The media industry is all about knowing the rules, but, it’s very important to understand that you can and should, break those rules. I’m not talking video levels or transmissions standards, I’m talking creative principals of animation, editing, layout, design and all the other things that are similar.

MTV is the perfect example of this. Before the networks launch, jump cuts in editing were frowned upon and look at as unprofessional. Today, they’re a common occurrence in promotion, commercials, an even films. They’re common place now because the pioneers at MTV took a risk and broke the rules of the day.

For a little while now there has been a trend to dial back the slickness of spots and give them a “home-brew” feel, thanks in part to the proliferation of YouTube and other user created video sites. However, this is a practice that would have been laughed at only a few years ago in the late nineties.

So, I say, don’t be afraid to break the rules if the chance arises. Sometimes it won’t turn out well or be received by the public as intended, but, you tried. Eventually it will pay off.

Breaking the rules doesn’t have to mean, breaking the rules for an entire spot it could just mean for a certain element in a spot. Let’s say, an animation path where the curves are all out of whack creating a disconcerting feel, that will work for some concepts and help sell certain programs much better. Although, it’s against the norm of having the animation ease-in and eas-out in the way it “should.”

My concept of breaking the rules also transcends making something “ugly” or “wrong” when you break the rules, it could also be using technologies in ways they aren’t even intended for. Full length animated films may have never came about if it wasn’t for Walt Disney breaking the rules of his day.

So, where can we brake the rules? What technologies are ripe to be exploited to help us get our message out? I ask myself these questions many times when I’m presented with  new technologies, concepts, or just trying to cut through the clutter of today’s sponsored  surroundings.

*****NOTE: MOST EVERY IMAGE I POST ON THIS SITE IS FROM WORK THAT I’VE DONE. HOWEVER, THIS LOGO IS NOT SOMETHING I WORKED ON. I’M JUST USING IT TO ILLUSTRATE THE EXAMPLE IN THE POST.*****