---
title: "The ONLY 5 Lines You Need To Tell Any Story"
source_url: https://youtu.be/NeTJRCycYXQ
captured_at: 2025-11-09
author: "Tim Runia"
contributor: "ชิดชนก"
platform: youtube
---
# The ONLY 5 Lines You Need To Tell Any Story

youtube video by **Tim Runia**, 9m32s, uploaded 2025-07-10. URL: https://youtu.be/NeTJRCycYXQ
Tags: filmmaking, YouTube storytelling, video storytelling, video scriptwriting, video editing tips, creator tips, how to plan videos, storytelling for creators, cinematic storytelling, script planning, filmmaking process, storytelling tips, story structure, video content strategy, creative process, video workflow, writing video scripts, planning YouTube videos, narrative storytelling, video tutorial, f

## Shared in LINE Note+
- 2025-11-09 18:30 by ชิดชนก
- 2026-03-14 14:12 by ชิดชนก

## Description
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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 

## Transcript (captions:manual:en-US)
I used to spend hours trying to plan a video and still have no idea what I was actually trying to say. I would make an outline, rewrite, scrap it, and start all over again. Or I'd skip it all and just start filming, hoping I would figure it all out in the edit. But then I'd be staring at a messy timeline with no clue what the story was actually supposed to be. I was overthinking, and totally getting lost in the details Until I started doing something so stupidly simple. .. I couldn't believe it actually worked. Five lines. That's it. And suddenly every story clicked. You know, most comments I get are about my storytelling. So today, I'll show you a little secret. Because when you've written down these five lines, you've got a blueprint to create a story and a script that actually makes people feel something to create something with a heart. you know, before YouTube. I ran my own video agency together with a friend, and we created all kinds of stuff, We did a lot of commercials. We made series, small documentaries, And, you know, I always loved to do crazy stuff, come up with crazy concepts weird transitions in a scripts. And I think it really made the, the advertisements and the videos we made a lot more awesome. But what I kept bumping into over and over again, it doesn't matter if you're alone or working with a big crew or doing YouTube. Filmmaking is a lot of decision making. And what happens time after time? That in this chaos of decision making... You're losing the core of the story. And this is a big issue, because the core of your story is one of the most important things. Because if you don't know what the story is really about, no editing trick or no camera trick is going to save you from that. So then how do you get clear what your story is actually about. Well that's where the five line story method comes in. So this is the method that I've been using to create almost all my story driven videos. The only thing you have to do is write five lines. So watch this. So your first line will be about the situation. That's the starting point. Where are we and what's happening. And how does the world look like where we're in The second line will be about the desire. So what does the character want? What does she want to obtain, or what does she want to reach? The third line is about the conflict. What gets in the way? Where’s is the tension or what is an obstacle that makes it hard to reach the desire? Then the fourth line is going to be about change. So what happens that shifts something This could be a turning point in the story. Something big or something small or just a different way of seeing something, And then the fifth and last line is going to be the result. So how does it end? What's the new reality and how is the situation different now from when we started. Now this might all sound very simple and easy. But believe me when I say that simple is good with filmmaking. Because these five lines will help you to see the whole story before you get distracted by everything else. By Gear. Transitions. Voiceovers. endless color grading, you name it. There are so many details and so many choices to be made. So if you nail these five lines first you've got the emotional core of your story. It's like the life thread. Now I'm going to explain you why this works so well. But first, I want to show you a little example of how even big Hollywood films use this structure for their movies. So let me show you with a story that you definitely know. The Lion King. Let's start with the situation. Simba is a young prince excited to one day rule the Pride Lands. The desire, he wants to prove he's brave and worthy of being a king. the conflict. After his father's death, Simba runs away, ashamed and afraid to face his past. Then the change. Simba grows up and with help from his friends and a vision from his father, Simba returns to confront scar and take his place as a king. And the result. He restores balance to the Pride Lands and steps fully into who he was meant to be. So obviously there's missing quite some details to make the story a little bit richer, but it is the whole story. And the funny thing is, once I started using this method, I started seeing this in every movie that I saw. And probably you will too now. Next time when you watch a movie, you will probably see the point where the conflict is introduced or where the desire is introduced. So I'm sorry if no movie will be the same anymore for you. But you know, it's not just the beginners trick. It's just how almost every story works. So now let's break down each line to see why it actually matters. The situation, where we are is very important because it gives the viewer a clear starting point of where we are, what's happening and who's in the story. They will know the world that we're in and what we're actually talking about. The desire that really shows the goal or the needs that's driving the story. And this usually really sparks the curiosity of the audience and this is the part where people will lean more into the story, and they start to care about whether you're getting the thing or not. The audience will start to feel invested in the story. And maybe the thing that the main character wants is something they want as well. So the third one, the conflict introduces tension or an obstacle. And this is really something that stories need. Because if there's no tension, if there's no obstacle, if there's no challenge, there's not really a reason to keep watching for the audience. So the fourth one is change. And this really marks a turning point in the story. So it could be an insight or an action or anything that shifts everything., you know It really shows growth and it gives the audience the feeling of movement forward. The fifth, result. So this should really give your audience satisfying take away a feeling of closure, an ending, and it should be something that ties everything of the whole story together. And it shows how the world or the situation or the character is different from the starting point. Together these five lines are just how we naturally process every story. So I'm going to show you an example of how these five lines actually play out in one of my own YouTube videos. But first, I want you to know that these five lines aren't your whole video. They are some sort of launchpad... You can use them to kick off your story and start building from your five lines, or you can use them to come back at any time when your project is overwhelming you to take a look again at your five lines and to see the things that you are building in your story, if you can connect them back to one of your five lines. Okay. So now I'm going to show you how one of my own YouTube videos that's over eight minutes long can be downgraded to just five lines. Watch this. I'm a filmmaker from the Netherlands and I've loved making videos since I was a kid. My dream was to be a YouTuber and sharing stories from the heart, not just for clients. But every time I tried to start, self-doubt and overthinking pulled me back. When I let go of the YouTube dream, I finally realized I was focusing on the wrong reasons and I just wanted to create stories. So I finally sat down and started, and this video is the result, and that first step pushed me to go all in on this YouTube journey. So that was basically the whole story of my first YouTube video in five lines. And now the cool thing is, when you can do it with five lines, you can do it with ten as well. Watch this. I'm a filmmaker from the Netherlands and I've loved making videos since I was a kid. My dream was to be a YouTuber and sharing stories from the heart, not just for clients. But every time I tried to start, self-doubt and overthinking pulled me back. My mind kept yelling, you can't go for making ads for big companies to making YouTube videos. Those fears became excuses: I'm too late and too old, I don't have enough skills. Gear. Security. …