12 storytelling lessons from 'Conclave'

OSCAR SPECIAL: Learn how to build intrigue and deliver impact by watching Oscar-contender Conclave.

How do you make a two-hour film riveting, when it features 108 men locked in a room (albeit the Sistine Chapel) to elect a new pope?

Conclave achieves just that. A top contender for this year's Oscars (on Sunday 2 March) and winner of Best Film at the recent BAFTA Awards, the key to the film’s success goes far beyond the usual twists and turns of a political thriller.

As Cardinal Thomas Lawrence (portrayed by Ralph Fiennes) oversees the election of a new pope, the film, directed by Edward Berger, reveals itself as a masterclass in narrative technique.

Here are the 12 storytelling lessons that I learnt from watching Conclave:

1. Make the film title ‘sing’ for its space

The size and colour of the type, and the typeface spell what's to come: mystery, a political chess game, a thriller.

The punch of the title is also concordant with the film’s hard sound cuts (see No 9) and the sound of the Cristal Baschet (No 8).

2. Historical details lend authenticity

The only non-original music is Miserere mei, Deus, ('Have Mercy on Me, O God'), composed by Gregori Allegri. The choral piece is played as the cardinals gather in the Sistine Chapel for the papal conclave, to choose a new pope.

Miserere mei, Deus was written in the 1630s. It was originally performed exclusively in the Sistine Chapel, with the Vatican forbidding any transcription or performance outside the chapel. This fits nicely with the film’s themes of secrecy, power and ritual.

3. Hold back … leave crumbs as you reveal your story

Not everything in Conclave arrives with a punch. We are introduced slowly, slowly to the Archbishop of Kabul some 20 minutes into the film.

• First, we see him through a window, head bowed, as he is being observed by a small group of cardinals huddled together.
• Four shots later, and there is a close-up of his hands holding a rosary.
• Then a shot of the Archbishop of Kabul asleep in a chair, with Cardinal Lawrence (left) and Cardinal Bellini (right, played by Stanley Tucci) looking on:

• Five shots and 90 seconds later, and the Archbishop of Kabul is finally presented to us, tas well as to the cardinals gathered in the canteen. It’s only now that we see him move, and hear him talk.

4. Leave space around the dialogue

The script, an adaptation of Robert Harris’ 2016 novel, is written by Peter Straughan. "Peter’s writing is so great because it’s succinct, it’s economic, it allows the echo chamber of a person to be felt in and around the dialogue, in the face or in pauses. It’s not just the words," explains Ralph Fiennes, who plays Cardinal Lawrence.

5. Filmed in ‘cinematic’ mode

To keep his story razor sharp, Berger guides the audience by using a shallow depth of field, so that we focus on whatever matters to the story.

This reflects the way our eyes are designed. To see an object clearly, such as the cross worn by the Cardinal of Kabul in the picture above, we need to look at it directly.

To perceive the whole of the Cardinal of Kabul, our eyes need to move in constant, jerky movements at a speed of 1/20 of a second.

6. Break stereotypes – with wry humour

The cardinals are portrayed as having all the faults of any other group of human beings ... including the odd cigarette.

7. Don’t forget the power of colour

Colour conveys meaning, emotion and symbolism. For Conclave, costume designer Lisy Christi rejected the modern scarlet vestments for a blue-toned red inspired by the cardinals of the 17th century.

This, she believed, was more beautiful and far easier on the eye. And “part of the [Catholic] faith is beauty", she said.

8. Original music – bring something new

Composer Volker Bertelmann talking about how he works with Berger: 'An unwritten rule between the two of us [is] that when we start something, we want to find something new”.

This time he found the Cristal Baschet, a contemporary instrument played with glass rods, reflecting the "religious idealism" in the film.

As Bertelmann explains, it produces "weird distorted resonances”, while underneath it starts to "broil", ramping up to a moment when the 'hit' comes in – to coincide with a picture cut.

It produces "weird distorted resonances”, while underneath it starts to "broil" – Volker Bertelmann on the Cristal Baschet

9. Hard sound cuts make us "focus on the screen"

Unlike vision, there is no learning process to hearing. This makes sound a powerful storytelling tool.

In the film, everyday sounds are part of the score: the sound of breathing, the cutting of the seal, the folding of the glasses – delivered as a flow, and sometimes as a punch.

"I like hard sound cuts that might be jarring, but somehow tell me to focus on the screen,” Berger told Screen Daily.

10. The big message: the ‘sin of certainty’

All good stories have a moral. In the Conclave, Cardinal Lawrence says in his homily:

"Over the course of many years in the service of our mother the church, there is one sin I have come to fear above all others ... certainty.

"Certainty is the great enemy of unity. Certainty is the deadly enemy of tolerance. Even Christ was not certain at the end ... ‘My God, My God, why have you forsaken me’, he cried out in his agony at the ninth hour on the cross.

"Our faith is a living thing precisely because it walks hand in hand with doubt. If there was only certainty, and no doubt, there would be no mystery, and therefore no need for faith."

"Certainty is the great enemy of unity. Certainty is the deadly enemy of tolerance" – Cardinal Lawrence

11. Metaphors make for stand-out lines

"Some are chosen to be shepherds, and some to manage the farm" – Cardinal Lawrence citing the deceased Pope

"Why do I feel like a cow being priced by a farmer" – Cardinal Bellini

"A stolen document. The smearing of a brother cardinal. I would be the Richard Nixon of Popes" – Cardinal Bellini (former US president Richard Nixon resigned in 1974 following the Watergate scandal)

12. Use cut-away stories to relieve tension

Towards the end of the film, one of the Holy Father's turtles – a “gift from Angola” – escapes from the pond, only to be found in the middle of a huge hallway by Cardinal Lawrence.

As the cardinal picks up the turtle, the 'white' smoke signal can be seen rising from the papal chimney, indicating to the crowds (whose expectant rumble we can hear) that the new pope has been chosen.

A huge cheer rises up, as they see the white smoke. We still do not see them. We only see Cardinal Lawrence putting the escaped turtle back into the pond.

Call for action

Brands and companies often discuss how they will ‘engage’ their audience, whether by helping them to meet their needs or overcome their challenges.

But in today’s noisy world, two other ‘hows’ are growing in importance: how we can build intrigue, and how we can deliver impact in our message.

As Berger puts it: "How you grab them by the collar and say, 'Pay attention!'"

So, if you haven’t already, I would strongly suggest watching Conclave.

Please note that all images are screenshots, so the colours may not be true to how they look in the film.