Ted Talks for Screenwriters and Filmmakers.

I am a big fan of Ted.com, which offers 20 minute talks on a wide array of mind bending and inspirational topics. There are three talks in particular that may be of interest to filmmakers and screenwriters:

The first is J.J. Abrams's "Mystery Box." 

Abrams traces his love for the unseen mystery –- a passion that’s evident in his films and TV shows, including Cloverfield, Lost and Alias -- back to its magical beginnings.

The second is Shekhar Kapur's "We are the stories we tell ourselves."

Where does creative inspiration spring from? At TEDIndia, Hollywood/Bollywood director Shekhar Kapur ("Elizabeth," "Mr. India") pinpoints his source of creativity: sheer, utter panic. He shares a powerful way to unleash your inner storyteller. 

And the third is James Cameron's "Before Avatar ... a curious boy"


James Cameron's big-budget (and even bigger-grossing) films create unreal worlds all their own. In this personal talk, he reveals his childhood fascination with the fantastic -- from reading science fiction to deep-sea diving -- and how it ultimately drove the success of his blockbuster hits "Aliens," "The Terminator," "Titanic" and "Avatar."

Thanks to Mark Hughes for reminding me of these talks in his Quora Answer.  Be sure to check out his blog at Forbes magazine.