So you may not know this, but I'm kind of in love with film. I'm sorry wait, let me rephrase that: I'm in love with the power that an image holds. Let me explain.
The first speculated "film" ever made was made to prove a point. In the 1800's there were a bunch of people fiddling around with photography and there wasn't quite "film " yet. One day, there were men with top hats and canes holding their monocles talking about horse racing. They began arguing over the way a horse runs. One man believed that when a horse runs, it always has to have one hoof on the ground. The other man believed that when a horse runs, all four hooves can come off of the ground at once. This became a big fiasco, of course,(a horse of course) so the man who believed that a horse could lift all 4 hooves at once decided to line up 16 cameras on a race track with trip lines attached to them. A horse ran through all 16 trip lines, which captured 16 pictures within 1 second. Upon looking at the pictures taken, you could clearly see that the horse had all four hooves above the ground at once. Victory was claimed! A vicious fist fight broke out! Monocles were smashed! Mustaches curled in fury! Haha, no just kidding. I'm being a bit dramatic. But! I believe that film can be used as a way to prove the truth. It can be used to expose, inform, enlighten, and fuel passion. This was way back in the 1800's bro! We've still got a ton of stuff to prove! Chop chop!
The first speculated "film" ever made was made to prove a point. In the 1800's there were a bunch of people fiddling around with photography and there wasn't quite "film " yet. One day, there were men with top hats and canes holding their monocles talking about horse racing. They began arguing over the way a horse runs. One man believed that when a horse runs, it always has to have one hoof on the ground. The other man believed that when a horse runs, all four hooves can come off of the ground at once. This became a big fiasco, of course,(a horse of course) so the man who believed that a horse could lift all 4 hooves at once decided to line up 16 cameras on a race track with trip lines attached to them. A horse ran through all 16 trip lines, which captured 16 pictures within 1 second. Upon looking at the pictures taken, you could clearly see that the horse had all four hooves above the ground at once. Victory was claimed! A vicious fist fight broke out! Monocles were smashed! Mustaches curled in fury! Haha, no just kidding. I'm being a bit dramatic. But! I believe that film can be used as a way to prove the truth. It can be used to expose, inform, enlighten, and fuel passion. This was way back in the 1800's bro! We've still got a ton of stuff to prove! Chop chop!
With great power comes great responsibility. Film, entertainment, and mass media in general have enough power to change morals, lifestyles, self-esteem, and the outlook we have on this world. And let me tell you, our society has taken advantage of this power. Let me give you an example. There was a study done in a small, undeveloped town in Africa. A United States organization installed TVs in every home of that town and tracked development within a span of a month. This town had never experienced television or any sort of media for that matter. At the end of one month, the entire town collectively had lost 40% of body weight....imagine. We, as U.S citizens have been fed 5,000 negative self-esteem based images a day. (That's a real statistic by the way. Throughout each day, one person will be exposed to 5,000+ images that will make one feel negative about their image). This is for both men and women. If you need even more perspective: I am 19 years old. This means that since I've been alive, I've been exposed to 34 million negative images which means I've roughly had 34 million negative thoughts about myself.
Our society is supposed to be the dream. It is supposed to rising in advancement and yet we are plummeting in self worth. I mean, we don't even realize it anymore because we are so numb to negativity, we just ingest and regurgitate-it's a never ending trap for us. It's so bad that when we introduce our media to a town who has never experienced 5,000 negative images a day, the entire town loses 40% of it's body weight.
Yes, some of you may think I am being dramatic or too depressing. Well I feel like I am being realistic. You either agree with what I'm saying because you have felt the effects of our society's images, or you are resisting the idea that this could actually be a thing. To those people: Maybe instead of wasting time standing up for the negative entertainment world, you should do some research.
I know, I'm being a little sassy and smart-assy right now, I apologize---but not really. I believe that in ANY situation, being aware is the first step in changing it. So I am just simply making you aware of a problem that has infected us since before we were born.
So! Now that I've made you utterly depressed, how do we change these horrible statistics??? How do we fix what is so deeply rooted in our subconscious. How do we stop something that is so insidious? Here are 3 suggestions.
1) Ummm stop playing right into society's hands, duh.
I am not here to declare what is morally right or wrong. That is up to the individual. But in my mind: If something is causing harm, then it is morally wrong. Simple as that. So: Don't buy a movie ticket to a film that is promoting sexual violence. Don't buy a movie ticket to a film that is sexualizing both men and women to the point where it will cause youth to grow up thinking that they must look like that in order to be valued or have some sort of worth in this world.
When you walk through a checkout line, don't buy that magazine that is offering you a brand new diet that will make you lose inches. Don't buy that playboy magazine that only portrays women as nameless sexual objects. This shapes your ideas and expectations of your future relationships that are simply unattainable. Sex is the 2nd largest industry in our world, right behind Drugs. And it's only because SEX SELLS. Sex sells because it is in demand. Our society exploits and raises the demand for sex by putting naked men and women all over magazines, billboards, benches, movies, etc. All of which we are buying and supporting.
These are just small examples, but you get the point. Whenever we buy something, we are telling society that this is something we support and would like to see more of. When we buy into what society is offering us, they will just keep on producing. Think about it. Playboy is one of the top selling magazines in the world. But if we took a stand, and consumers decided to not buy the product, the company would shut down because there is no longer a demand for it. If we don't go to a movie that has been advertised for as "the most scandalous and raunchy movie of the summer" and there are no ticket sales for that movie, society will be baffled. We will literally STUN the people in power because we did not let them decide for us who we are or who we want to be.
I'm ranting. Im sorry-not sorry.
2) Find your talent. What are you personally passionate about?
Believe it or not, you can make a difference. Right now, we are numb to the images around us but if we took a stand together and make those statistics drop-we've made a difference.
My passion is film---I know, I've been bashing it this whole blog post, but that's exactly why I am passionate about it. It holds so much power. It affects us from the moment we are born. It's been a disease in society for the most part. It has caused so much pain and self harm. Which is why I will use my talent as a filmmaker to change the negative images into positive ones. I will make art that causes people to think, change, and act rather than sit back and relax.
What are you passionate about? How can you use that passion to go against the grain? What is something you can do to combat those 5,000 negative images we receive a day? YOU hold so much power. Consumers control the market. We control what is sold to us. Tell society what you want. Tell society what you don't want. Simple as that. What do you want?
3) There are 5,000 Negative images you see a day......How bout throwing in some positive ones?
Put some kind words to yourself on your mirrors. Brighten up your living space with positive and uplifting works of art. Every time you catch yourself thinking a negative thought, have something in front of you that you can immediately shift your gaze to and tell yourself. You're basically dealing with a good and bad angel on your shoulders, you just have to give the good angel a fighting chance. Set a reminder on your phone that says you're awesome 5,000 times a day....haha just kidding but when you're out and about, you should have something on your phone or in your wallet to help you be at peace when you see negative imagery.
Here is a film that I made a long time ago. It's really nothing spectacular or groundbreaking but it outlines a little bit of what this blog post is about.
This all might sound cheesy and impossible. It may sound like a lost cause or a war that we've already surrendered to. But as far as I know, I haven't waved my white flag just yet. I'd rather fight as hard as I possibly can and go out with a bang before I give up. All I know is that it will be a lot easier if I have an army on my side to fight with.
I hope y'all decide to be different and be the change you want to see.