Brainstorming and ideas - how to get the creative juices flowing and some great examples
Getting started on the NZTA Remix competition? The best way to get your ideas flowing is to step away from the screen. Find some paper and something to doodle with, preferably in lots of colours.
You will need to work as a group on the theme of Safer Journeys for Teens, and remember, Auckland schools must focus on a theme of safe motorway travel. Some people think in words, others in images and a good way to get everyone’s input is by drawing a mindmap.
Write down all the words you know that are associated with travel, roads, driving, journeys, transport, cars, bikes, skateboards, and safety. Scribble them down no matter how silly they seem, and doodle or describe any images, characters or stories that spring to mind.
Once you have captured a few rough ideas, try searching for some of the remixable resources listed on the NZTA Remix competition website, look on DigitalNZ, and save any images that inspire you. You could print your mindmap and images to stick onto the wall, or make a digital collection to share with your group using a tool like the online pinboard Pinterest.
You may not have a clear idea of your finished piece at this stage but you should be ready to figure out which competition category your group wants to enter. The categories are: a creative remix using images, audio, video, music, or animation, a literary remix based on the works of Shakespeare, or an infographic made from a mashup of NZTA data.
At this early stage, start looking ahead to how you can use your creation in your school. This is really important - 50 percent of the judges’ marking is based on how you use your entry to promote road safety in your school.
Want more inspiration? The winners of the Mix and Mash competition took two very different approaches. In 2010 the Creative Commons award for the supreme NZ remix went to ‘An Opal Dream Cave’ by Jem Yoshioka who illustrated a Janet Frame poem to create a new artwork. Last year’s supreme creative remix ‘A Grandmother’ by Candy Elsmore shows what a newcomer to video-making can do with a compelling story, great pictures and a digital camera.
Next week: Planning Your Entry