Here's my thing. Hold on. There I go. Hey. I want to start today --
talk about the structure of a polypeptide. (Laughter) I get a lot of people asking me,
in terms of "Lost," you know, "What the hell's that island?" You know, it's usually followed by, "No, seriously,
what the hell is that island?" Why so many mysteries? What is it about mystery
that I seem to be drawn to? And I was thinking about this,
what to talk about at TED. When I talked to the kind rep from TED, and I said, "Listen, you know,
what should I talk about?" He said, "Don't worry about it.
Just be profound." (Laughter) And I took enormous comfort in that. So thank you, if you're here. I was trying to think,
what do I talk about? Good question. Why do I do so much
stuff that involves mystery? And I started trying to figure it out. And I started thinking
about why do I do any of what I do, and I started thinking
about my grandfather. I loved my grandfather. Harry Kelvin was his name,
my mother's father. He died in 1986. He was an amazing guy. And one of the reasons he was amazing: After World War II,
he began an electronics company. He started selling surplus parts,
kits, to schools and stuff. So he had this incredible curiosity. As a kid, I saw him come over to me with radios and telephones
and all sorts of things. And he'd open them up, he'd unscrew them
and reveal the inner workings -- which many of us,
I'm sure, take for granted. But it's an amazing gift to give a kid. To open up this thing
and show how it works and why it works and what it is. He was the ultimate
deconstructor, in many ways. And my grandfather was a kind of guy
who would not only take things apart, but he got me interested
in all sorts of different odd crafts, like, you know, printing,
like the letter press. I'm obsessed with printing. I'm obsessed with silk-screening
and bookbinding and box making. When I was a kid, I was always,
like, taking apart boxes and stuff. And last night in the hotel,
I took apart the Kleenex box. I was just looking at it.
And I'm telling you -- (Laughter) It's a beautiful thing. I swear to God. I mean, when you look at the box
and you sort of see how it works. Rives is here, and I met him
years ago at a book fair; he does pop-up books. And I'm obsessed
with engineering of paper. The scoring of it, the printing of it, where the thing gets glued,
the registration marks for the ink. I just love boxes. My grandfather was the guy who kind of got me
into all sorts of these things. He would also supply me with tools. He was this amazing encourager --
this patron, sort of, to make stuff. And he got me a Super 8 camera
when I was 10 years old. And in 1976, that was sort of an anomaly, to be a 10-year-old kid
that had access to a camera. And you know, he was so generous;
I couldn't believe it. He wasn't doing it
entirely without some manipulation. I mean, I would call him, and I'd be like, "Listen, Grandpa,
I really need this camera. You don't understand.
This is, like, I want to make movies. I'll get invited to TED one day --" (Laughter) And, you know, my grandmother
was the greatest. Because she'd be like, you know --
she'd get on the phone. She'd be like, "Harry,
it's better than the drugs. She was fantastic. So I found myself getting this stuff,
thanks to her assist, and suddenly, you know, I had a synthesizer
when I was 14 years old -- this kind of stuff. And it let me make things,
which, to me, was sort of the dream. He sort of humored my obsession
to other things too, like magic. The thing is, we'd go
to this magic store in New York City called Lou Tannen's Magic. It was this great magic store. It was a crappy
little building in Midtown, but you'd be in the elevator,
the elevator would open -- there'd be this little, small magic store. You'd be in the magic store.
And it was a magical place. So I got all these magic tricks.
Here. I'll show you. This is the kind of thing.
So it would be like, you know. Which is good, but now I can't move. Now, I have to do
the rest of the thing like this. I'm like, "Oh, wow.
Look at my computer over there!" (Laughter) So one of the things
that I bought at the magic store was this: Tannen's Mystery Magic Box. The premise behind the Mystery
Magic Box was the following: 15 dollars buys you
50 dollars worth of magic. Which is a savings. (Laughter) Now, I bought this decades ago
and I'm not kidding. If you look at this,
you'll see it's never been opened. But I've had this forever. Now, I was looking at this, it was in my office,
as it always is, on the shelf, and I was thinking,
why have I not opened this? And why have I kept it? Because I'm not a pack rat. I don't keep everything, but for some reason
I haven't opened this box. And I felt like there was
a key to this, somehow, in talking about something at TED
that I haven't discussed before, and bored people elsewhere. So I thought, maybe
there's something with this. And there was this giant question mark. I love the design,
for what it's worth, of this thing. And I started thinking,
why haven't I opened it? And I realized that I haven't opened it because it represents
something important -- to me. It represents my grandfather. Am I allowed to cry at TED? Because -- no, I'm not going to cry. (Laughter) But -- (Laughter) The thing is that it represents
infinite possibility. It represents hope.
It represents potential. And what I love about this box, and what I realize I sort of do
in whatever it is that I do, is I find myself
drawn to infinite possibility, that sense of potential. And I realize that mystery
is the catalyst for imagination. Now, it's not the most
ground-breaking idea, but when I started to think
that maybe there are times when mystery is more important
than knowledge. I started getting interested in this. And so I started thinking about "Lost"
and the stuff that we do, and I realized, oh my God, mystery boxes
are everywhere in what I do! In the creation of "Lost,"
Damon Lindelof and I, who created the show with me, we were basically tasked
with creating this series that we had very little time to do. We had 11 and a half weeks to write it, cast it, crew it, shoot it,
cut it, post it, turn in a two-hour pilot. So it was not a lot of time. And that sense of possibility --
what could this thing be? There was no time to develop it. I'm sure you're all familiar with people who tell you what you can't do
and what you should change. There was no time for that,
which is kind of amazing. And so we did this show, and for those of you
who haven't seen it, or don't know it, I can show you one
little clip from the pilot, just to show you some stuff that we did. (Engine roaring) (Video) Claire: Help! Please help me! Help me! Please, help me! Jack: Get him out of here!
Get him away from the engine! Get him out of here! (Engine roaring) C: Help me, please!
I'm having contractions! J: How many months pregnant are you? C: I'm only eight months. J: And how far apart are they coming? C: I don't know. I think it just happened. Man: Hey! Hey! Hey, get away from -- JJ Abrams: 10 years ago,
if we wanted to do that, we'd have to kill a stuntman. (Laughter) It would be harder. Take two would be a bitch. (Laughter) So the amazing thing was,
we were able to do this thing. And part of that was
the amazing availability of technology, knowing we could do anything. I mean, we could never have done that. We might have been able to write it; we wouldn't have been able
to depict it like we did. So part of the amazing thing for me
is in the creative process, technology is mind-blowingly
inspiring to me. I realize that that blank page
is a magic box, you know? It needs to be filled
with something fantastic. I used to have the "Ordinary People"
script that I'd flip through. The romance was amazing to me;
it would inspire me. I wanted to try and fill pages with the same kind of spirit
and thought and emotion that that script did. So, you know, I love Apple computers. I'm obsessed. So the Apple computer --
the PowerBook -- this computer, it challenges me. It basically says, what are you
going to write worthy of me? I feel this -- I'm compelled. (Laughter) And I often am like,
you know, dude, today I'm out. I got nothing. You know? So there's that. In terms of the content of it, you look at stories, you think,
what are stories but mystery boxes? There's a fundamental question --
in TV, the first act is called the teaser. It's literally the teaser.
It's the big question. So you're drawn into it.
Then there's another question. And it goes on. Look at "Star Wars." The droids meet the mysterious woman. Who's that? We don't know. Mystery box!
Then you meet Luke Skywalker. He gets the droid,
you see the holographic image. You learn it's a message.
She wants to find Obi Wan Kenobi. He's her only hope.
But who's Obi Wan Kenobi? Mystery box! So then he meets Ben Kenobi. Ben Kenobi is Obi Wan Kenobi.
Holy shit! So it keeps us -- (Laughter) Have you guys not seen that? (Laughter) It's huge! Anyway -- So there's this thing with mystery boxes
that I started feeling compelled. Then there's the thing of mystery
in terms of imagination -- the withholding of information. You know, doing that intentionally
is much more engaging. Whether it's like the shark in "Jaws" -- if Spielberg's mechanical shark,
Bruce, had worked, it would not be remotely as scary;
you would have seen it too much. In "Alien", they never
really showed the alien: terrifying! Even in a movie like
a romantic comedy, "The Graduate," they're having that date,
and they're in the car, and it's loud, and so they put the top up. You don't hear anything they're saying! You can't hear a word!
But it's the most romantic date ever. And you love it because you don't hear it. So to me, there's that.
And then, finally, there's this idea -- stretching the paradigm a little bit -- but the idea of the mystery box. Meaning, what you think you're getting,
then what you're really getting. And it's true in so many
movies and stories. Look at "E.T.," for example -- "E.T." is this unbelievable
movie about what? It's about an alien
who meets a kid, right? Well, it's not. "E.T." is about divorce. "E.T." is about a heartbroken,
divorce-crippled family, and ultimately,
this kid who can't find his way. "Die Hard," right? Crazy, great, fun,
action-adventure movie in a building. It's about a guy
who's on the verge of divorce. He's showing up to L.A.,
tail between his legs. There are great scenes -- maybe not the most amazing
dramatic scenes in the history of time, but pretty great scenes. There's a half an hour
of investment in character before you get to the stuff
that you're expecting. When you look at a movie like "Jaws," the scene that you expect --
we have the screen? These are the kind of scenes that you remember and expect from "Jaws." And she's being eaten; there's a shark. (Woman screaming) The thing about "Jaws" is,
it's really about a guy who is sort of dealing with his place
in the world -- with his masculinity, with his family, how he's going to,
you know, make it work in this new town. This is one of my favorite scenes ever, and this is a scene
that you wouldn't necessarily think of when you think of "Jaws."
But it's an amazing scene. (Video) Father: C'mere. Give us a kiss. Son: Why? Father: 'Cause I need it. JJA: Come on. "Why? 'Cause I need it"? Best scene ever, right? (Laughter) Come on! So you think of "Jaws" -- so that's the kind of stuff that, like, you know --
the investment of character, which is the stuff that really
is inside the box, you know? It's why when people do sequels,
or rip off movies, you know, of a genre, they're ripping off the wrong thing. You're not supposed
to rip off the shark or the monster. You know, if you rip something off --
rip off the character. Rip off the stuff that matters. I mean, look inside yourself
and figure out what is inside you. Because ultimately,
the mystery box is all of us. So there's that. Then the distribution. What's a bigger mystery box
than a movie theater? You know? You go to the theater,
you're just so excited to see anything. The moment the lights go down
is often the best part. And you're full of that amazing --
that feeling of excited anticipation. And often, the movie's there
and it's going, and then something happens
and you go, "Oh --", and then, "Mmm ..." When it's a great movie,
you're along for the ride because you're willing
to give yourself to it. So to me, whether it's a TV,
an iPod, computer, cell phone -- It's funny, I'm an --
as I said, Apple fanatic -- and one day, about a year or so ago, I was signing on online in the morning
to watch Steve Jobs' keynote, because I always do. And he came on,
he was presenting the video iPod, and what was on
the enormous iPod behind him? "Lost"! I had no idea! And I realized, holy shit,
it'd come full circle. The inspiration I get from the technology is now using the stuff that I do
to sell technology. It's nuts! (Laughter) I was going to show you a couple
of other things I'm going to skip. I'll show you one other thing
that has nothing to do with anything. This is something online;
six years ago, they did this. This is an online thing done by guys
who had some visual effects experience. But the point was,
that they were doing things that were using these mystery boxes
that they had -- everyone has now. What I've realized is what my grandfather
did for me when I was a kid, everyone has access to now. You don't need to have my grandfather,
though you wish you had. But I have to tell you -- this is a guy doing stuff
on a Quadra 950 computer -- the resolution's a little bit low -- using Infinity software
they stopped making 15 years ago. He's doing stuff that looks as amazing as stuff I've seen
released from Hollywood. The most incredible
sort of mystery, I think, is now the question of what comes next. Because it is now democratized. So now, the creation of media --
it's everywhere. The stuff that I was lucky
and begging for to get when I was a kid is now ubiquitous. And so, there's an amazing sense
of opportunity out there. And when I think of the filmmakers
who exist out there now who would have been silenced, you know -- who have been silenced in the past -- it's a very exciting thing. I used to say in classes
and lectures and stuff, to someone who wants to write,
"Go! Write! Do your thing." It's free, you don't need permission. But now I can say, "Go make your movie!"
There's nothing stopping you from going out there
and getting the technology. You can lease, rent,
buy stuff off the shelf that is either as good, or just as good, as the stuff that's being used
by the, you know, "legit people." No community is best served
when only the elite have control. And I feel like
this is an amazing opportunity to see what else is out there. When I did "Mission: Impossible III,"
we had amazing visual effects. ILM did the effects; it was incredible. And sort of my dream to be involved. And there are a couple
of sequences in the movie, like these couple of moments
I'll show you. There's that. (Video) Luther: Ethan, move! (Explosion) Obviously, I have an obsession
with big crazy explosions. So my favorite visual effect in the movie
is the one I'm about to show you. It's a scene in which
Tom's character wakes up. He's drowsy. He's crazy. And the guy wakes up,
and he shoves this gun in his nose and shoots this little capsule
into his brain that he's going to use later
to kill him, as bad guys do. (Video) Brownway: Good morning. JJA: OK, now. When we shot that scene, the actor who had the gun,
an English actor, Eddie Marsan -- sweetheart, great guy -- he kept taking the gun
and putting it into Tom's nose, and it was hurting Tom's nose. And I learned this
very early on in my career: Don't hurt Tom's nose. (Laughter) There are three things
you don't want to do. Number two is: Don't hurt Tom's nose. So Eddie has this gun --
and he's this sweet English guy. He's like, "Sorry,
I don't want to hurt you." I'm like, "We have to
make this look good." And I realized that we had to do something
because it wasn't working. And I thought back
to what I would have done using the Super 8 camera
that my grandfather got me sitting in that room, and I realized that hand
didn't have to be Eddie Marsan's. It could be Tom's. And Tom would know
just how hard to push the gun. He wouldn't hurt himself. So we took his hand and we painted it
to look a little bit more like Eddie's. We put it in Eddie's sleeve, and so the hand that you see -- that's not Eddie's hand, that's Tom's.
So Tom is playing two roles. (Laughter) And he didn't ask for any more money. So here, here. Watch it again. There he is. He's waking up. He's drowsy, been through a lot. (Video) Brownway: Good morning. JJA: Tom's hand. Tom's hand. Tom's hand. Anyway. So ... (Applause) Thanks. (Applause) So you don't need the greatest technology
to do things that can work in movies. And the mystery box,
in honor of my grandfather, stays closed. Thank you. (Applause)
Honestly, if you've got a spare 20 minutes I'd recommend anyone watch this. Not a whole lot about Star Wars, but gives you a real appreciation for JJ's mind and inspirations. Really insightful stuff. Cheers for that OP.
JJ gets it.
This mystery box TED talk was great.
I'm a huge Trekkie. When I saw Star Trek 09 I thought it was a solid sci-fi action movie, but not very good Star Trek. I also thought JJ Abrams should direct some new Star Wars movies.
These movies are going to be good.