When I was nine my father surprised me with quite a gift when he returned from a business trip: the Raiders of the Lost Ark The Illustrated Screenplay that was chocked full of storyboards, and at it’s heart a story that redefined the Hollywood hero. I was enamored with the visual effects planning I discovered near the back of the book. There were the blueprints revealing how the masters at ILM would create the most spectacular movie ending filled with “lightning, fire, the power of God or something,” warned Indy to the government stooges.
I cherish this fascinating book to this day. I even have two copies; one for the collector in me, and the other the original that my father gave me as a kid. Spielberg’s description of the spontaneity of generating ideas goes to show us that they can come rushing in at any moment, even in the middle of the night. I can totally relate. I’ve created some of my best work, as a child and also professionally, between the hours of 11 p.m. ‘til dawn the next day.
The forward, written by Steven Spielberg, struck me like the bolt of lightning it described in such visceral detail of the incarnation of the creative process:
“An electrical impulse seizes the brain and snaps the eyes wide open in the dark. The adrenaline reaches the heart and no matter what time it is, the hand is wildly groping for something to write with. On the open flap of a book of matches, a shredded paper napkin, the cover of TV Guide, or on the palm of the hand, an idea is born. An unsuspecting world goes about its business…then, a year, three years, five years later the palm print is on everybody’s lips in a dozen languages, crossing over a score of cultures, religions, and ideologies. The world has a dashing hero, a magical diversion – a new movie.”
– Introduction excerpt from Steven Spielberg, Los Angeles, California, June 1981, from Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Illustrated Screenplay