PB2 POST ONE

 “I always find that if two (or more) of us throw ideas backwards and forwards I get to more interesting and original places than I could have ever have gotten to on my own” (Cleese, John 1991 A lecture on creativity)

Several weeks ago in class, Brydan, Matthew and I set off to complete our task; to create a story using between five and nine still frames. At first, we all had our own ideas. Being avid creative students, our initial plans for the task were a bit….ambitious. Whilst I had my heart set on a dramatic thriller, my group mates (thankfully) were there to ground me and instead we worked towards a more achievable goal. If there is one thing I have learned as a media student it is that having people to ground you when collaborating is NOT a bad thing. When you are in a group full of people like myself who like to think large in everything we do, the result of the collaboration often ends up being…well….a mess. Brydan, Matthew and I used a Parks and Recreation episode to remind us of what happens when people work together but don’t actually collaborate.

Without dismissing anyone’s ideas, we simply came up with a new one that involved input from each of us, and the result gelled together a lot better than it would have had we gone in our own separate directions. In the end, we used the one thing we all had in common; an appreciation for comedy. Our discussion of the Parks and Recreation episode (in which a committee must design a mural for a competition and ends up creating a “camel”, referring to the saying “The camel was actually a horse designed by a committee”) reminded us that no, we didn’t want to create a camel, but that we also just wanted to have fun while making our photo story. I think what meant most in the end was that even though it was a simple task with no grading or assessment involved (much like the character of Leslie Knope in Parks and Recreation), we were all enthusiastic about it. I can’t count the times I have tried to make a short film with a group and when even one member is indifferent about it, it brings down the morale of the whole team and the product is not as good as it could have been. When I work alone, I often forget to be passionate about what I am doing; I have very high expectations of myself and aim purely for the best mark possible. Having Brydan and Matthew work with me was great because I was able to have fun with my friends and produce something made out of enthusiasm rather than drive. In regards to Cleese’s musings, I could not agree more. Our resulting photo story was (I think) clever and funny, and a result of our three different personalities working together to bring a little bit of ourselves into one successful story. With Brydan’s physical comedy, Matthew’s photographic skills and my love of a good skit, we created the ambiguously titled “Don’t call me late for dinner”. And it was a blast!

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