The story is the thing that keeps people engaged in a preshow. With a good story, an audience will watch avidly scores of times. Without a good story, the audience begins complaining, but doesn't know what's wrong. Like a perfume that's coming out of a magazine ad, they can't tell where it's coming from or what it is, they just know something isn't right.
Here are the requirements for a preshow the audience loves:
--Flawed, universally human characters whom the audience loves and identifies with.
--Clear dialogue that immediately identifies who, what, and where, (including identifying the enemy).
--An audience "action objective", and responsibility for the outcome. (Involve the audience.)
--Specific, high stakes physical action with props.
--Changes of emotion.
--A changing stage picture to add interest.
--A progression or "game" where the audience identifies a pattern in the action and anticipates what comes next.
--Avoid questions, ambiguities and confusion between characters. e.g., "Where are you?" "Are you okay?" "What are we doing?" "Where am I?" "I don't know."
--Continually add new information which advances the "game".
--Avoid scenes where one person instructs or commands another.
--Avoid scenes when the characters have difficulty communicating or can't hear.
--Avoid scenes where the characters plan what they're about to do at length, or argue whether or not to do something.
--The shorter the film, the more you should avoid slow "reveals" which delay or obscure information about who the enemy is, where you are, or what the objective is.
This is just standard Hollywood 101.