Conscious Filmmakers Needed

We are at a pivotal time in history. Our actions now will decide the fate of the planet in the not too distant future. Never has the power of film and story needed to be put to good use more than now. Filmmakers at a young age are being called to gain the wisdom and awareness to create conscious media, so they can help humanity navigate the waters and to make the kind of choices that will turn things around for us, while there is still a sliver of a chance for this younger generation.

For someone just getting out of film school, at first, this may not sound like fun. Yet it could be just that—fun, challenging and yet so much more. In the world of film, where it feels like everything has already been done and we keep rehashing the same stories, things are about to become exciting. Up to now, pushing the envelope often just meant getting weirder or adding shock value to a film. This path is often chosen because it is easiest and doesn’t necessarily require wisdom and too much critical thinking. But even this choice is getting old now.

Using conscious media to guide people globally to help heal the planet and to mend societal differences is powerful beyond words. Nelson Mandela said it well:

"The producers, directors and actors of films have in their hands a powerful and evocative tool for fostering understanding and, through that, tolerance in the world. It is furthermore a medium that is not bound in its reach. It can reach out to all strata and sectors of society and across national and linguistic boundaries."

Now, with climate change, we can take this even further, on top of creating films that show diversity, inclusion and equity in its deserving good light. It is worth mentioning that as I am writing this blog, it is 112 degrees out. Everything is changing. As young people, we want to think about other things, but this is getting real—and filmmakers have the tools to make a real difference. Do we want to be one of the ones who stuck their head in the sand or one of the ones who had the wisdom and courage to come to task. What a significant calling, to have within our grasps the tools that make it possible to become someone who can so profoundly and positively impact the future of our world. This is why I felt called to start the Conscious Media Movement. Media, which is associated with much destructiveness, can be used for the Good. We are not only talking about documentaries either. Conscious media needs to be included in all genres for it to work, and this can be applied to any screenplay you are already working on.

First action point, as a filmmaker, is to raise our own awareness. Read what organizations, such as the Club of Rome started by people who have the wisdom, intelligence, and conscience, to come up with strong solutions, suggest. We can't continue to use the same strategies we have always been using and expect anything to change. We will want to educate ourselves on the societal, economic and climate change problems and the important radically new solutions being presented by these thinkers.

At the same time, stay alert to the misinformation and corruption in the world. We need to be incredibly discerning. Much alleged information is “funded” by special interests. Also, take time regularly for contemplation and a practice such as meditation, qigong or tia chi and watch your thoughts and world change. The more conscious we become, the more we realize our connection to each other, to nature and all there is. We still see the issues and problems that we need to address, but we also see our commonalities. The more conscious we become the more love, compassion and connection we feel. There is a saying divide and conquer for a reason. It talks about a strategy used by people with an ulterior motive. All of this division in our country and around the world has been orchestrated and does not have, we, the people's best interest at heart. We are all in what is happening on our planet together, and only together can we hope to save ourselves in time. Filmmakers can help bring this about.

Now, how would you add conscious media to the screenplay you are working on, when that is not the focus of your story? Simple, add it to the everyday actions we need in stories anyway, to make a film feel real. People are influenced by what they see characters they enjoy do. We show characters cooking or shopping all the time—add to that showing these characters composting or instead of shopping, trading, or buying used, because they don't want to add to the landfill or use up more resources needed to constantly make these products we throw away far too soon. You can choose if you want to add a one-sentence comment on the topic or not. Show neighbors/communities getting together to encourage each other with a shift towards green living. Show people on the opposite ends politically finding their common threads and working together.

If you come up with an idea for a movie, fiction or non-fiction such as the incredible film, Don't Look Up! where the focus is any one or more of the challenges the world is facing or exposing misinformation, all the better. However, keep in mind that every genre lends itself to skillfully adding consciousness raising information to the backdrop of any story, inspiring consciousness, wisdom, new life sustaining habits and behaviors that will help to restore society and heal the planet. You have great power as a filmmaker. Use it well--as if our very lives depended on it.

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