5 Ways Q Media Stays Curious

Graeme is always on the lookout for the best restaurant in town. Steven is on the hunt for the funniest viral video on the internet (without cats). And Caitie is constantly searching for the next addictive TV show.

Being ferociously curious is probably the most common personality trait here at Q. Curiosity is what keeps you up-to-date on the developments in your field (whether it be political, financial or technical) and keeps us in touch with exciting new ways of storytelling.

So, here at Q Media we are perpetually in search of how to stay current and creative. Here are just a few of our tips and tricks to discovering new things, but please post and share your own!

#1 Read

Yep, most of us are bookworms. Richard practically reads a book a week. And he’s our non-fiction guy – he’s read Creativity Inc, Creative Confidence and Outliers. He reads books and articles written about the type of work we do and it inspires him on each and every project. But, it doesn’t always have to be non-fiction reads; most of us have read The Passage (go buy it now!) and we all marvel at Cronin’s intricate way of storytelling. The key is to make a little time for it in your daily or weekly life. (Instead of that next Netflix episode on a Sunday morning, try a book with your first cup of joe).

#2 Watch

Youtube, Vimeo, Reddit and College Humor: all awesome places to get inspired. You can’t expect to make great video without watching what is out there first. And again, it doesn’t have to be about watching the great art films of our time – you can learn just as much from an amazing GoPro video as you can from a Fellini pic. That’s why we have a weekly video contest here at Q Media – someone picks a theme each week and we all submit and share videos for a final vote. It’s a great way to be exposed to new directors and new methods. Here are just a couple weekly winners, but we’ll be posting a full list of our weekly submissions later this month for your viewing pleasure.

Best One Take Shot: Children of Men

Best Dance Video: Waltz on the Walls

Best Stop Motion Video: Dot

 

 

#3 Talk

Neither of these two habits would be very helpful if we didn’t share them with each other. We constantly send each other links to interesting videos (okay, sometimes it’s gifs) and ask what book is next on everyone’s reading list. Every Friday we have a little “Family Lunch” – we all meet in the conference room over Pizza, Pad Thai or Souvlaki (all provided by our lovely “mum” and “dad” here at Q) and discuss. What was the best thing you saw this week? What’s the deal with that new viral video? Why did I hate Interstellar so much? (true story, I really hated it) When we share opinions and ideas, we discover new artists, movies, graphic templates, novels and so much more. And it makes for a lively lunch and a great way to kick start the weekend.

#4 Listen

And I don’t just mean to each other (although our lunches can get pretty rowdy!) plug into a Songza playlist and see what’s out there, or check out a Podcast (Allie was totally addicted to this one). Music plays a very important role in our productions here at Q Media, and a great track can make or break your piece (this song was recorded by a local Ghanian artist and makes the video totally fresh and unique). We have such eclectic tastes here at Q (Josh is planning on attending an upcoming Die Antwoord concert) that there’s always an opportunity to discover a new band that might inspire your next piece. And a good Podcast is a great way to learn about straight storytelling, without any gimmicks.

#5 Laugh

Making people laugh is hard. And we love to laugh here at Q. That’s why it’s so important to watch whatever big viral video is out there and pick it apart. To make someone laugh, you need to tell a story. Whether it’s the simplest story (cats don’t have great depth perception) or more complex (my all time fave Pixar short), there still needs to be a who, what and where to make you laugh. You need to be able to understand and relate to the situation you are presented with to be able to laugh when it becomes unexpected. And once you can recognize a recipe for laughter, perhaps you can re-create it.

So be curious and get googling! Share any tips or tricks you might have with us below.