The 6 “Happy Accidents” from Movies and Songs that Shaped them into Masterpieces
Things don’t always go rpigh rghit right.
It’s true. Whether you’re shooting a multi-million dollar Hollywood blockbuster, rehearsing a local community play or recording a new song. In the creative world, as in life, things can go awry.
But as you’re about to find out, that can be a very good thing. We have six films and songs to prove it.
Let’s take a look at the happy accidents that made them the masterpieces that they are—and the lessons that come with them.
And we’ll even leave you with some parting advice from the legend that is Michael Caine, so you can blow the bloody doors off in your creative career.
1. Dallas Buyers Club
Oscar-winning films? And accidents?
At first, you might not think that the two go together. But things can even go wrong in top productions.
In the case of Dallas Buyers Club, they had a difficult time securing funding and had a limited budget. But director Jean-Marc Vallée decided to make the best of it.
And with just 25 days to film it, he wanted to make the most of every moment of the shoot and every cent of the budget. So, he decided to only use natural lighting and avoided tripods and dollies when shooting.
While this challenge might make some directors of photography shift uncomfortably in their seats, Yves Bélanger—the cinematographer on Dallas Buyers Club—embraced it. He created a unique, realistic look that is one of the hallmarks of this Academy Award-winning movie.
The lesson: If you’re making a film or other creative project on a shoestring, don’t lose heart. Go with it—like Dallas Buyers Club, it could well be a masterpiece in the making.
WATCH: Interview with Editor Martin Pensa, ACE Editor of Dallas Buyer’s Club— Spotlight Academy
2. A Hidden Life
Dallas Buyers Club isn’t the only film to embrace natural lighting. Terrence Malick chose to use it in his 2019 film, A Hidden Life.
With minimal equipment, Malick was flexible in his approach, ready to adapt and move away from the script when weather conditions changed, or other challenges arose. This also gave the actors the freedom to be spontaneous, leading to some incredible performances. A Hidden Life went on to win awards at Cannes and other international film festivals.
The lesson: You don’t need the perfect conditions or equipment to shoot a great film—or any other work of art, for that matter. Adapt and use the limitations as part of your creative choices.
3. Sweet Child of Mine, Guns N’ Roses
Sweet Child of Mine is probably one of the greatest rock songs ever made.
But did you know that the song was a happy accident?
Before one rehearsal, Slash, the lead guitarist, was playing around with a riff based on the classic circus melody, Entry of the Gladiators, and the rest of the band joined in. Frontman Axl Rose heard the band playing the riff and was inspired to sing the lyrics of a poem to it.
The rest is history.
The lesson: Creativity and play go hand in hand. Don’t be afraid to play around—it may lead you to a new and exciting creative direction.
4. Scar Tissue, Red Hot Chili Peppers
Yes, Scar Tissue also featured a happy accident in the creative process. After years away from the band, guitarist John Frusciante was feeling a little rusty. When recording the song, he didn’t realize that his guitar’s B string was slightly out of tune.
The result was a unique sound that the band decided to leave in, and the song became an instant hit.
The lesson: If you make a “mistake” during the creative process, see what it’s like to leave it in the final product. You never know, it might just work.
5. Elf
There’s no accident quite as happy as what happened when Will Ferrell was filming Elf.
During one scene where Buddy wanders around New York City, he interacts with New Yorkers he meets along the way. The people featured in the film aren’t actors—they’re real New Yorkers going about their business.
As they were shooting this scene, Will Ferrell miraculously encountered a bearded man walking in a red jogging suit who just so happened to look like Santa Claus. According to cinematographer Greg Gardiner, it wasn’t planned: “That guy was just there.”
The lesson: Sometimes the best moments aren’t planned. They just happen. Be ready to adapt and embrace those moments in your creative work when they come.
6. Ant-Man and the Wasp
Actors and comedians are often the ones who create those wonderfully unexpected moments—and Paul Rudd is certainly one of the improv greats.
In one of the final scenes of Ant-Man and the Wasp, Agent Woo (played by Randall Park) sends Scott Lang (played by Paul Rudd) a thinly veiled threat: “I’ll be seeing you again.”
Paul Rudd jumps on this moment and disrupts it by asking “Where?”, resulting in what’s arguably one of the funniest scenes in the Marvel universe.
The lesson: Give the artists you work with the freedom to improvise and see what they come up with. It might not be in the script, but it might just be better than what you can imagine.
READ MORE: LAFS Alums Work on Ant-Man and The Wasp
Use the difficulty
Legendary actor Michael Caine is no stranger to the happy accident—in fact, he used one such moment to inform his life philosophy.
When rehearsing for a play early in his career, the characters in the improvised scene, before he entered, were arguing and throwing furniture around. It was getting so out of hand that a chair got lodged in the doorway, blocking Caine’s entrance.
Caine said to the director that he couldn’t get through the door because of the chair. The director told him to “use the difficulty,” encouraging him to adapt and use that chair as part of his performance.
Michael Caine adopted that as his life philosophy whenever challenges would arise, and it’s advice he likes to share with young actors and creatives.
So remember, whenever a problem, mistake or limitation comes up in your creative work, think “use the difficulty.” How can you embrace it? What direction can it take you? How can you work with it?
As you can see from the examples above, the result could lead to your best work. And it means you won’t stop doing what you love when challenges do come up. You’ll get less stuck and find a little bit more joy in the creative process and your career.
Use the difficulty. Embrace the mess. Start experimenting.
And see what happens.
With the right attitude, you’ll find that in the creative process, there are no unfortunate accidents.
Only happy ones.
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