Last evening while my wife and I were searching for something to watch on TV (like many of you over 200 channels and nothing ever seems to be on) we turned on TCM Turner Classic Movies and one of my favorite movies of all time was just starting, SINGING IN THE RAIN.
When the movie ended I felt as good as I always do after seeing it. Like millions of other people that have seen the movie I said out loud, “They don’t make movies like that anymore”. My wife and I started talking about shows that are on today and movies that have been made recently and how they have changed over the years.
It was during this conversation that I realized something, the movie itself was a movie about change. I hope all of you have seen the movie at least once, but just in case you haven’t (and if you haven’t go get it right now and watch it, now...go..) let me give you a quick story line.
The move takes place back when the switch from silent movies to “talkies” was happening. I will leave out the romantic main story and only give you the back story. A studios biggest couple in the silent movies makes the studios first talkie and the female actor’s voice is ONLY for silent movies.
So let’s first look at the change that I have described so far. An entire industry is making the biggest change in its history. The silent movies with music and word shots are going away and films with sound tracks are taking their place. The movie shows some of the problems the studios had making the change. Everything from microphones that only picked up sound from one direction to outside noise that was picked up on the sound track.
Other obstacles that were thrown in front of the studios were concealing the mics from the camera, props that were used every day in the silent movies made too much noise for sound movies, and finally the actors voices didn’t always sound good enough for talkies.
The movie shows how many of these obstacles were overcome, for instance, microphones were placed in plants and were made part of costumes to capture the actors voice. A walk in freezer was used as a sound proof booth for the recording equipment to block out the camera noise. Voice over’s and dubbing were also solutions that were used to overcome the problem of an actor’s voice not being good enough for films.
Imagine how the actors felt having their whole world pulled out from under them. OH, WAIT… many of you know exactly what this feels like. Top sales reps, just like some of the top actors back then have found themselves in a sink or swim situation. Change or fail! That is what the actors heard and that is what many of you have heard or are hearing or will soon be hearing.
Change usually creates obstacles, obstacles usually create opportunities, and opportunities usually create super stars. Some change happens for us and some happens to us. It is how we react, adjust, learn, overcome, and master the solutions that change brings with it that will make us stars or has-beens.
“I’m dancin’ and singin’ in the rain…”
Lorin
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