DR. MICHAEL GERHARZ
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Posts in Tag: Werner Herzog

I want it done this way

I’m not interested in how things are usually done. I want it done this way.

– Werner Herzog

It’s a favorite complaint in many companies. Doing something a certain way just because we’ve always done it that way, is a bad reason for doing that thing.

But, so is doing it differently just because it’s different from how we have always done it.

First of all, there might very well be a reason for why we’re doing it like that. So, when you demand a different way, are you sure that you see the full picture?

More importantly, when Werner Herzog said that he wanted it done this way, he knew exactly *what* he wanted. And what he wanted to get out of doing it this particular way. He had a very clear vision of the result and the will to make it happen.

Can you answer these questions confidently and concisely?

What would you do instead?

Werner Herzog on bad films:

The bad films have taught me most about filmmaking. Seek out the negative definition. Sit in front of a film and ask yourself, “Given the chance, is this how I would do it?” It’s a never-ending educational experience, a way of discovering in which direction you need to take your own work and ideas.

“Given the chance, is this how I would do it?”

It’s easy to complain about the things we dislike. It’s much better to take them as an opportunity to learn.

Why do I find this piece so boring? Why doesn’t the website resonate? Why is that diagram so confusing?

But more importantly, given the chance, what would I do instead?

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