Ted Talk #2 (J.J Abrams)

J.J Abrams tells about how he found his love of mystery. He goes back to his childhood when his grandfather would show him the interworking of machines. Taking apart machines was one of my personal favorite childhood activities. Even now I buy broken machines and let the kids I babysit experience the wonderful pass time of “fixing” the broken parts. It is a great way for them to find out about how stuff works and also lets their creativity flow by constructing a different machine from the old one. Last time, a kid and I took an old VCR apart and we found the motor. Then, using a battery, a switch we also found in the machine, and electrical tape, we made the motor run. Not only that, but we used the switch so the motor can be turned on at the press of a button. I can see how activities like these fueled Abrams love of mystery because the endless possibilities in life that always keep you guessing. Understanding how things work can sometimes solve those mysteries, but other times it may just lead to more mysteries. When someone understands the endless possibilities the world has to offer, mysteries become compelling to try to solve. The answer is out there and you can find it, and who knows, it might just lead to another mystery.

Abrams then goes on to say how life is a “mystery box”.  He informs the audience that first acts in a show are called a teaser. It needs to draw people in and what better way to kill the cat than with curiosity. People are naturally interested in knowing the answer to a mystery, and shows with a good mystery can draw people in who would otherwise hate the show. He also gives examples of how mysteries appear over and over again in movies. Think of any movie you have ever watched, the opening scene is never completely understandable; there is always a mystery in it. How the character got there, what they mean when they say those lines, and most importantly what’s going to happen next. If a movie opened up with, “in this movie Barbra will find the love of her life, not know he is the one, let him go only to want him back again. They then will get married, have beautiful children and live happily ever after.”  Everyone would get up, turn the TV off and go find a movie with a mystery to watch.

Abrams then goes on to tell that sometimes the purposely withheld information is the most interesting. Not knowing exactly what happened and knowing that someone else does is so intriguing to the human mind.

The last part of the speech tells us that anyone anywhere can do anything that they strive to do. You don’t have to have the best equipment or superior schooling, you just have to be creative and use your skills