Why am I here?

sol1313 — Fri, 04 May 2007 14:42:19 +0000

How did we get here? It was like a chain reaction! I found myself disappointed at what had become of OTL, and then "BAM!" just like that, Fable tells me, I did it! I focused all my energies and created us a new site. We'll see what happens. Here's the web address...

I knew exactly what would happen! See, there are 2 types of people in this world, those that inspire us to be our best, and those who make us want to run for the hills and hide in a cave. Fable (Marco) is the inspiring kind. So I knew it was only a matter of time before others would follow.

The great thing about being and "Inspirer" is that you attract either people who want to be Inspired or people who are Inspirers themselves. And so, this has become the haven for those with passion, and the desire to not just simply exist.

One of my favorite movies is "Pay it Forward." So many people have seen it, and were only slightly affected by it. For me it changed my life. What a simple concept! Do great deeds for others and ask them to repay you by helping someone else out when they really need it. Once again, we go back to a chain reaction. Eventually you'll run across an unexpected person who is willing to help you at the most unexpected moment. Brilliant!

So how do we apply that here? Simple, we have so many talents, so many strengths. We work together and create a place where collaboration is the heart and soul of our community. Granted, there are times when we must do things on our own, but everyone needs a little help sometime. So far I've seen nothing but selflessness here, and I am truly inspired to do great things. Just yesterday I was thinking of ways to create an online collaborated film, and then I though, Oh yeah! We're making a commercial! What else can we do? Write some scripts? Make some short films? The possibilities are endless.

So today, I challenge you. Do something great, something unexpected! Watch people's reactions and be happy for how far you've come and how far you are going to go. Because here, we are boundless, limitless and truly Inspired!

~Sol

Inspiring people one at a time.

Internal Memo to all of KarmaCritic.com

MelioraEric — Thu, 03 May 2007 17:02:11 +0000

***This is a reply to Marco's post: "KarmaCritic Public Enemy".***

Internal Memo: All KarmaKritters*
Subject: A Hemi Semi Demi Quaver's Worth of History on the Cultural "Elite"
Date: May 3rd, 2006
Time: 12:43PM

I think Hollywood has been the elite for so long...they like the power they wield. OTL isn't about giving filmmakers a chance at "living the dream". It's about ratings, like any TV show, and it's masked in the charity of "helping a colleague out." I use the word "colleague" very loosely as they (Hollywood) does not see us as such, for we are truly inferior to their awesome power. They are the ones who know what they are doing, and we're just a group of kids running around with our silly cameras, recording our silly friends do silly things. We couldn't possibly understand the sophisticated refinement of the classical art of such films as "Dude, Where's My Car?" or "Dumb and Dumber".

And the irony of it all is that this cultural elite was born from a group of rebels like us, trying to escape the gagging of an individual named Thomas Edison. Even though our dear Edison gets all the credit for the invention of filmmaking...he is not deserving of that credit. Two brothers from France are the inventors of a device that lead us to our modern day industry. The Lumiere Brothers came up with the moving projector before Edison. (Although, Max and Emil Skladanowsky made their Bioskope one month before Auguste and Louis Lumiere.)

But, I digressed, back to Edison. The story goes that many people were being persecuted and possibly even murdered by Edison's henchmen. So they escaped to California to make their own way. Edison tried to follow, but his power had been broken. He lost, and Hollywood California was born.

Now, fast forward to April 20th, 2007. As Marco has pointed out, this was OTL's day of reckoning. The gagging had begun all over again. True, this isn't the first time Hollywood has shunned filmmakers. After all, Nepotism reigns freely in the Hallowed Halls of Hollywood. As well as Ageism, and what I call "Unionism", and "PHd-ism". These special requirements such as being members of unions or having special "degrees" like A.S.C are means of control to keep themselves in, and everyone else out! So, yes, while this went on before April 20th, 2007 and will continue until their is a shift in power, their will be an uprising.

This uprising, "The New Hollywood", led by us KarmaKritters, can bring filmmakers back to the very foundations and principles that Hollywood was founded on. The trick is: we must not fall into the same trap. For when power and strength come, temptation to create a new "elite" is born anew.

So, what Strategic Planning can we, as KarmaKritters, develop in order to prevent this travesty from repeating itself? While not about movies, or media specifically, I reccomend all KarmaKritters read the book Blindsided by Jim Harris. We must figure out two things:

How to prevent ourselves from being "blindsided" and;
How to "blindside" our competition (Hollywood). Item two here is interesting for Hollywood isn't just our competition, but a force that must be reformed. I'm not against Hollywood, by any stretch of the imagination. Much like the Protestant Reformation, I do not wish to split off from the industry, but instead reform from within. Should this not be possible, we must be willing to pave a way for freedom (not of religious corruption, but for artistic expression).

We can do this. Let's figure out our "Party's Platform", our corporate "Business Plan", our "Strategic 'Battle' Plans"...whatever we want to call it. I challenge everyone to read the book I mentioned above, and let's discuss this. Maybe we can then combine to write our own book about this new social movement and what we hope to acheive. We can then publish it and lead others to the cause.

There is strength in numbers, and one lesson Hollywood has taught us...Conglomerates. Instead of hostile takesovers though, we are developing Synergy. We must combine our efforts. We cannot go it alone, and we must not ever give in to the temptation to take over each other.

So, there it is. My internal memorandum. Let's do this. Who's with me????

Eric Bumpus

*Note: The term KarmaKritters is a variation on a term coined by Dan Gadberry; "KarmaCritters".