The Power of Direction in Movie, Software and Product Creation.
How a creative director can make or break a project, let's take a deep dive into why the direction is probably the most important piece of puzzle we often miss.
I recently watched a video by The Critical Drinker about how DC failed to create the cinematic universe (DCEU) or replicate the success of Marvel cinematic universe. And it put me into thinking about the role of a grand vision and a capable person leading that vision in softwares, brands or any product in general.
I believe that the person who makes something has a big impact on how it will turn out. I think that when a product has a special feel to it and has its own personality, it's better. This makes it feel more human. This personality comes from the person in charge and their ideas.
The Creators
When you let the corporate build something just for the sake of profits, the result is often a failure. You cannot beat someone who loves to do something and then tasked to head the team for it. Take Kevin Feige for example—
Feige is the president of Marvel Studios who played a key role in the development of MCU. Feige started his career at Marvel as an intern in the 1990 and quickly rose through the ranks because of his impressive understanding of Marvel Universe. In 2007, Feige was named the head of Marvel Studios. He was tasked with overseeing the development and production of all Marvel films, and was given a great deal of creative control and autonomy in this role and we all know what happened after that. The epic MCU saga that ended with Avengers: End Game, resulting in $26.6B in total revenue from MCU, which is the highest grossing movie franchise on the planet.
There are countless examples in cinema where a person led the team with conviction and delivered a quality product—
Denis Villeneuve for Dune, Blade Runner 2049 and Arrival
James Cameron for Avatar and Titanic
Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar and Batman Trilogy
Jon Favreau for the Iron Man and The Mandalorian
Vince Gilligan for The Breaking Bad
Matt Reeves for The Batman
Naren Shankar for The Expanse
This is true for tech products as well, we’ve seen the examples of Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Jony Ive, Evan Spiegel, Jack Dorsey, Sam Altman and many others who led the team with conviction and built great products.
People don't talk about this much in technology, but I think it's important. Sometimes, many people are responsible for making a product. This can be good, but there needs to be one person who is in charge and knows how everything should come together to make the final product look and work the way it should.
Don’t get me wrong, the small pieces that make the full picture are equally important, without the direction and vision they might be great individually but not when clubbed together. Individuals can focus on their craft to polish the piece they’ve been tasked to produce and not worry about how it’ll fit together with other pieces.
There is an insightful interview where Denis Villeneuve (Dune) is talking with James Cameron (Avatar) and says how it is so hard to do what James Cameron does. Imagine working on a totally virtual environment like Avatar and direct the actors to interact with the world which is all virtual.
The whole crew relies heavily on the vision of Cameron and do their part. James Cameron also praises the epic scale and grandeur Villeneuve was able to create in Dune and how it is just unique to his style, whether it’s the use of practical effects, shooting at outdoor locations for the most part or innovating special camera techniques to achieve the distinct visual aesthetics.
The essence is that both directors excel in their art, yet possess distinct tastes, abilities, and worldviews, resulting in films showcasing a distinct, consistent style reflective of their individuality.
And at the end I want you to take this line from Interstellar with you—
Love is the one thing we're capable of perceiving that transcends dimensions of time and space. Maybe we should trust that, even if we can't understand it.
See you next time, till then let’s keep creating with love ;)