Comments on: Dr. Spielberg or: How I Learned to Stop Snarking and Love Collaboration http://jameystegmaier.com/2012/10/dr-spielberg-or-how-i-learned-to-stop-snarking-and-love-collaboration/ Wed, 19 Jun 2013 06:00:55 +0000 hourly 1 By: Christine http://jameystegmaier.com/2012/10/dr-spielberg-or-how-i-learned-to-stop-snarking-and-love-collaboration/#comment-50168 Christine Tue, 02 Oct 2012 16:25:51 +0000 http://jameystegmaier.com/?p=6707#comment-50168 It goes both ways. As a designer, I’ve seen great projects die a slow death via decision by committee and trying to make everyone happy. It does work better if everyone has a similar vision and expertise in a subject. For example, decision by committee on a design project by a group of designers tends to work really well. Decision by committee with people from all different disciplines on something like a design project often does not end so well—I think primarily because the vision of what is most important and what is secondary differ more. In those cases, you need to have someone who is able to make that executive decision of what input to listen and what input to ignore. I think Jamey is doing that. He’s listening to customers, but not trying to please every backer with a comment. His polls are about very specific things that I presume he’d be fine with either way.

On the flip side, he’s also making a product. A product that he wants to sell to a specific audience. One of the biggest things you hear from entrepreneurs and starts ups is about how much you need to get out and interact with your customers. Find out what they really want. Vet your idea with them and change it as necessary to fit your audience. Chances are your first ideas are not perfect and don’t resonate with the audience the way you thought they would. I think Jamey was probably surprised when his poll went for smaller cards rather than an upgrade to bigger cards.

Movies do this too—I was just reading an interview with Andrew McCarthy about the last scene in Pretty in Pink. The test audiences hated the ending so much that they completely re-shot it. I doubt the film would have been the romantic comedy success that it was had they kept the original ending. That’s not always something you want to do, but in the end, you are selling a product.

]]> By: Orianna http://jameystegmaier.com/2012/10/dr-spielberg-or-how-i-learned-to-stop-snarking-and-love-collaboration/#comment-50167 Orianna Tue, 02 Oct 2012 15:32:30 +0000 http://jameystegmaier.com/?p=6707#comment-50167 Being that my script consulting relies on a type of collaborative effort, not only do I believe it is effective but crucial. As you stated Bryce, you have to allow for feedback. If that is still the only step one takes that still means you at least listened. Interesting that your Eureka moment came from Spielberg. I would have chosen Soderberg myself but hey, a Eureka moment is a Eureka moment.

You should also put in a word for Phillip Dick, the genius behind Minority Report, a part of Total Recall. In his psychodelic way, Phillip somehow has always known that cooperation and collaboration are key maxims to society.

Cheers!

PD– I am a few thousand miles away as I write this so, kudoes.

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