Break the Rules

When I produced The Runaways, an improvised comedy troupe, they used to follow certain improv rules in their rehearsals, which helped them to structure their off-the-cuff comedy. One rule was called ‘yes, and’ – meaning ‘receive someone else’s suggestion and build on it’. Another rule was called ‘don’t drop the baby’, meaning ‘don’t derail the scene that everyone has carefully built just because you think you have a better idea’. These rules encouraged the team to bounce off each other and build a funny scene within a short space of time.

But every now and then, they would build a scene where it was actually funnier to break the rules. They could only do this because they had already built up such a good discipline by following the rules and they were so familiar with each other that they could break those rules and still bounce off each other. Breaking the rules, at this point, was not a failure, but an innovation.

The same applies to filmmaking. There are three basic rules, a formula, if you like:

1. Build your message (or story)
2. Identify your target audience
3. Develop the most effective way to convey that story to that target audience

If you consider all these factors, and apply creativity to the third, then you’ll have won at filmmaking. Completed it mate.

That’s what I thought until I saw this film.

It breaks all the rules of corporate filmmaking. There is no carefully worded script written by an executive committee reviewed by a legal expert and coordinated with the company’s strategy. There’s no clear target audience either – perhaps it might resonate particularly powerfully with young people, but the message is conveyed universally. The beauty and effectiveness of this film is entirely tied to the third rule only: let the creative speak for itself.

It’s extremely rare for this much trust to be placed in pure creativity, but I think this film proves that when that happens, it yields the best results.

Here’s to breaking the rules.