Workshop Wednesday - Your Indelible Stamp

From Crimson Peak (October 2015)

Pardon me while I fangirl for a moment -

About a year ago, word started going around on geek internet circles that Guillermo del Toro was beginning work on a new horror film that was a Gothic hearkening back to old fashioned ghost stories. Awesome. I was on board immediately; him directing a Gothic period horror film? Sign me up. And then they announced the cast; and then the behind the scenes photos started making the rounds on the web. Suffice to say I've been waiting a year for a glimpse of the movie, and the trailer came out this week.

I am so excited.

Crimson Peak doesn't hit theaters until this October, but the trailer makes one thing abundantly clear: this is a del Toro film, no doubt about it. The blend of rich dark and vivid color, the opulence, that slight fantasy bend to everything that makes it seem not quite of our world. That bit of steampunk; and  - the fingers that curl over her shoulder at the end. Oh my God.

I don't know anything about the movie, but all I really need to know is who's starring in it, and who's directing it. I love del Toro's movies because they're his movies, and not someone's facsimile of trend. He puts his own indelible stamp on all his films; he puts into them a creative energy that is all his own, and the style is something that stands out.

All creatives strive for this, don't we? Filmmakers, artists, actors, musicians, writers...we want to leave our indelible stamps on our passion projects. We want to tap into those deep recesses of our creative souls and produce art that is ours and ours alone. We don't want to do what everyone else is doing, just because it's the "it" thing to do.

Staying on trend will get you the quick attention. It will guarantee you a certain audience. But that stamp...that's what keeps viewers like me waiting over a year for one trailer. The stamp is lasting, it's yours, and it can't be duplicated. When it comes to creating, don't ask yourself, How can I be popular? Instead ask, What is weirdly special about what I can create? And the right audience, they'll find you. Maybe not right away, but they will come, and they'll understand what you're doing, and that's a glorious thing.