Sunday, February 27, 2011

JJ Abrams

JJ Abrams’ TED speech motivates me to no end. It is very refreshing to see someone as seasoned, as experienced, and as well versed in the comings and goings of the industry still be so very passionate about what he does. You get a real sense of excitement from watching JJ talk, that he’s bound to motivate any person, regardless of what their career is.

JJ Abrams’ speech starts with him explaining an old gift he received, a mystery box. He uses this as the example of which to illustrate his point. His explanation of his obsessions with mystery, with suspense, and ultimately with storytelling, give a sense of the kind of person he was growing up, and how that is how he still is to this very day. JJ Abrams is a highly regarded writer and producer, having created shows like Alias and Lost, that were all met with much zeal and excitement. He started a career as a feature film director in 2006 with Mission Impossible 3. His second feature, a remake of Star Trek, solidified him as a blockbuster film maker, and storyteller. But fans of his earlier work know that his natural talent to telling a compelling story.

In his speech, JJ talks about the unseen mystery, that is featured in a lot of his work. He talks about his many uses of plot devices such as red herrings or Macguffens. But what truly resonates in what he is saying, is his pure raw passion for telling complex mystery filled stories that not only entertainment, but he also aims to challenge the audience. That is the mark of a great storyteller, someone taking advantage of their situation to do good work. He is grateful for his audiences and as a result he likes to give them solid entertainment, his best, and what he feels they deserve, and that is all that any aspiring storyteller can hope to do.

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