Out of My Mind

In my late twenties, my infatuation with Buster Keaton was full-blown. Several TV channels ran his movies and biographies. I taped them all. I read everything I could find in print. Of all the material that I read, what I call his “rule of three” stuck out the most.

Basically, as best as I can recall, he approached his movie making thus:

• First take, to rehearse the scene.
• Second take, to refine and tweak.
• Third take, to nail it!

It worked for him, and it made sense to me.

So much so, that ten years later I referred to it while studying Behaviour Modification. The prof asked the class, “Any guesses how many trials are required before a new task is learned?”

My hand shot up, “Oh! I know, I know! Pick me, ask me!” [eye roll:this is me almost 40 years old]

“Three!” I beamed.

She just smiled. Apparently, I missed the mark…