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	the noisemakers (excerpt) by the editors of creativity magazine 06.21.06 the inspiration - mark romanek, anonymous content mark romanek is the kind of creative idol who'd be on posters above beds of aspiring creatives and directors. his meticulous attention to detail and relentless commitment to innovation have overwhelmingly yielded filmic works of wonder. his clips always serve to shed dazzling, sometimes controversial light on their subjects, including the late johnny cash, jay-z, the red hot chili peppers, madonna and no doubt. of late, the director has been slowly building his commercials oeuvre, with impressive entries for espn, nike and acura to recent work for ipod and olympus. creativity: how would you describe the lens through which you see the world? mr: i have a new daughter, so in general, i am trying to stay optimistic about the "human experiment," but it's hard these days. creativity: what's the most important thing about directing? mr: staying in the moment. creativity: you're consistently cited by the creative community as a huge source of inspiration. who or what is your biggest creative influence? mr: nature. human and otherwise. creativity: what's been your most fulfilling advertising experience? mr: the espn "makeshift" spot i did with wieden & kennedy was the most fun i've ever had shooting a job. and it turned out well. creativity: what's been the most fulfilling job of your career? mr: writing and directing one hour photo was quite fulfilling. it's by no means a perfect movie, but it was more challenging than making a spot or a video, hence more satisfying/rewarding. making the johnny cash "hurt" video was quite a fulfilling experience as well. creativity: what did you learn about hollywood? it's been reported that you had signed to direct a million little pieces. what do you think of the whole james frey debacle? mr: one thing i've learned about hollywood is, if they think they can sell it in a thirty-second spot, then they might make it—i'm not sure there's anything terribly wrong with that, by the way. as for james frey, i think he was forced to choose between publishing the book as non-fiction or not having it published at all and he made a grave error of judgment. that said, i thought oprah winfrey's public flaying of him was hypocritical, nauseating and disgraceful. creativity: what is your favorite film, book, song or work of art? mr: film: kubrick's 2001: a space odyssey, fellini's 8 1⁄2, coppola's the godfather part ii, orson welles' the trial, fred wiseman's titicut follies (can't choose.); book: nine stories by j.d. salinger; artwork: picasso's la baignade. creativity: who's the last person you met that's inspired you? mr: my daughter willow. creativity: what person you've never met would you most like to have a one-on-one conversation with? mr: jesus christ (with j.d. salinger running a close second). back to press