I was thinking of Frank Capra over the holidays, because of “It’s a Wonderful Life.” I remembered a remark of his related to movie making, and how often I’ve quoted it to advertising and promotion clients – usually when someone tells me how many times the product name needs to be mentioned in a radio script, or what should be stated first, near the top, because that’s where the important stuff goes.
There are a lot of rules in some book somewhere that in 25 years no one has been able to produce for me. (I have my own rulebooks but that’s a post for another day.).
I have developed dozens of media brands over the years and never has one presentation resembled another. When I write for broadcast, I try to imagine the listeners and viewers doing something else that is incredibly absorbing, so that I am forced into choices that grab them away from it. Never are my choices the same.
Communication occurs or it doesn’t. That’s it. How you communicate, inspire, and persuade is where the artistry and the fun come in. I pulled Capra’s autobiography off the shelf and discovered I’ve been misquoting him all these years. In my consulting work, I had reduced his message to “There’s only one rule. Don’t be boring.” Here is what he actually said: “There are no rules in filmmaking, only sins. And the cardinal sin is dullness.” Pretty good stuff.
What communication rules do you live by?
