Creation Requires Influence: Understanding Remix Power in Star Wars

Creativity doesn’t follow a formula, but it often exhibits patterns. Creative people frequently build on the ideas and work of others. This is true in the genre of film as well as other contexts. Kirby Ferguson powerfully explains how “creation requires influence” in his ten minute video, “Everything is a Remix Part 2.” In the middle of this video, Kirby explains many of the influences and models George Lucas used in the original Star Wars movie (Episode 4: A New Hope.) This section starts at the 2:54 mark of Kirby’s video. (3:14 for Star Wars specifically)

Everything is a Remix Part 2 from Kirby Ferguson on Vimeo.

I knew about some of these influences from watching videos about “the making of Star Wars” in the past, but the references to Joseph Campell’s book, “The Hero with a Thousand Faces” or the “The Hero’s Journey” referred to as a “monomyth” were new to me.

The idea of creativity as “standing on the shoulders of giants” as well as your peers is also clearly communicated in the 2007 Creative Commons video, “Get Creative.”