Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Creative Development, Creativity, Cunning, Film, Marketing, Music
For a lot of people, creativity is just fuck about until something interesting comes along.
And for some, that’s exactly how they approach it.
But for others, creativity is also about taking on challenges.
Three years ago I wrote how the inspiration behind The White Stripes ‘Seven Nation Army’ was because they wanted to see if they could write a compelling song that had no chorus.
[Having resisted the post, it’s quite good … and not just because of the comments. For once]
It’s similar to Brian May’s inspiration behind We Will Rock You … which was to create a song where the audience didn’t just participate, but were integral to the rhythm.
Or when SONOS created their incredible logo that was designed to show moving sound waves, despite being a static image.
But then we shouldn’t be surprised because all creativity solves some sort of problem … whether personal or commercial.
The reason I say this is because I recently heard a story behind the theme tune of Mission Impossible.
We all know how it goes, but just in case you’ve forgotten – or are an idiot – it’s this …
As movie tunes go, it’s one of the most memorable.
And while I assume memorability is an important element in movie recognition, it’s the story behind the tune that is amazing.
Because the main element of the music – 2 long notes, followed by 2 short notes – are actually the morse code for the letters M and I.
How amazing is that?
Obviously it wasn’t by chance … composer, ‘Lalo’ Schifrin saw his idea as something both creatively inspiring and challenging, which resulted in something pretty iconic.
And while I love that it celebrates the intelligence of creativity – which is something too often dismissed – I also love that this ‘easter egg’ keeps this piece of music alive in culture.
Now I appreciate some of you – if I still allowed comments – would be throwing shit at me because ‘news’ has been known for years.
But in my defence, I would like to point out 2 things.
1. This blog has never been topical and you know it.
2. At least I’m not as bad as people who don’t know but have worked on the movie for years.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Agency Culture, Attitude & Aptitude, Authenticity, China, Chinese Culture, Creative Development, Creativity, Culture, Effectiveness, Film, Nike, Sport, Wieden+Kennedy
So the posts this week have been quite emotional.
Well, they have for me …
And – if you watched the hostage negotiation film in yesterday’s post – probably for you too.
And given I’ll be writing an emotional post on Friday – in preparation for what would have been my wonderful Dad’s 85th birthday on Sunday – I thought I’d take a bit of a lighter approach to today, because frankly, I’ve cried enough for this week.
This post is about case study films.
Specifically case study films by agencies for award submissions.
To be fair, there are some that are truly great. Mainly the ones that actually have the work to back it up rather than those that crank up the cliches and superlatives because they haven’t.
Even though I’ve made more films than Spielberg, this is one of my faves … even though it blows my mind it’s 11 years old now.
But even that … even with all it’s success is no match for what I’m about to show you.
A film that trumps 95% of all Cannes/WARC/Effies case study films.
Not just because it is clear, entertaining and informative.
But because it demonstrates more human insight than all those others put together.
Enjoy.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, America, Attitude & Aptitude, Communication Strategy, Confidence, Craft, Creativity, Culture, Emotion, Empathy, Film
First of all, as today is 11.11, I want to acknowledge all the people who paid the ultimate sacrifice to ensure the world had peace.
Given the state of where we’re all at, there is the potential it was all in vain, so I hope sanity prevails and tyrants are dealt with.
OK, now I’ve done the mature bit, I want to talk about Bob Hoskins.
No … not because I have more than a passing resemblance to him … but because I read something recently that reinforced why I liked him so much.
For those who don’t know who he is, he’s the now deceased British actor famous for his roles in movies such as, The Long Good Friday, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, TwentyFourSeven [by my mate Midlands mate, Shane Meadows] and errrrrm, the iconic tragedy that was Super Mario Bros … the first ever movie based on a video game and notorious for how terrible the filming was, let alone the final product.
[More on that last one in a minute]
However where my appreciation of Bob started was not in a movie but in an interview.
He was on a chat show and they asked him …
“How hard is it to film back to back movies?”
He could have gone on a rant about the demands it takes out on him.
Not seeing his family.
Not being home.
The physical and mental exhaustion.
But he didn’t, he said this:
“I’ll tell you what’s hard. Nurses jobs are hard. Single parents lives are hard. Working in a factory is hard. I’m well looked after and well paid for pretending to be someone else on a screen, My life isn’t hard compared to those people. They’re the one’s who deserve the adulation, not me”.
And he meant every word, because not only was Hoskins notoriously self aware, he also found the Hollywood machine very uncomfortable. He loved acting but he hated the fawning.
Nothing sums this up more than his involvement with the movie Super Mario Bros.
The full disaster of the filming can be read here or here … but this quote by Hoskins probably sums it up best:
“The worst thing I ever did? Super Mario Bros. It was a fucking nightmare. The whole experience was a nightmare. It had a husband-and-wife team directing, whose arrogance had been mistaken for talent. After so many weeks, their own agent told them to get off the set! Fucking nightmare. Fucking idiots.”
However after the movie he said something that not only summed up his love of his children and his chosen career, but captured why the advertising industry – for all its faults – can still hold magic.
Sure, not what it once was.
Sure, with it having huge implications on its future.
But something that I can’t imagine many other industries having.
And while we strive to be taken seriously as a discipline in the world of commerce, it might be with worth us remembering its the ridiculousness that made/makes us special. For the work it lets us create. For the influence on culture we can shape. For the way we can make brands something people want to know more about rather than just ignore.
It may be stupid.
It may not always make sense.
But at our best, it’s the ridiculous ways we see and operate in the world that can help business achieve – and mean more – than they ever imagined.
It’s time we remembered that.
It’s time companies remembered that.
Because when you see the vast majority of work put out at enormous expense – researched to within an inch of its life and judged by ‘gurus’ who generally have never actually created anything in their life [other than their own sense of self-importance] and have a limited view of what creativity is and can do, you can’t help but wonder if it is there to push us away rather than pull us in.
Have a great weekend.
Make it a ridiculous one.
Be more like Bob. Hoskins, not Campbell.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Attitude & Aptitude, Communication Strategy, Creativity, Culture, Cunning, Film
I bloody love this idea.
If they ever get round to reissuing the movie, I really hope they do it.
Hell, I’d even happily pay to help justify the joke. But I’m strange like that.
That said, I’m surprised Hollywood hadn’t thought of doing this before.
Let’s be honest, their current business plan appears to be ‘remake once popular movies [and some, not so popular] rather than investing in new ideas’. So reissuing the brilliant Groundhog Day but calling it a sequel, sounds like their Holy Grail.
Either way, it would be a brilliant example of how to use a brand idea … because for all the claims out there from agencies and brands about creating ‘big, sustainable, long-term brand platforms, we don’t see that nearly as much as we could. Or should.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Comment, Creative Development, Creativity, Culture, Film, Fulfillment, Guns
I love Nicholas Cage.
Yes, I know he’s become a caricature of himself.
Yes, I know he’s not made a good movie in an age.
But my god – whether the movie is good or bad – you remember him.
One of my favourite movies with him in it is one of my favourite movies.
Lord of War.
It is arguably the last great movie he made.
It’s the story of a global arms dealer – Yuri Orlov – however the reality is the lead character, played by Cage, is an amalgamation of a number of real life ‘Lords of War’ with many of the scenes in the movie being based on true stories.
In fact, the way they made the movie – specifically the tank scene – is worthy of its own film.
But that’s not what this post is really about.
It’s about the opening scene to the movie … one of the best opening scenes ever made.
People talk about the opening credits of Seven … or Limitless … but while they set the mood, they don’t tell a story … and this does it brilliantly. The story that set ups the story you’re going to watch.
I can’t remember how they previewed the movie, but I hope they just ran this because it is better than any trailer they could ever have come up with. Mainly because it doesn’t attempt to tell the whole story, it tells just enough to make you want to find out more.
As a trailer should, but generally never.
OK, it’s not totally perfect.
The CGI is not as good – or as impactful – as it would be if they made it today … however the idea of showing the life of a bullet is a masterclass in storytelling.
And film making.
And creating anticipation.
And proof that occasionally, Nicolas Cage, makes the best decisions of anyone.