Each of the following segments from well-known full-length feature films has been chosen by Ideaology to illustrate an important aspect of innovation
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - 1989 Starring: Harrison Ford and Sean Connery
Plot Summary: Renowned archeologist and expert in the occult, Dr. Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford), teams up with his father (Sean Connery), to find the Holy Grail.
Film clip title, “Leap of Faith”
The point of this segment : Every act of innovation requires some leap of faith on the part of those involved. New ideas challenge old beliefs and ways of doing things. Cultures reliably resist change. What conditions must be present in order for you and your fellow innovators to take leaps of faith?
The Edge - 1997 Starring: Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin
Plot Summary: Billionaire Charles Morse, who has a wealth of book learning about survival in the wilderness, but no personal experience, accompanies his supermodel wife to photo shoot at Alaska. To find specific Indian for the shoot, Morse, a photographer, and art director fly to a distant location, where their small plane crashes. To survive and find their way back to civilization they must innovate and sustain one another. The greatest danger Morse faces may not be the rugged terrain or a man-killing bear, but his own partner in innovation.
Film clip title, “Why People Die in the Wilderness”
The point of this segment : We’ve all had our ideas ridiculed. As a result, many innovators hold back. They don’t share their ideas or participate in the innovation process fully. Restoring the trust of innovators is key to establishing a corporate culture in which innovation flourishes of its own accord.
Down Periscope, 1996 Starring: Kelsey Grammar, Bruce Dern and Rob Schneider
Plot Summary : Non-conformist Tom Dodge (Kelsey Grammer), is finally given a submarine command – an obsolete diesel, against the wishes of Rear Admiral Graham (Bruce Dern). Dodge has been promised the command of a nuclear submarine if he can win a two-part war game, using a crew of misfits and the rust bucket submarine. Dodge and his crew employ innovation, improvisation and imagination against overwhelming odds.
Film clip title, “Between The Screws”
The point of this segment : Each crew member brings his or her special expertise to bear, collaborating and elaborating on each other’s ideas. Unconventional people and their ideas are welcomed.
Apollo 13 - 1995 Starring: Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon and Ed Harris
Plot Summary : Apollo 13 was just another "routine" space flight--until these words pierced the immense void of space: " Houston, we have a problem." Stranded 205,000 miles from Earth in a crippled spacecraft, astronauts Jim Lovell (Hanks), Fred Haise (Paxton) and Jack Swigert (Bacon) work hand in hand with Mission Control personnel in a desperate battle to innovate against all odds so the crew can be safety returned to Earth.
Film clip title, “Let’s Work the Problem”
The point of this segment : When NASA ground control professionals become caught in traditional thinking, they are reminded to resolve each problem separately to avoid becoming overwhelmed by the situation.
The Terminal - 2004 Starring: Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Zones
Plot Summary : Viktor Navorski (Hanks), an Eastern European traveler who speaks almost no English, becomes a resident of a New York airport terminal when a war breaks out and erases his country from the map, voiding his passport. Denied entrance to the United States, Navorski is unable to leave the terminal until his status can be fixed, Navorski innovates to build a life for himself among airport employees and the transient people bustling through,
Film clip title, “Card Playing X Ray”
The point of this segment : Airport personnel address the concerns of a co-worker (we call this an associated problem) by employing the technology at hand in an unconventional fashion
Apollo 13
Film clip title, “Failure is Not an Option”
The point of this film clip : The expertise of every engineer involved in the project is called upon to obtain every ounce of power possible so that the Apollo 13 astronauts return to Earth safely. Holistic thinking is being brought forth.
The Edge
Film clip title, “Making a Compass”
The point of this segment : Discouraged by earlier failure, one innovator reinvigorates the others by continuing to think and be in action.
Apollo 13
Film clip title, “Square Peg in Round Hole”
The point of this segment : Engineers must use the material on hand in the Apollo 13 space capsule to cobble together a working carbon dioxide filter. They must deal with the question, “How are we going to do this?” rather than, “Can we do it?”
The Edge
Film clip title, “Fire from ice”
The point of this film clip : Faced with an angry, frustrated companion, this innovator continues to focus on the problem and functions that are needed, not the personality or what they don’t have available.
Apollo 13
Film clip title, “Building the CO2 scrubber”
The point of this segment : Astronauts must continue to focus on resolving the immediate problem together even as they fear for their lives. They address each problem separately, not as an overwhelming whole.
Showtime - 2002 Starring: Robert De Niro and Eddie Murphy
Plot Summary : Faced with a $10 million lawsuit, the Los Angeles Police Department permits an on-site filming of a new reality TV show based on LAPD Detective Mitch Preston (Robert De Niro) and Officer Trey Sellars’ (Eddie Murphy) investigation of a crime. The producer sets out to make everything more "viewer friendly,” and in the process alters reality.
Film clip title, “We Need a Reality Change”
The point of this segment : If reality doesn’t match this innovator’s expectations, she simply designs a new reality rather than accepting things as they are.
Multiplicity - 1996 Starring: Michael Keaton and Andie MacDowell
Plot Summary : A helpful geneticist promises miracles to help overworked Doug Kinney (Michael Keaton) save his marriage by cloning him. It seems like the perfect solution-- until the clones begin to take over his home, his job, and his bed.
Film clip title, “We Make Miracles”
The point of this segment : This innovator entertains the possibility that someone in an entirely different field might be able to solve his seemingly unsolvable problems using a brand new paradigm.
