There’s a post which does the rounds on social media every so often.
Even though it’s been on the go for a few years, even though I’ve seen it paraphrased a hundred million times, and even though plenty of people nick it from plenty of other people, every time I see it, I still can’t stop myself from reading and watching it in full… just one more time.
It goes something like this (and I’m obviously paraphrasing, of course, for the hundred millionth and first time)…
STEVEN SPIELBERG: John, I need some music for my big scary dinosaur movie please.
JOHN WILLIAMS: OK, I got you covered.
And John Williams gave him this:
Like, WTF.
Personally, I can’t get enough of it, and I don’t know if I’m biased just because I first heard that iconic theme as a geeky nine year-old on a seminal, mind-blowing trip to the old Strand Cinema in Derry.
But what I definitely do know though, is that the resulting piece of creative, collaborative art between those two individuals was – and still is – one of THE most gorgeous and goosebump-inducing cinematic soundtracks and experiences of all time.
Whether it’s solo musicians coming together to perform as one single orchestral ensemble, or whether it’s the FIFTY YEAR relationship between two best friends who know exactly how to perfectly complement each other’s unique abilities, for me, the most exciting, enjoyable and satisfying thing about any piece of creative work is always the collaboration.
I’m not saying you need to start preparing your Oscar acceptance speech right away*, but if you’re ever fortunate enough to find that person or those people for you, seize the opportunity to take your separate ideas and talent and at least try to create and shape them into something powerful and unforgettable together.
And no matter what, always remember, when it comes to collaboration… There’s no ‘I’ in ‘IDEA’.
Well, there definitely is, but you know what I mean.
Right, I really need to go and hide in the kitchen cupboard because there’s f*ckin’ velociraptors on the loose and I can’t stop singing that goddamn tune out loud. They’re definitely gonna find me.
*Just to note, Spielberg and Williams didn’t even get nominated for Jurassic Park at the Oscars that year, so they’re not that class, y’know?
Actually, no, wait… it looks like they ended up winning everything with their other collaborative work that year – Schindler’s List – so forget it, they’re goddamn geniuses.
