WEEK FOUR: PIECE BY PIECE

This may be the first time that we’ve ever featured a documentary in the “Watchlist” lineup! But this one, while still very educational (as any documentary should be), is also really fun to watch because it reflects the immense creativity of its subject. “Piece by Piece” is about the life and career of musician, composer, and producer Pharrell Williams. I guarantee you’ve heard several songs that you may not have even realized that he had a hand in creating (as explored in the movie). In fact, I was shocked to realize that Pharrell has over 650 songwriting credits! His prolific career led to the creation of this film which explores the story of his life, and it should come as no surprise that when it came to making a movie about himself, Pharrell didn’t want to just do a “normal” documentary. Instead, he decided that he wanted the entire movie to be animated in the style of LEGO.

LEGO animation has become pretty popular (with multiple LEGO movies and specific franchise spin-offs, like LEGO Batman, Marvel, and Star Wars), but this isn’t the first thing any of us would think of for the design of a biographical documentary-style film (decidedly NOT geared toward children like most LEGO products tend to be). But when you learn more about who Pharrell is as a person, it starts to make more sense why he would decide to use LEGO animation to tell his story. Pharrell has a unique gift called synesthesia (particularly chromesthesia) which means he actually sees music in the form of colors. He is able to associate notes, chords, and harmonies with specific colors, hues, and shades. So when he composes music, he is able to put the pieces together visually (not just audibly) in a way that helps him to create using more of his senses than the average songwriter. He is able to show us (the audience) how this works in his mind through the LEGO animation (both by seeing what the music “looks” like to him but also how he puts it together mentally). There are scenes in the movie which show him building a music track using LEGO blocks of different shapes, sizes, and colors (a little of this, a little of that)… By using this specific style of animation, he can show us how his mind creates music “piece by piece.”

I don’t know about you, but when I think of that specific gift, it seems like it would be so cool to be able to experience music in that way! Why can’t I see music in colors?? And as a matter of fact, why can’t I be creative enough to write over 650 songs? It might not be music for you specifically, but I feel like at some point or another, every single one of us has felt like someone else just has more. More skill, more talent, more fame, more fortune, more favor. But as I’m sure you’ve heard before, comparison is the thief of joy. Even Pharrell, with all of his giftedness, admittedly fell into a trap at some point in his life of looking to what others had instead of focusing on his own path. He tried to do too much, tried to have his hands in too many projects, and lost sight of his purpose. There’s a lesson to be learned in this for all of us. The Bible gives us wise advice for how we are supposed to live in our own unique calling: “Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways” (Proverbs 4:25-26). It wasn’t until Pharrell let go of all his distractions that he was able to write the song that became his biggest hit (called “Happy”)! Let’s remember to always seek God’s will and not get caught up in the journeys of others—God has a great plan that was designed just for you. Let’s invite God to use each of us to our full potential and creativity, whatever that may be.