Creative Structure

An overview of the creative frameworks of the narrative.

Technique: Lenses

Viewing Human Action and Interaction through the lens of colour.

The theory, themes and language of colour are used to examine each character perception, beliefs, behaviour and interactions.

• Personality is often characterised by colour - the volatile and distinctive nature of red - the receding and reconciling nature of blue. Short wavelength colours such as red and yellow are ”extroverted colours” that will stand out from a picture, whilst the longer wavelength greens and blues are 'introverted colours' essential to composition and the perception of depth and distance.
• With decorative art, as with human group action, the varying natures of all colours are needed in the picture, and considering the mix and balance of different natures provides the greatest outcomes of any group of people.
• The characteristics of colour extend to other human interactions. Short wavelength colours not only overshadow longer wavelengths, but influence how other colours appear. The nature of a blue or green will change if it is in close contact with a bright red or yellow. Strong personalities colour those who come into contact with them.
• We interpret colour in the same way we interpret events. Colour can be warm, or cold, welcoming or exciting, frightening or relaxing. This interpretation changes with time and geography. Different cultures make different connections to colour at different times. Death can either black or white. The narrative of 'Colour' highlights the importance of realising these differences and responding appropriately to them.
• The change of stasis at the heart of the narrative of 'Colour' takes advantage of the contrasting properties of incident (i.e pure) light and reflected light altered by pigments (i.e. light transported and reflected by colourful paints). This creative lens is used to highlight how people's experience defines and/or transforms the models they use in perception - the way they see the world and the way they interpret and react to different ideas or stimuli. We are deeply coloured by our experiences.
• Icebergs are white - and white is the outcome of the reflection of all colour. Colour is the ultimate iceberg; the colours we can see are also small in comparison to the range of the wavelengths of light. This is a strong metaphor for the nature of humanity, where what is seen on the surface is the smallest view of what goes on inside us. The full range of colour of each person’s personality merges into indecipherably white as it reaches the surface.

Technique: Foundations

• Colour vs Control

  This is the central conflict in the narrative

  Colour represents emotion, individuality, change, nature, and even chaos. The authorities, particularly the Cabinet Makers and the Peacekeeper, seek to suppress it in favour of control, represented by the monochrome palette of grey, white, and brown. They believe conformity and the absence of "distraction" are essential for creating "value" and maintaining stability. The story explores whether a society can truly thrive without the vitality and unpredictability that colour symbolises.

• The Nature of Power and Politics

  The narrative is a complex web of political intrigue

  Power is not straightforward but exercised through secret alliances, spies (the Good Servant), the manipulation of information, and the leveraging of threats. Characters like the Warehouse Manager, the Peacekeeper, and the Head of All Science are constantly maneuvering to protect their own interests and expand their influence, often under the guise of serving the greater good.

• Truth and Perception

  The story constantly questions what is real

  There is the official truth of the Conformance Council's rules versus the hidden truth of the widespread illegal use of colour, documented in the Fourth Record. The discovery of the mural behind the panelling reveals a forgotten historical truth. The theme is also explored through perception: the Transporter sees the future in a valley's changing colours, the Wetledalians see danger in the colour of storms, and the Flatlanders see legitimacy and power in vibrant hues. Ultimately, reality is shown to be something that can be debated, hidden, and reshaped by those with the will to do so.

• Pragmatism vs Idealism

  The characters represent a spectrum between these two poles

  Angela is the arch-pragmatist, seeking success by working within the rules and finding clever ways to adapt. The Examiner, despite his mission, is also pragmatic, seeking a negotiated settlement that will create value. In contrast, Helen is the idealist, driven by a deep, emotional belief in the necessity of colour, for which she is willing to risk everything. The Transporter and the Warehouse Manager occupy a middle ground, acting out of pragmatic self-interest (preserving their trade) but guided by an idealistic belief in the fundamental importance of colour.

Technique: Character Sketching

The facts that frame the possible actions of each character in any situation can be drawn out using Character Sketching.

The following are some of the psychological themes that came to the surface using this technique.

• Fear of change and resistance to change that grows as we move through life and have more to lose.
• The Balance between the needs of the organisations we serve and the individual psychological needs that we are constrained to service by our personality traits.
• The degree to which different people have different levels of dedication to the organisation or group they serve - and different tendencies to promote their own objectives.
• The way that the rules governing the culture, objectives and processes of most organisations change continually as the internal and external pressures on the organisation change, as does the combined outcome of the attitudes and objectives of those in charge.
• Our own competing objectives and attitudes that change according to whether we see an actor as supporting or undermining our aims and desires.
• Our tendency to reach our own psychological compromises. For example we would often accompany even our worst enemies across the Last mountain, if we are both going in the same direction for some of the way.

Other Techniques

Creativity is Christmas Tree shaped.

Many ideas are generated (the many branches of the tree) before being filtered to concentrate on those with the potential to contribute to the required narrative (the trunk of the tree).

The following illustrates some of the creative techniques used in the development of 'Colour'.

• Cascades

  Cascades encourages sideways steps in thinking that help plotting as well as creative development of the work. This is a technique that is ideally suited to modern Artificial Intelligence systems.

• Lens Illumination

  Lens Illumination helps to define likely outcomes from the state-of-mind and objectives of the characters in the narrative.

• Making Senses

  Making Senses structures scenes by working through the individual scenes of a character.

• Object Concepts

  Object Concepts is one of the core creative techniques that encourages sideways (or lateral) thinking through applying different frameworks to a situation. The more removed the framework is from the situation of the narrative, the more creative the response will be.