How does creativity happen?

Step 1

We start with copying. Watch Everything is a Remix Part 1 to learn more.

Step 2

We take what we copied and we transform it. We stretch it, squish it, flip it, distort it, recolor it, add effects, or anything else you can imagine.

By the way, this includes making mistakes. You try to do one thing and get something else. Always take a moment to evaluate your mistakes. Mistakes can be free ideas.

Transformation is time-consuming tinkering. We make small revisions again and again and again, and over time, these turn your source material into something unrecognizable. The Daft Punk sequence from Everything is a Remix Part 1 is a fun example.

George Lucas was the first major entertainer to work in a clearly remix-y style. He took bits from other films and transformed them. This style is strongest in the original Star Wars from 1977.

Lucas initially conceived of Star Wars as a version of the Flash Gordon shorts from the 1930s. Overall, Star Wars still bears many similarities, which is why many science fiction fans think Star Wars is not science fiction. Flash Gordon was more of a fantasy. It was castles, princesses, and evil kings, much like Star Wars.

The style and swordplay of the Jedis are drawn from samurai films, like those of Akira Kurosawa.

Some scenes in Star Wars resemble those from famous Westerns, like The Searchers.

The template for the final Death Star mission was a variety of World War II films, like The Dambusters.

All these are just the beginning. Watch this sequence from the original Everything is a Remix series to see more. And for the deepest of deep dives, check out Michael Heilemann’s site, Kitbashed.

But transformation isn’t just about art and entertainment. It applies to innovation and business as well. That’s where we’re headed in our next installment.