PB4 // Reflection 2

Over the past week, I have begun to research my topic of how constraints the creative process. Luckily I have been able to find many resources both academically and audibly (i.e. examples from interviews with TV writers and showrunners). I do feel like this beginning process has given me much more focus on what I will be discussing in my audio essay and I have been able to make my argument more concise and to the point. I have spent a lot of my time collecting audio to use in my audio essay and have just begun to write a script. Much of the audio I have collected are segments from interviews with showrunners and writers of Broadcast, Cable, and Streaming shows. One example is an interview with Mindy Kaling between her and former The Office co-wrier BJ Novak. In the interview, Mindy speaks about her show The Mindy Project’s move from network television to streaming site HULU and how though the show may be taking advantage of HULU’s freedom e.g. longer episodes the show will not become more risque as she believes romance writing is better when using restraint.  On the opposite side of the coin, I found The Hollywood Reporter’s Showrunner Roundtable videos to be extremely helpful providing writers testimony about the freedom they feel not working in network television anymore. As well as how Network television’s restraints have changed and loosened over time as well in order to compete.   I do feel like I need to expand my examples outside of the television arena or at least, out of only focusing on traditional television mediums v. cable and broadcast to other kinds of constraints put on these creatives. Some of these may be constraints based on copyright law or the cost of producing.  The cost of producing may be more involved in how the creative process for making a film rather than a television series. One example I thought of is Kevin Smith’s Clerks as he made that film at a store he worked at the time. Smith’s creativity was constrained by what he financially knew he could and could not write about.  I do feel I need to find more academic sources in order to structure my argument in the essay better and be able to give some theory as to what constraints do or do not do to the creative brain and/or creative process.

Unfortunately, due to a combination of poor time management skills and procrastination I have a lot to do in a short amount of time – This kind of pressure ( this constraint) is really the one and only thing that fuels my creativity. This is a thought to come back to for my final reflection.