ORGANIZE THE NOISE // VOL. 4
QUESTION EVERYTHING
One of the easiest traps for a creative is finding something that works… and then never touching it again.
For a long time my standard interview setup was simple.
Camera.
Subject.
Conversation.
The person being interviewed looks just off camera, toward me.
It feels natural. Human. Conversational.
A lot like these. And honestly… it works. Which is exactly why it’s dangerous.
Once something works, it’s very easy to start phoning it in.
You stop experimenting.
You stop asking why.
You just keep repeating the formula.
But the job of a creative is to QUESTION EVERYTHING.
Recently I started paying attention to the way interviews are shot in a lot of Netflix documentaries. Something felt different.
The subject wasn’t looking off camera.
They were looking directly into the lens.
Which immediately raised questions for me:
How are they doing that?
Why does it feel so engaging?
How do you keep the human connection without making it feel robotic?
Creativity works a lot like the scientific method.
Identify the problem.
Define the variables.
Form a hypothesis.
Then test it.
So this week on a client shoot, I decided to experiment. Instead of the normal setup, I used my teleprompter glass as a reflective surface.
The interview subject could see my face reflected in the glass, but their eyes were still pointed straight into the camera lens.
Which meant they were talking to me…
…but also talking to the audience.
The result was fascinating.
The conversation stayed natural.
But the connection to the viewer got stronger.
That’s the power of questioning the process.
Creativity dies when comfort takes over.
Progress lives in the questions.
So if you’re a creative, a leader, or someone responsible for telling stories…
Don’t protect the process.
QUESTION EVERYTHING.
Because the moment something becomes “the way you always do it”…
…it’s probably the exact moment you should try something new.
