Welcome back to Sci-Friday. Regular readers of the blog know how much I love Back to the Future and Robert Zemeckis in general. But there’s something else you’ll learn in this Back to the Future gag reel featuring outtakes from Michael J. Fox, Lea Thompson, and Christopher Lloyd. Watch it and see if you pick up on it, too:
Did you catch it? How much fun they were having? There’s a certain energy to film productions; each set is different. A happy crew makes a better movie, period. From the laughs and reactions you hear off-camera, the cast and crew of Back to the Future were having fun. Actual fun, joy. There’s an important lesson there.
It’s true, making movies is a blend of art and commerce, just like writing books. The connection of art and joy are something psychologists study in detail and you can hear some of those insights in this podcast.
So watch these Back to the Future outtakes and remember this: When you’re making stuff, do it happy. But at the end of the day, it’s supposed to be fun. Be joyful in your work, play loud music, yell at your screen! Do something that makes you happy, even if people think you’re nuts. That joy, that energy? It’s going to make better art. I hope you enjoy this Sci-Friday and dive down the rabbit hole of every other Sci-Friday I’ve published in the past couple years. Have a great weekend!
