Lessons From RoboDoc: Embrace the Chaos in the Creative Process

Creating any work of art is messy and why you should not fear it

When I saw Robocop the movie for the first time, I was riveted by the violence, and the audacity of the storytelling.

I recognized the universal themes of corporate greed, consumerism, and the consequences of technology when humanity is absent from it. Robocop became a classic hit, eventually joining the ranks of The Terminator, Total Recall and Alien. Recently I watched a four-episode documentary series of Robocop, titled Robodoc.

It was a revelation.

Robocop was directed by European director, Paul Verhoeven.

We think of him now as a mad genius. But that is in hindsight. Every American director had turned down the script.

Why? They saw the title ROBOCOP.

They figured it was B movie material.

Making it would ruin their reputation. And so, they tossed the script aside as if it bore the foul stench of a career killing curse. Since no American director wanted to touch the script, the producer had no choice but to look overseas.

Enter a young Dutch director named Paul Verhoeven.

The producer saw some of Paul’s early work, noted and liked how Paul infused realism and social satire into his portrayal of violence.

He offered Paul a chance to direct Robocop. Like the other directors, Paul had at first tossed the script aside, but later, he re-read the script and figured he could do something about it. He could impose a biblical myth as subtext into the narrative.

Robocop became the stand-in for Jesus, killed in action but resurrected in a fusion of man and metal, delivering vengeance unto the bad guys.

Back then, the idea of a man wearing a robot costume, without looking cheesy, was new. IPHONE was not even a word yet and the concept of streaming had yet to be birthed.

Everything had to be planned. How did Robocop walk? How did he see? How do his footsteps sound? Peter Weller, the actor, hired a movement coach, who helped Peter to finally crack the code of how Robocop moved. That’s how serious Peter Weller was in bringing life to the…