marks a turning point, an insight, or an action that shifts momentum and shows growth or movement forward.
✅ Line 5: Result concludes the narrative, providing closure and showing how the new reality differs from the initial situation.
Application and Expansion
🎬 The structure was demonstrated using *The Lion King*: Simba (Situation) wants to prove his worth (Desire), faces exile (Conflict), returns to confront Scar (Change), and restores balance (Result).
🪜 The five lines serve as a launchpad; they can be expanded to ten, twenty, or more lines by adding richness and details without changing the core narrative.
🛠️ The method is useful both for initial planning and as a reference point to return to when the project becomes overwhelming.
Key Points & Insights
➡️ Before scripting, nail the five core lines to secure the emotional thread of your story, preventing technical decisions from derailing the narrative.
➡️ The Desire line is crucial because it makes the audience lean in and start caring about the character's outcome.
➡️ Utilize the five-line structure as a frequent check-in point during production or editing to ensure all subsequent creative choices connect back to the core story.
📸 Video summarized with SummaryTube.com on Jan 20, 2026, 05:47 UTC
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📜Transcript
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📄Video Description
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🎬 The simplest way to turn your idea into a video you’re proud of is with my Story Starter Kit → https://link.timrunia.com/starterkit-yt3
📱 Or check out my new Shotlist Creator tool to make clear shotlists with filmmaking guidance: https://shotlistcreator.com
👨🏻🚒 Need my personal help? Book a 1:1 call with me (limited spots): https://stan.store/timrunia/p/personalcall
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In this video, I share how I went from endlessly overthinking my edits and staring at a messy timeline to using a simple “5-Line Story” method that instantly clarifies any script. I break down each line, Situation, Desire, Conflict, Change, Result, so you can pinpoint your story’s core before you write, shoot, or edit.
You’ll see how big movies like The Lion King follow the same structure, why simplicity beats complexity, and how this approach saved me hours of planning.
I walk through real examples, show you my own 5-Line core from the video that got me to 10K subscribers, and explain why simple, natural storytelling hooks viewers and keeps them watching.
If you’ve ever felt lost in gear choices, fancy transitions, or rewrite loops, this easy story formula will keep your creative projects focused, efficient, and emotionally engaging every time.
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🍿 Subscriber count → 14,219
🎬 Watch the video where it all started:
→ • Living your dream is easier than you ...
Connect with me:
https://instagram.com/timrunia
📩 tim@timrunia.com
📕 Stuck in your creative process? Download my free Stuck to Start guide here:
https://timrunia.kit.com/guide
👉 Join my newsletter for personal insights on the creator journey, filmmaking lessons, and tips to help you.
https://timrunia.kit.com
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CHAPTERS:
00:00 Introduction
00:50 The Overthinking Trap
01:50 Introducing the 5-Line Method
03:05 Lion King: A Hollywood Example
04:25 Why It Works & How to Use It
06:20 Real YouTube Video Breakdown
08:35 Next Steps & Takeaway
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🎥 SOME OF MY GEAR - if you have more questions; shoot them in comments! 🙂
Main camera (FX3) https://geni.us/IOJ8v
90% of the shots with this lens: https://geni.us/PyAXdtV
Tele-zoom lens: https://geni.us/hpW75x
Monitor for my camera: https://geni.us/lW4Aum
Cheap but good microphone I use: https://geni.us/yBYjI9w
Small but strong travel tripod: https://geni.us/2jNKfCg
SD cards: https://geni.us/N56sKW
Small practical tube-light: https://geni.us/xYlZN
ND filter system: https://geni.us/RM3RbV
Lav mics: https://geni.us/m2Yzz
Small but good drone: https://geni.us/JAn93
Best Behind the Scenes camera: https://geni.us/ACSSqR
SSD drives I edit from: https://geni.us/1cBOXGJ
External drive for backup: https://geni.us/5ysLzo1
My headphones for editing: https://geni.us/XuiQz
-------------------------------------------------------------
#StartingYouTube #OvercomingSelfDoubt #CreatorJourney #BecomingAYoutuber #FilmmakingPassion #YouTubeDream #WhyStartYouTube #CreativeProcess #StartingAsAFilmmaker #SelfDoubtInCreativity #StorytellingOnYouTube #FollowingDreams #OvercomingFear #MindsetShift #CreativeStorytelling #BeginnerYouTuberTips #OvercomingExcuses #CreativeInspiration #FindingYourWhy #PassionForStorytelling #StartingMessy #FilmmakingJourney #PersonalGrowthYouTube #SharingStoriesOnline #CreatingForPassion #StartCreatingToday #LifeAsACreator #YouTubeLessonsLearned #FilmmakerOnYouTube #PersonalCreativeGrowth #LettingGoOfFear #FollowingCreativePassion
Full video URL: youtube.com/watch?v=NeTJRCycYXQ
Duration: 9:31
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AI Summary of "The ONLY 5 Lines You Need To Tell Any Story"
Get instant insights and key takeaways from this YouTube video by Tim Runia.
The Five-Line Story Method for Filmmaking
📌 The speaker previously struggled with video planning, resulting in messy timelines or starting filming without a clear narrative direction due to overthinking and getting lost in details.
💡 The solution is a "stupidly simple" five-line story blueprint that provides a framework to create emotionally resonant stories and scripts.
🎬 This method helps filmmakers avoid getting distracted by technical details like gear, transitions, or color grading by locking down the emotional core of the story first.
Deconstructing the Five Lines
📍 Line 1: Situation establishes the starting point: where we are, what's happening, and the world context.
🎯 Line 2: Desire defines the character's goal or what they want to obtain, sparking audience curiosity and investment.
💥 Line 3: Conflict introduces tension, obstacles, or challenges that prevent reaching the desire, which is essential for keeping the audience engaged.
🔄 Line 4: Change marks a turning point, an insight, or an action that shifts momentum and shows growth or movement forward.
✅ Line 5: Result concludes the narrative, providing closure and showing how the new reality differs from the initial situation.
Application and Expansion
🎬 The structure was demonstrated using *The Lion King*: Simba (Situation) wants to prove his worth (Desire), faces exile (Conflict), returns to confront Scar (Change), and restores balance (Result).
🪜 The five lines serve as a launchpad; they can be expanded to ten, twenty, or more lines by adding richness and details without changing the core narrative.
🛠️ The method is useful both for initial planning and as a reference point to return to when the project becomes overwhelming.
Key Points & Insights
➡️ Before scripting, nail the five core lines to secure the emotional thread of your story, preventing technical decisions from derailing the narrative.
➡️ The Desire line is crucial because it makes the audience lean in and start caring about the character's outcome.
➡️ Utilize the five-line structure as a frequent check-in point during production or editing to ensure all subsequent creative choices connect back to the core story.
📸 Video summarized with SummaryTube.com on Jan 20, 2026, 05:47 UTC
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As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases
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