Shadowing Practice: Video 1: We are all storytellers - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Hi, I'm Valerie LaPointe and I'm a story artist at Pixar.
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Hi, I'm Valerie LaPointe and I'm a story artist at Pixar.
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I'm going to be your host for our first lesson on storytelling, designed to introduce you to how we tell stories at Pixar.
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Throughout the next six lessons, you'll have a chance to create your own stories, and you'll go from a rough idea to having real storyboards like we use at Pixar.
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Each lesson features Pixar story artists sharing their insights about the story development process.
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My name is Domi Shi, and I'm a story artist.
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Hi, my name is Sanjay Patel.
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I'm an animator and storyboard artist.
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I'm Kristen Lester.
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I'm a storyboard artist.
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Hello, my name is Mark Andrews, and I'm a director at Pixar Animation Studios.
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The goal of this video is to remind you that you already are a storyteller.
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It's something we do naturally and start doing as children.
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To kick this lesson off, let's hear how some of Pixar's storytellers first started telling their own stories.
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Out on the playground where you're making up stories or playing in the backyard where we're making up whole worlds.
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From then on, I started drawing my own comic books.
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And I would fake being sick to stay home from school so I could draw my comic books and come up with my stories.
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What I did is I would take a drawing of Betty and Veronica that was in the comic books, and I would trace it.
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And then I would draw fashion on them.
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And I did this thing called Betty and Veronica fashions.
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Somewhere in my mother's basement there are thousands and thousands and thousands of these drawings of Betty and Veronica.
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These poster assignments that my art teacher would give me in high school, and even in junior high school as well, they were always around a theme of American history.
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And so the idea of this kind of homework of doing American history in a visual form was kind of the first avenue into telling stories in just one picture.
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When I was really young, I would draw pictures and I would show them to people and they would react and I'd really like that.
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I loved getting reactions out of people with the things that I drew and the stories that I tell.
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And I wanted to get more reactions out of people, so I drew more and more and more.
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I have to say, growing up, I felt like I had no ideas.
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I was just the most unoriginal.
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I always felt like artists have to have these kind of waterfalls of ideas, endless amount of ideas, and I had zero, I felt.
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So I get most of my stories and my ideas from my life.
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I think about a lot of stuff that's happened to me, like when was the last time I was happy?
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When was the last time I felt really sad?
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Like, when was the last time I cried or I got really angry?
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Most of my stories originate from my own personal experiences.
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And I think there's a touchstone there that is very important to the storyteller to find because it makes it honest.
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I'm not just gathering kind of ideas and chucking them together and there's a story.
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No story comes ready made.
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One way is that I think long and hard about my experiences in life and moments in my life where I've had what I kind of consider to be an epiphany.
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I have gained some sort of insight or learned something that I think is really important to share with the world.
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I think those are the kind of stories that are really fun because they only can come from you and your experience.
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Nobody else can have the same insights as you because they haven't lived the same life as you.
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No two people will experience life the same, so no two people will tell a story the same way.
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Think of this as a superpower we all have, your unique perspective.
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Only you see the world this way.
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Now I want you to think about a memory you have.
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It could be your most embarrassing memory, frightening memory, or a time you were very surprised.
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Whatever it is, it's a memory you remember vividly.
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In this first exercise, you'll have a chance to express this memory in various ways.

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Context & Background

In the insightful video "We are all storytellers," Valerie LaPointe, a story artist from Pixar, introduces viewers to the art of storytelling. The video features various Pixar artists who share their personal experiences and reflections on storytelling, emphasizing that everyone, from childhood, naturally tells stories, whether playing pretend or creating comic books. Each artist reveals how their unique life experiences and emotions shape their narratives, inviting viewers to explore their storytelling potential. This lesson serves as both an inspiration and a practical guide to harnessing one’s personal experiences into compelling stories.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • "I started drawing my own comic books." - A great way to express your creative hobbies.
  • "I loved getting reactions out of people." - A useful phrase to discuss feedback in conversations.
  • "These ideas come from my life." - A reflection on how personal experiences inform our opinions.
  • "It makes it honest." - Use this phrase to talk about authenticity in storytelling.
  • "Only you see the world this way." - A powerful way to convey individuality and perspective.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

To enhance your English speaking practice and storytelling ability using the shadowing technique, follow these steps:

  1. Select a shadow speech segment: Choose a short segment of the video where the storytellers share their insights. Focus on Valerie LaPointe's introduction for clarity.
  2. Listen closely: Play the video a few times while paying attention to the rhythm and pronunciation of the phrases, particularly the ones listed above.
  3. Use a shadowing app: Utilize a shadowing app to repeat what you hear immediately after. This helps in mimicking intonation and inflection, which is essential in mastering spoken English.
  4. Record and compare: Record your attempts and compare them with the original audio. Identify areas where you can improve your pronunciation and flow.
  5. Practice the memory exercise: As suggested in the video, think about a vivid memory to narrate, applying the phrases and storytelling techniques you learned. Share with friends or practice in front of a mirror.

By using these methods, you can effectively improve your English speaking skills and storytelling abilities, unleashing your creativity through the powerful art of shadowing.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

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