Saltburn: An Anti-Lesson in Originality
Still image from Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn
Emerald Fennell’s latest film Saltburn is highly polarizing. That’s certainly a quality of good art. Good art is provocative and strikes a nerve. In that regard, Saltburn is good art.
But it’s not actually good art.
There are many reasons for this, like goofy plotting, cardboard characters, and its overall trashy psychological thriller quality.
But this is the biggest reason: Saltburn lacks originality.
Saltburn feels too familiar because it’s overflowing with recognizable references to popular movies and social media fodder.
The biggest similarity is to 1999’s The Talented Mr. Ripley, a well-known, big-budget Hollywood film with an A-list cast.
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Broey Deschanel goes into the issue in-depth in this video essay.
This familiarity increases Saltburn’s popular appeal and helps it go down easy, but it’s a double-edged sword. We also crave originality, things that feel new.
The art that resonates the most deeply with us comes with a strong dose of originality. Originality forges a deeper connection with us and creates work that can endure.
If Saltburn were more original, it could have been good art.
So how do you be more original?
How to Be Original
Your originality lies in how you combine existing influences and add your distinctive perspective.
Here’s the key: be eclectic.
Having diverse and unusual interests will help you discover unusual material to incorporate into your work and develop a unique viewpoint.
How do you be eclectic?
Think of your imagination as having two realms:
1) The Professional or Avocation Realm
2) The Hobby Realm
The professional realm is your primary work – you’re a designer, developer, entrepreneur, filmmaker, et cetera. This is your domain and you’ll need to have plenty of interest here. You can find interesting and unusual sources here, but you can’t follow them too closely without becoming derivative.
The hobby realm is where you get eclectic. Pursue fascinating and weird subjects that have nothing at all to do with your domain. It’s this second realm that will provide you with unique connections and inspiration. Have fun, follow your heart, and wander wherever you desire. This isn’t work, it’s play.
The issue with Saltburn is this: Fennell is a filmmaker and her main source of inspiration is films. And not unusual films, but popular films that we’ve all seen.
Her hobby interest is probably social media, which, again, is stuff most people have already seen.
If Fennell’s hobby interest was, say, the literature of the nineties, that could have resulted in Saltburn feeling more original, and thus more fresh and vital.
See how simple that is? Rather than scrolling social media as a hobby, be a book buff.
There’s a lot more to unpack here. Next week, I’ll share much more about how to be original. And it’s simpler than it seems.
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