JJ Abrams: The Mystery Box

I recently watched this TED talks video by JJ Abrams: TheMystery Box.  Abrams is a well-known producer, writer and director who has worked on many hit movies and television shows.  In this presentation, Abrams inspires his audience to be creative with whatever they have. He talks about his grandfather and how he used to encourage him to try different things. He would help Abrams take things apart and learn how they worked. One of the things that Abrams became intrigued with was boxes. He was interested and still is interested in how they are made and constructed. Abram’s grandfather bought him a Super 8 camera when he was ten years old because he wanted to create films. Abrams was inspired and encouraged to create things and use his imagination from a very young age.

Abrams got a mystery box from a magic store a long time ago. To this day he has never opened it. So why not open it, and use what is inside? To Abrams, the mystery box is like his grandfather, it represents hope, potential and infinite possibilities. It is the mystery and the unknown that makes it so intriguing. We are drawn to a good mystery and this can be used in films and television. Abrams uses mystery in many of his movies and television shows like, Super 8, Cloverfield and Lost. Sometimes not knowing something can be more fun than knowing. An example of this is style of filmmaking is seen in the television show, Lost. We don’t really know what the island is, but that is part of what makes it an exciting and compelling show. Abrams encourages his audience to use their creativity because with the advances in technology, we have the ability to create just about anything that we can imagine. It no longer takes an entire movie studio to make a good film, anyone with a good story and the passion to see it through can do it.