The common belief is that lack of structure and randomness enhance creative output, while in reality creativity is enhanced when it is organized, systematic, and based on highly structured processes. This article will use Episode III of the Star Wars trilogy, Revenge of the Sith, to prove that point.
First, some basic concepts.
a) We can measure creativity by looking at the number of ideas produced, their novelty and diversity, and the frequency of production. This allows us to measure which of the two methods listed above produces more output. Using it, we can tell, for example, whether a structured approach with deadlines and incremental goals produces more of a script than a “do your best” approach. Graham Green, the famous English writer, insisted that his success was due to writing, without fail, 500 words a day. Similar examples of incremental goal setting, the experience of people who regularly have to brainstorm ideas (for example, creatives in advertising), and experimentation reveal that incremental timelines help us complete that script much faster.
b) Creative production versus applied creative production. Creative output is enhanced to some extent by unstructured and random thinking. This is the essence of lateral thinking, where ideas are generated i) by generating them, ii) without direction, iii) without evaluation, iv) using random stimuli to open paths, etc. However, applied creativity results from i) the use of frameworks that relate to the problem and ii) critical thinking, reducing the pool of ideas to feasible ideas. In effect, there are three stages, the first, creative thinking, which is a combination of lateral and logical brainstorming, and the second, critical thinking.
c) Formal structures and processes trigger a problem-seeking and problem-solving attitude and induce the goal state. This establishes boundaries, consistency, focuses creative energy, and is an important source of motivation. It is commonly observed that people appear to be creative when they are limited to a certain extent.
d) Prolific production. Structures like incremental goals force production and lead to prolific production, which increases the probability of quality. It can be stated with great certainty that quality is positively correlated with quantity. The best individual creative product appears at that point in the career when the creator is being most prolific.
e) Incubation. Incremental goals can be short term and long term. Short-term goals increase production. Longer-term goals allow problems to incubate at various cognitive levels and lead to richer insights.
So, with the above in mind, how did George Lucas come to write the script for Revenge of the Sith? He didn’t just sit there and wait for the muse to strike. He had a deadline, a budget, and dealers and sellers had expectations. So he used the structure.
As screenwriters know, the modern screenplay has evolved from a three- and four-act structure. Modern dividers are known as plot points 1 and 2 and midpoint, which divide the script into four thirty-page parts. On page 30, George knew that he had to set up the characters and Anakin had to go on a journey, triggered by a series of events. A cataclysmic event had to occur around page 60, triggering the meat of the Trial and significant change, and by page 90, the stage is set for the final confrontation between the Jedi and the Dark Side. In effect, each section boils down to a set of exercises for finding and solving problems.
Going even further, the classic story structure (on which the original Star Wars is based) divides a movie into 19 parts and many of today’s successful movies are framed around it. The parts are: the ordinary world, the call, the rejection, the supernatural help, the first threshold, the belly of the whale, the tests, the encounter with the goddess, the woman as temptress, the atonement, the apotheosis, the blessing , the rejection of the return, the magical flight, the inner rescue. Crossing the Threshold, Return, Master of Two Worlds, Freedom to Live (Campbell, 1968). Therefore, even four acts are too random. Screenwriters need a structure of 19 distinct problem identification and idea generation stages to maximize their creativity in terms of speed and output.
The 19-stage structure above can legitimately be expanded to around 40 stages and there are theories that allow up to 240 micro-stages.
In conclusion, creativity can be measured by the frequency, speed, novelty, diversity, quantity and applicability of production. Significant research and practical experience indicate that organized, systematic, and highly structured processes enhance creativity, so if you want to help George write Star Wars Episode VII, don’t take a random, unstructured approach (commonly known as waiting for the inspiration): use the appropriate structures and move on.
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These and other topics are covered in depth in the MBA dissertation Managing Creativity and Innovation, which can be purchased at http://www.managing-creativity.com
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You are free to reproduce this article as long as the author’s name, web address, and link to the MBA dissertation are preserved.
