Creativity Homework: Week 2

1) Look at this quotation by Herman Melville, do you agree with him or do you think that imitation can still be creative?

I agree with the quote as a whole in that failure is compulsory if we want to make something new that has never been seen or done before. As well as that, i think it is important for us to always have new ideas and to be creative as imitation can only be altered to originality for so long. However, if we alter a previous idea to create a new idea then that it is not 100% original as our inspiration came from someone/something else in the past.  

2) Find an example of a media text that you think imitates another, whilst still being creative.
Overall, many modern films' plots can be seen as copies of traditional narratives and include familiar characters and story lines. The following films are just a few examples of imitations of previous creations:

• Ridley Scott's 1979 film "Alien" has had comparisons to the 1958 film "It! The Terror From Beyond Space" since it was first released with many critics closely comparing their sequences, scenes and finales.
• George Lucas' "Star Wars" is said to have taken ideas of characters, narrative and film sequences from Japanese director Akira Kurosawa's "The Hidden Fortress". Some people even notice a direct nod to the 1958 movie when the Imperial Officer was forced choked before speaking the entire title (38:34).
• Lee Unkrich's 2010 "Toy Story 3" has to give some credit to "The Brave Little Toaster" which stars household appliances cased aside by their collage-aged owner, Rob, the team decides to find their way to his dorm room, encountering terrifying obstacles along the way. Being thrown in with disassembled or broken gadgets, and even winding up in a junkyard headed for disposal were all re-imagines for the "Toy Story" series, particularly the second sequel.
• More recently, Suzanne Collins' book to film adaptation of "The Hunger Games" (directed by Gary Ross) has been heavily compared to Kinji Fukasaku's "Battle Royale" since it hit the big screen. Both of these films follow the story line of a dystopian society run by an empowering government in which children are forced to fight to the death as a punishment a rebellion.

These are just a few examples of imitations within film however all of the modern recreations are still creative and unique due to advances in technology and cinematography as a whole. New advances in camera, lighting and special effects allow audiences to experience familiar story lines through a whole new perspective.