In 1997, Los Angeles advertising agency TBWA\Chiat\Day created a new ad campaign for Apple Computer that revolved around the slogan “Think Different”. The campaign was implemented in print and television spots until 2002. Here is the original ad from 1997, to this day it is the most inspirational sixty seconds I have ever seen on television.

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I’ve always loved watching behind the scenes footage on DVD’s. I love to hear people talking about the craft of filmmaking; be it directing, acting, writing, you name it I love to hear about it. You can really gain a tremendous amount of knowledge and insight by listening to successful filmmakers speak about their work. You can see what worked for them and why, how they got to where they are, and you can directly apply that to your own creative process.

That said, a friend of mine recently clued me in to a website called makingof.com. All this site does is interview actors, directors, writer’s about their creative process, and here’s the best part,… it’s free. So, you don’t have to search through menu’s of your DVD’s or wait for an Inside the Actor’s studio re-run, you can just sit back, hit play, and feel inspired.

I found this interview with Jeff Daniels to be particularly profound.

In my opinion, listening to interviews from professional filmmakers is almost invaluable. It’s equivalent to a magician telling you how he does his tricks. I mean, they’ve spent their lives perfecting their craft, going through failure and struggle, working with all kinds of different people, and they’re telling you what works and what doesn’t, and all you have to do is listen.