Inspiration, according to Kristy Sexton, is an “elusive little imp.” An apt observation, but from my point of view here on Copywriter’s Row, it’s not only elusive, but flighty, shadowy, and haunting—sort of like a water nymph, if you will. It’s something rarely seen but often felt—an ethereal experience that emerges from the periphery, coy and shy—often when you need it most.
Not everyone may believe in water nymphs here at Adcetera, but we all seek the inspiration pool often enough. Sometimes it’s for just a quick dip of the toes, while other times, it’s a full-on-running-start-cowabunga-cannon-ball plunge into the deep end.
One of the ways in which our creative juices get a-flowing is Questions from the Gilded Frame. We have these enormous blackboards around the building that feature thought-provoking, philosophical queries designed to coax the deepest, innermost workings of our psyches out into fluorescent office lighting.
This week’s topic is, “What classic movie would you like to see remade today, and who would star in it?”
Some sample responses:
- The Bandits, with Gerard Butler
- The Birds, with Renee Zellwegger
- A Star is Born
- Star Wars, as directed by James Cameron
- The Highlander, as directed by Peter Jackson
- Gone with the Wind, starring Macauley Culkin
- Home Alone, starring Samuel L. Jackson as Macauley Culkin
- Reservoir Dogs, starring Natalie Portman as Harvey Keitel
- Labyrinth, starring Lady Gaga as David Bowie
- Gremlins, as directed by Tim Burton
- Apocalypse Now Redux Redux, as directed by Nora Ephron
- Any film ruined by Michael Bay
- The Outsiders, starring the Jonas Brothers
- Dances with Wolves, starring blue, computer-generated actors
- The Matrix, starring blue, computer-generated actors
- Titanic, starring blue, computer-generated actors
Ah, irony, ridicule, and blue, computer-generated actors—they are, as we all know, tried-and-true stepping stones to any great idea. So swim on, fellow Adceterans, wherever the current may take you; you never know when you may encounter inspiration, in any of its elusive forms.
