J.J. Abrams, you’re my hero
Saturday, October 10th, 2009
Image: Wired magazine
This week I was lucky enough to attend a Q&A with J.J. Abrams. J.J. Abrams! Geek royalty! He’s had a hand in some of my favourite TV shows and movies! (He also co-produced What About Brian, but let’s pretend it never existed.) The man is an A-grade genius.
During the Q&A J.J. touched on a storytelling concept near and dear to his heart, the idea of “the Mystery Box”. The Mystery Box is an actual box J.J. was given as a kid, which has some sort of cheapo magic trick inside. He doesn’t know what sort of magic trick, since he’s never opened the box – because the idea of what’s inside is much more compelling to him than whatever is actually in there.
(The Box itself made the cover of the issue of Wired that J.J. guest-edited in May ’09. It’s possibly the world’s most famous box.)
This concept is fascinating: at its most primal level it speaks, I think, to the possibilities of possibility. And imagination. And creativity. And all that cool stuff that writers should keep in mind when they’re trying to concoct ways to hook readers on their stories.
J.J elaborated on the Mystery Box at a TED lecture in 2007 (video embedded after the jump). He is sooooo cool, you guys. (more…)
