Although originality is very highly valued, people typically find it easier and thus more attractive, to simply copy what others are doing. The easiest thing in the world to sell people is what they already know and like, right up until the moment they grow tired of it. Convincing them to buy into something they have no idea they need or want, let alone like, or the answer to a problem they haven’t considered, let alone confronted, is the work of visionaries, missionaries and martyrs. The completely new concept, perspective, way of doing things — they’re absolutely vital to advance mankind, commerce and art. But most, looking at things the way they are, will simply ask, Why?
The quote ‘Good artists copy, great artists steal’ is attributed to Pablo Picasso. There isn’t evidence that Picasso said those words, other than Steve Jobs saying Picasso said those words. Anyways, many view Picasso as a champion of originality, right? He helped create the first collage. He was one of the leaders of the Cubist movement. He invented constructed sculpture. But the truth? He snatched success formulas from other painters.
For instance: He used a scene from Las Meninas – a 17th century painting by Diego Velázquez, and he created 44 new paintings based on that scene. He copied the central figure: five-year old Margaret Theresa – the favorite daughter of King Philip IV. He imitated the arrangement: the maids of honor, the dwarfs, and the reflection of the king and queen are all snatched from Velázquez’ painting. He even re-painted the large dog.
Picasso didn’t plagiarize, because he didn’t outright copy. He added his personal touch and his own style to create new paintings – his interpretations of the same scene. What matters is how much of your own talent you can bring to improve on the original. Picasso had talent, yes a talent for copying, but also a talent for copying in a way that brought new insights into what he did.
With ‘Tomorrowland’ about to be release on DVD, director Brad Bird, has been making the rounds in the press…talking about the risk of original ideas and the loss of original franchises. I thought that ‘Tomorrowland’ was one of the most unique theatrical releases of the year. It had a message on the mindset of doom and gloom in the future, which seems to be a common trend nowadays. I also thought that the movie was a good interpretation of the importance of the actual place, in that it’s not ‘Tomorrowland’ that’s special, but the idea behind it. To always aim for a better tomorrow. It was a fun movie. It reminds me of the time when we had great original ideas like ‘Roger Rabbit’ or ‘Back to the Future’ and we could be surprised by Hollywood.
Bird was also quoted, “I don’t think the live-action brands really have the same [quality] assurance attached to them.” – No kidding. There’s a “whatevs, we already got your money”- attitude towards a lot of what gets made today. The built-in audience gives them what they want automatically. I admire Disney investing in ‘Tomorrowland’ with it being more original than recent releases. However, the film was hurt by a muted marketing campaign that promised glorious revelations and towering spectacle just behind the curtain, as well as kid-friendly thrills that would remind audiences of the all-ages fantasy adventures that were once a thing in a pre PG-13 tent pole era. Next time, Bird should just re-paint the large robot. ‘Tomorrowland’ ends up as a high profile, big scale miss of 2015 and that is a shame.
-Dagobot
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