Creativity, what exactly is it?  With Some people it often times seems to ooze from their very pores, I’m so jealous.  I’ve been told that Creativity is a trait that one cannot learn, either you have it or you don’t. Is that true, are we hopefuls just out if we skipped the line when creative genius was being handed out?
Creativeness is often more associated with the substance of a thing and not the format but even that shows an amount of creativeness  none the less. I was walking in Best Buy the other day and was surprised and reminded of a short lived internet phenomenon, video shot in 9×16 format. Philip Bloom and Jem Schofield held a 9×16 contest last year in May, after that I’ve not heard much about it but creativity isn’t about longevity, it’s about creating something new and different and unique. Take a look at this video and see what I am talking about.
So, was that creative, I think so,  the format definitely added to this particular story by allowing us to see the color palette and canvas in a new and unique way.  I have to ask again, can creativity be learned? I mean if I really didn’t have to create or invent anything, could I have been “Creative Enough” to just turn the camera on its side?
I looks like I’m leaving you with more questions than answers but when it comes down to it, will my work be known for its technical abilities or for having created something new and exciting… something lasting? Or are your aspirations more modest, do you merely want to create something beautifully shot or perhaps technically perfect?
So, where do we go to get more creative than we are already?
I’m not exactly sure I would have used this video as an example for the pinnacle of creativity. The only thing that the video had going for it was the 9:16 aspect ratio which is done by many special visual effect artists to get maximum resolution for compositing. The camera work was rather annoying and since my wife is a painter I’ve seen that it takes a lot more that smudging colours all over the place to paint something. I believe creativity is something that can be learned and improved upon over time, some people are naturally more creative than others but this isn’t a disability it only means that you have to work harder at it. For me creativity is a combination of inspiration, preparation & self expression.
“Beyond the Still” by Canon / Vincent Laforet / Vimeo was a truly ambitious creative project.
Great point, Nicholas.
I think Jeff’s point with this article was simply to say, don’t let your creativity be bound by the “standards” of traditional filmmaking. As they say, “Think outside the box” ….even if that’s a letterbox.