I recently attended a screening of director Werner Herzog’s latest documentary: Cave of Forgotten Dreams. The film, narrated by Herzog himself, invites us on a journey into the depths of France’s famed Chauvet Cave. Over a period of an hour and half, the oldest human-created cave art in known existence – in pristine condition from over 27,000 years ago – is unveiled, interspersed with insights and reactions from various archaeologists and historians.
After the discussion post-screening between Werner and New Yorker journalist Judith Thurman, it struck me: If Herzog weren’t busy being the talented filmmaker he is, he could be invaluable asset at a digital agency.
Here are four takeaways from a night with Werner that are undeniably relevant when it comes to creating digital that works:
1. Study people with extreme viewpoints
In his discussion with Thurman, Herzog explained his disinterest in what he calls “the phonebook of facts.” Anybody can look up a fact. Facts aren’t what make people interesting. It’s their interests, opinions and feelings that do.
Herzog’s personal mission in his career and in life is to uncover “the ecstatic truth.” He speaks of the sort of unifying, underlying truth UX designers and digital strategists seek out on a daily basis, in order to provide people with experiences that are both useful and enjoyable. This type of truth is elusive because people rarely articulate their actual wants and needs when asked flat out. We need to sit back and observe to uncover them- and it’s best to zoom out when choosing whom to watch. Looking beyond the average user of a site or service (at opposite ends of the spectrum) in the research phase will bring us closer to the core truth needed to spark a great idea and truly connect with one another.
Herzog’s path to gaining insights on humanity as a whole has been one spent studying extreme topics and people. If lines can be drawn between an über-careful and responsible archaeologist (Cave of Forgotten Dreams) and a man who spent 13 consecutive summers living alone with wild grizzly bears in Alaska (Grizzly Man), there is a good chance the rest of us share the same basic human want, need or inherent characteristic.
As professionals working in the post-digital age, we should observe and talk to “extreme users” – not just the average Jane or Joe (do they even really exist?) – when creating a product or service for a group of people. This might be the best approach to devising an experience that works for more of us.
2. Make every decision with the design of the overall experience in mind
Cave of Forgotten Dreams was presented entirely in 3D. It would be easy to dismiss this choice as being trendy and gratuitous, but the reality is that many factors were taken into consideration, from the Paleolithic people’s utilization of the cave’s curves in their paintings (The drawings almost appear to be moving as they strategically follow the indents and bulges of the cave’s inner walls), to Herzog’s desire to thread a strong element of mystery throughout the length of the film, representing the 30,000 years of unknowns separating our culture from that of the artists. Also taken into account were scientists’ estimations of how the early humans may have experienced the space.
Werner fully understands the story at hand before he decides how to tell it and we it would behoove us to follow suit in digital. If executional tactics are chosen too soon and without good reason, entire projects end up ringing false. Tactics are what bring ideas to life – not vice versa.
It’s important we focus on story first, so that the world might see more work with honest, organic depth to it.
3. Build on the ideas of others
As the film crew shone their flashlights on the cave art, it became apparent that some drawings had been added onto or covered up by newer versions of rhinoceroses, cave bears, etc, up to 5,000 years later. At this point Herzog’s disembodied voice comments, rather cryptically but poignantly, on what he takes this to mean: “We were locked in history and they were not.”
He may be alluding to being locked in a post-Paleolithic, but now outdated, mindset. At some point, our penchant for adding onto one another’s ideas fell by the wayside in favor of ownership and copyrights. Laws came into existence, asking us to act counter-intuitively when doing creative work.
A September Wall Street Journal article, entitled The Genius of the Tinkerer, provides an in-depth exploration of our history of mass collaboration and what was actually a well-intentioned change in approach. Author Steven Johnson points to the fact that the walls (both literal and legislative) currently separating people and ideas were, ironically, erected “to encourage innovation.” He also states that all ideas, past and present, are “works of bricolage.” The new ones evolve from combining and/or riffing off of the old, and more minds pooling together means a bigger bank of ideas and viewpoints with which to innovate.
In the end when we create interactive work, Herzog’s abstractly articulated observation is actually an astute one worth recalling. It’s always a good idea to ask ourselves: “Are we producing something relevant, that somehow acknowledges and builds off of the path that culture is taking?” A “Yes” to that question will likely lead to other people embracing and adding onto the work.
4. Have a point of view about what you’ve learned
The discussion after the screening would have been far less interesting had Werner, as the inquirer, omitted his own musings from the film.
This is smart behavior when it comes to social media. It’s not enough to have an insight and communicate it to people. If you want to generate passion around what you’re talking about, you need to demonstrate your own passion for the subject in the way you communicate. If your goal is to curate, you can still include your own ruminations as a preface or after-thought to the content you’re curating. If you’ve chosen to share it, you must feel one way or another about it. Take a minute to take a stance, whether it’s in the form of a question you’re mulling over or a more overt comment.
To return to the more intangible truth, never be afraid to bring an insight- or even the breadcrumbs of an insight you’re chasing- to the attention of others in your own way. As people, we like to care, and we’ll care about what you’re saying if it’s clear that you do.
This post was originally published on the Big Spaceship Think blog.
Reposts or mentions:
http://transmediacamp101.com/2010/10/page/6/
http://narrativenow.blogspot.com/2010/10/insightful-post-for-digital-creatives.html
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