The best of anything never came from just one person

Thomas Bowman
Staff Writer

What do Brad Pitt, Owen Wilson and Michael Jackson all have in common? They all make great art with the help of others. 

Pitt was casted in multiple David Fincher films, Wilson acted in most of Wes Andersons’ movies and Jackson got his start singing with his brothers in the Jackson 5. Although there are many talented individuals in the entertainment industry, most artists create their best pieces working with different skilled people.

This is a very common case with many musicians popular in the music scene. Many people are aware of the 70s pop star Elton John, especially after the release of the new biopic, “Rocket Man”. Elton John only wrote the music for his songs. A man named Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics. They worked as a great team considering the poetic styling of Taupins’ lyrics and the skilled musicianship of Elton John. In the industry bands often join forces to create a collaboration album. 

Popular skate punk bands like Mom Jeans. and Prince Daddy & The Hyena joined forces to create “Now That’s What I Call Music V. 420”. The album consists of fast-paced slashing guitars.

Movies often have artistic collaborations as well. There are certain actors who always seem to be working on the same projects. Seth Rogen and James Franco have been writing and acting together since they co-starred in the 1999 cult classic TV series “Freaks and Geeks”. Since they created crude classics such as “Pineapple Express “and “Sausage Party”. Certain directors also happen to have certain actors they prefer to appear in their movies. Tim Burton often casts Johnny Depp and Helena in his eerie live action films. Their intense acting style blends fantastically with Burton’s morbid movies. 

There are many creations that take the efforts of artists in different fields as well. Think about Burton again, for he really creates a specific team for his style. In that team he has a musical composer named Danny Elfman write all the music in his movies. Elfman got his start playing new wave music in the 80s with his band Oingo Boingo. Since then, he’s been creating hauntingly beautiful scores for the cinema of Burton. 

Crossover collaboration is also apparent with the Canadian punk band PUP (Pathetic Use of Potential). Being a hardworking middle-class band, they often find themselves touring across America and Europe. Since they’re always touring they have to make different financial gains from each show.

One of the ways they accomplish this task is by working with Amanda Fotes, a tour photographer. Amanda Fotes has been taking pictures for PUP for a few years and is close with the band. She has a wonderful way of taking pictures that stand out from other tour photographers. 

This is only touching on the artist collaborations. But in every song, movie or musical, there is an army of people working behind the scenes. From song engineers to costume designers, there is so much more art that goes behind a production than people think about. In an artistic world, it’s nice to see talented people working together to make good art.