When a customer walks into a hardware store they're expecting to see pipes, lumber, tools and paint. When someone buys a book or turns on a television show or turns on a movie they have expectations there also. But what are those expectation? There are two forms of entertainment comedy or drama. There are mixtures of those two but the basic elements of those two particular genres are what makes up storytelling. If you write a joke the expectation is that someone in the audience might find it funny and that they will laugh. If someone turns on a horror movie their expectations are that there is something in the story that will scare them and they will react with fright. Both are emotional responses.
If you fail as a storyteller to meet those expectations the effort is deemed a failure.
Today's audiences expectations are that the story they have turned on will meet the expectations that has been promised to them.
Future posts will explore how best, IMO, to met the customer's expectations.
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