I usually try to keep my subjects evergreen, but every now and then current events provides such a teachable moment I can’t resist. One of these moments occurred during the recent Republican candidates’ debate in my home state of Florida.
During the debate Speaker Newt Gingrinch said that he wanted to establish a settlement on the moon by the end of his second term as President, or by 2020. The Speaker came in for some immediate ridicule by Governor Mitt Romney, who said that if any of his executives came to him with an idea like that costing millions or billions of dollars that he would be fired immediately.
It certainly sounds like Governor Romney likes to fire people. Mr. Gingrich received a great deal of ridicule about this pledge over the last few days. Perhaps it was the offhand way he made the comment during the debate, or the obvious pandering to the many people living on the Space Coast who are now looking for work after the end of the shuttle program. Politics aside, I believe Governor Romney was too quick to dismiss this big idea.
After all, the United States had a working road system in the 1950s. Why spend all that money to build the interstate highway system? In the early days of the 20th century, when automobiles regularly broke down, people laughed at Henry Ford’s plan to pay his workers enough money to buy one of his mass-produced cars. Who besides Steve Jobs thought people wanted ipods, until Apple started producing them? Last quarter, Apple made more money than almost any company in American history.
Governor Romney apparently doesn’t know there are already several firms in the U.S. and around the world working to make space flight practical and profitable. Richard Branson, owner of Virgin Airlines, for example, is considered a successful entrepreneur. Why is he investing money in Virgin Galactic, if he doesn’t think it will pay off someday? I would rather have a CEO willing to explore big ideas, like Mr. Branson, than one that rejects them out of hand like Governor Romney.
One of the first things you learn when leading a corporate brainstorming session (I’ve led and participated in many over the years) is never to crush a big idea at the start. You consider it, and analyze the pros and cons. Bad managers crush ideas at the beginning, and as a result, miss out on a lot of great potential. So many creative and profitable products come from unexpected sources. For example, post-it notes were created because a glue researchers at 3M discovered failed – objects could easily be peeled off the paper.
To use an entertainment example, Comedy Central discovered South Park in a video Christmas card someone commissioned from Trey Parker and Matt Stone. They didn’t ask agents to bring them an idea about a poorly drawn cartoon featuring foul-mouthed fourth graders. The best ideas, the most original ideas, usually occur because someone says, “I know this is crazy, but let’s try it anyway.”
When you’re creating your content, whether it’s a novel, video, movie, or painting (or anything else) say “Yes” to the big idea. After all, you are in control of your own process. See where the big idea leads you. Who knows? Maybe your work of art will someday be exhibited on the walls or a copy will live in the library on Luna City.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Less is More
The third of Sondheim's principals is a phrase that you may have heard before: "Less is More." If you've spent any time in a group critiquing a poem or novel,play or movie, or a song, you've heard someone say, "less is more." That means that a simple, straightforward expression of your idea can be much more effective than a more elaborate, fancy expression.
Creators like to overstate. Actors love to show more emotion than their role calls for, because they think that's the way the audiences can see how good they are. Writers and lyricists love to show off their facility with words. Larry Hart once rhymed "company" with "bump a knee." In general, your audience finds simplicity and honesty more compelling. Doing less allows the true feelings of a scene to emerge. Less does really create more impact.
Of course, you always have to be careful to make sure that less doesn't mean less. If you are letting the form dictate content, and taking care with the details, you'll know when less is more for your piece.
One other lesson learned from Sondheim is to keep refining your work. You'll probably not get it right the first time, the second time, the third time, and maybe not even the fourth time. Keep working until you get your content right. Your audience is giving you their time and sometimes even their money for your art. You owe them your best effort.
Keep these principles in mind, and maybe you will be a vital artist when you hit 80.
Creators like to overstate. Actors love to show more emotion than their role calls for, because they think that's the way the audiences can see how good they are. Writers and lyricists love to show off their facility with words. Larry Hart once rhymed "company" with "bump a knee." In general, your audience finds simplicity and honesty more compelling. Doing less allows the true feelings of a scene to emerge. Less does really create more impact.
Of course, you always have to be careful to make sure that less doesn't mean less. If you are letting the form dictate content, and taking care with the details, you'll know when less is more for your piece.
One other lesson learned from Sondheim is to keep refining your work. You'll probably not get it right the first time, the second time, the third time, and maybe not even the fourth time. Keep working until you get your content right. Your audience is giving you their time and sometimes even their money for your art. You owe them your best effort.
Keep these principles in mind, and maybe you will be a vital artist when you hit 80.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Sondheim's First Principle
Form Dictates Content. The format of your piece will influence how you create it. If you're writing a musical, you should include some songs. If your program is about a group of twentysomethings living in New York, they're going to talk differently than a group of twentysomethings working on oil rigs in West Texas. If you're painting a picture in watercolor, it's not going to look the same as if you used oil paints.
Those extreme examples may seem obvious to most of you, but the principle applies to the most subtle details. If you're writing a play and you need to add some dialogue to cover a scene change it's important to remember what the play is about so your dialogue fits the characters and advances the plot. Sondheim says in his book that he can't write songs for any play until the librettist provides him with the characters and dialogue. The songs grow out of the characters' actions and passions, and become an integral part of the show.
What form are you using for your content? Let the form inform the content you create.
Those extreme examples may seem obvious to most of you, but the principle applies to the most subtle details. If you're writing a play and you need to add some dialogue to cover a scene change it's important to remember what the play is about so your dialogue fits the characters and advances the plot. Sondheim says in his book that he can't write songs for any play until the librettist provides him with the characters and dialogue. The songs grow out of the characters' actions and passions, and become an integral part of the show.
What form are you using for your content? Let the form inform the content you create.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
God is in the Details
Let's start discussing the second of Stephen Sondheim's principles: "God is in the details." That's another way of saying something I've said several times in this blog -- it's how you express your idea that matters more than the idea itself.
For example, I might want to create a comedy about a group of friends in their 20s living in New York. But depending upon the details of who the characters are I might create "Friends," or "How I Met Your Mother." If I make the group older and have one of them be a comedian I might create "Seinfeld." All of these shows have a very similar basic premise, but became hits because of the character details that the writers, producers, and the actors created that made these characters live for the audience.
The great creative artists care about every detail when they create a show. Not just the words of the script, but the set and costume design. Not just the design, but the props that the actors use - - what brand of coffee they drink and what type of coffee maker do they use? A compelling, memorable story is the accumulation of lots of evocative details. No detail is too small for you to ignore; every detail you choose to put into your story is significant.
You may not get everything right in your first draft of your content. (I hope you do, but not everyone does). Stephen Sondheim keeps looking for ways to improve his songs even after his shows open, and sometimes after they close. As you keep working to improve your piece, think about how the details you're adding advance your story and make your content more compelling.
For example, I might want to create a comedy about a group of friends in their 20s living in New York. But depending upon the details of who the characters are I might create "Friends," or "How I Met Your Mother." If I make the group older and have one of them be a comedian I might create "Seinfeld." All of these shows have a very similar basic premise, but became hits because of the character details that the writers, producers, and the actors created that made these characters live for the audience.
The great creative artists care about every detail when they create a show. Not just the words of the script, but the set and costume design. Not just the design, but the props that the actors use - - what brand of coffee they drink and what type of coffee maker do they use? A compelling, memorable story is the accumulation of lots of evocative details. No detail is too small for you to ignore; every detail you choose to put into your story is significant.
You may not get everything right in your first draft of your content. (I hope you do, but not everyone does). Stephen Sondheim keeps looking for ways to improve his songs even after his shows open, and sometimes after they close. As you keep working to improve your piece, think about how the details you're adding advance your story and make your content more compelling.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)