Blog

A recent article in Bloomberg says that Netflix is shifting it’s strategy from streaming Hollywood content to producing it’s own. Likewise, Hollywood is becoming reluctant to sell to Netflix. In the article’s words:

The media companies have been sending a message that they hope to sell fewer of their TV series to Netflix, which they now believe is bad for their business. Not coincidentally, Netflix has been sending its own message that it won’t plunk its money down to buy just any old junk programming. It has been a verbal sparring match over which side is less reliant on the other.

It’s clear what’s going on to anyone who has read Who Owns the Future? by Jaron Lanier – studios and Netflix are competing to see whose service will own a monopoly on the market – what Lanier calls a “siren server” – the way that iTunes monopolizes music, and Amazon monopolizes books.

For the individual filmmaker, this is good and bad. While many marketplaces allow unknown creators to distribute in ways not possible before, others are notorious for underpaying artists.

Thankfully, distribution is as democratizing as much as filmmaking. Just as anyone can make a film, anyone can publish and sell it online.

The challenge is going to be connecting connecting with audiences (which has always been the challenge, really). You’re going to see more films get made because they serve a community, rather then studios trying to get communities to serve their films.

Data will play a huge role in this. Services like Netflix can target niche audiences in a way not possible before. For the individual filmmaker, it might be wise to differentiate yourself and own a niche, rather then trying to be all things to all people.

–

If you’re interested in the future of film…

Further reading:

• Who Owns the Future? by Jaron Lanier
• Average is Over: Powering America Beyond the Age of the Great Stagnation by Tyler Cowen
• Hope For Film: From the Frontline of the Independent Cinema Revolutions by Ted Hope

–

Read more: Standout Film from the Austin Film Festival 2015

This November, I attended Vanguard, a weekend intensive of man-skills and training put on by Atomic Athlete at a ranch just above Austin, TX.

I should preface this all by saying I am not naturally gifted in survival skills. I spend most of my time indoors in front of a computer. However, I think it’s important to learn a basic understanding these skills, and that the mindset gained from them translates to other areas of life.

The topics covered included:

• Butchering & preparing animals for meat
• Rifle training
• Handgun training
• Self-defense Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training
• Trauma medical care
• Obstacle-course run
• Rappelling
• A talk on the legal realities of using force

There was also a lot of camping out in the cold, hiking, drinking beer, talking by the campfire, and a big feast of delicious meat killed and cleaned earlier that day. All in all, a weekend well-spent.

Here’s the skill by skill breakdown:

Butchering Animals

If you’re going to eat meat, you should know what goes into it. The process of humanly killing animals we were shown involved stunning them (yes, with a hammer, like in the picture) and then slitting the throat. If that makes you uncomfortable, you should probably go vegan.

The farm owner leading the class described his goal as to have happy animals with one bad day. I felt a bit queasy beforehand, mostly because I was concerned we’d do it wrong and cause unnecessary harm to the animal. Thankfully, each kill was swift, and the process went well.

Rifle & Handgun

I went into the weekend having never shot a gun, and was nervous as hell beforehand. I mean, you can kill people with these things, right? Thankfully, the instructors walked us through everything from how to draw and hold your gun with proper stance to more advanced drills.

This demystified guns for me. I noticed the process of gun training is very similar to learning any other skill, from barbell movements to martial arts. I could see how, with committed training, one could go from civilian to soldier.

Most of the other participants had not only shot before, but brought their own guns. However, there were several other newbies there. By the end, there were no nerves, just fun.

Self-Defense Brazilian Jui-Jitsu

I had already trained in Krav Maga, so this section came most naturally. Plus, martial arts is just fun.

It was interesting to see where Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu differs from Krav. Most Krav is designed to be easy to execute under pressure, so they’d have the first half of a Jiu-Jitsu response and then go to punches, whereas Jiu-Jitsu would execute a more complex grapple to go to ground.

The nice thing about Jiu-Jitsu however is that it’s easier to deescalate a situation. There was one move we were shown in particular that could easily stop a fight before it happens.

Again, the drills covered took people from total basics to things even those already skilled in martial arts could practice.

Emergency Medical Care

I hope I never have to use these skills, but I’m going to be most thankful I know them if I do have to use them. Trauma medical care included CPR, and tourniquets for serious wounds.

I learned that CPR no longer requires you to “tongue-fuck a stranger” as our instructor put it – just do the compressions. The insturctors had some helpful ways for remembering the correct pace for compressions – apparently the 100 BPM of “Another One Bites The Dust” or “Stay’in Alive” is exactly the right for giving those 2-inch pushes on.

This section may be the least flashy, but the most useful in an emergency. The EMTs teaching the class were incredibly knowledgeable, grounded, and presented the skills in a memorable way.

Rappelling

I didn’t think much about the rappelling… till I got up there. Then I noticed my body really didn’t like the idea of stepping off a four story ledge.

The interesting thing about rappelling is there’s no safety mechanism. You hold the rope behind you back and if you left go, you just fall all the way to the ground. The key is to let go a little bit and allow yourself to fall slowly. You literally have your life in your hands.

There’s something really freeing about this. Most activities have a lot of safety built in. Doing something like rappelling builds a lot of self-trust, because you see you can handle things totally on your own. It’s your hands that decide what happens to you.

Overview

One thing that stands out at Vanguard is the quality of people. Many of the participants were former military, EMTs, martial artists, and gym-goers. They were people who enjoy pushing themselves physically and learning new skills. There were no complainers. People had a great attitude, and built each other up. If nothing else, it’s worth going for that.

Another thing that impressed me was range of training. They managed to find drills and activities that challenged everyone, from the total newbie like me, to experienced people with military training.

If you’re someone who isn’t familiar with survival skills, this event would make a good introduction. If you’re familiar with one or two of the topics covered, there is bound to be new information in one of the classes. Even most of the trainers were only experts in their skill and benefited from the other areas of training.

Plus… it’s one weekend. Where else are you going to pick up this many new skills in two nights? If any of the above sounds like something you’d want to learn, this is the place to do it.

All photos courtesy Atomic-Athelete. Disclosure: I have trained at Atomic Athlete, and know the organizers personally. They’re great guys, and I wouldn’t write about the experience if I didn’t like them.

–

P.S. I made a short film that deals with survivalism in the media. It’s kind of a funny story. You can watch it here.

Read More: Standout Films from the Austin Film Festival 2015

Over the course of editing the Angel City Zen Center footage, I found several side–clips. Among them was an extended series of stories and observations from Kevin Bortolin, that blended personal experience and zen teaching.

If you’d like to hear Kevin’s stories on Zen, watch below.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

—

If you’d like to donate to Angel City Zen Center, please do so here.

Watch More: Zen Students Explain Their Practice

While editing the Angel City Zen Center interviews, I found many stand-alone clips that Angel City Zen Center has been sharing on their YouTube channel over the past month.

Recently, I posted the interviews with Zen author Brad Warner. What follows are the interviews with the actual members of Angel City Zen Center.

If you’d like to know why people take up Soto Zen, and the impact Zen can have in people’s lives, watch below.

Why Soto Zen

Zen’s Unique Way

Zen and Community

Zen Retreats

Zen and Martial Arts

Zen and No Levels

—

If you appreciate this work, please donate to Angel City Zen Center here.

Watch More: Brad Warner on Zen, and How Books Really Change Lives

After the film I edited, Terrible Love, premiered at the Austin Film Festival in 2014, I decided to come back again this year for the Austin Film Festival 2015. A few of the standout films I’ve seen that are worth sharing and discovering include:

Keep in Touch

AFF Description:

Recently out of prison, a disillusioned man looks to reconnect with his past and create a new future. After discovering that his “first love” died in a tragic accident many years ago, he stumbles upon her younger sister online. He soon develops an obsession with her that quickly turns into a relationship, but secrets about who he really is may threaten his hope for a better life.

This is an impressive film. The film manages to make a stalker character likable, heartfelt, and a person you’re rooting for. Moments that you think will be a one off jokes become conversational threads the filmmakers come back to and reveal their characters through. Tangents and ambient framing devices move from the background to the foreground of the story and tie together in unexpected ways.

There are lot of films about people on a journey of self discovery, but few are as brilliantly constructed or make choices as bold as this one. This film is unique in a way it’s difficult of a synopsis or poster to convey. If you’re going to see one indie stalker self-help romance, make it this one.

Sympathy for the Devil: The True Story of the Process Church of the Final Judgement

AFF Description:

There exists a long list of conspiracy theories surrounding The Process Church of the Final Judgment, a group accused of being the inspiration for Charles Manson, influencing the assassination of Bobby Kennedy, and being the root of the infamous Son of Sam serial killings – Only now, former members reveal the truth about the misunderstood group once dubbed ‘One of the most dangerous Satanic cults in America.

I’m a sucker for cult movies – the weird group dynamics, the bizarre rituals, the occult beliefs… When it comes to cults, this movie has it all, right down to the cult’s husband-wife founders meeting when they were auditing each other in Scientology.

What I love about this film is that none of the former members seem to have any interest in condemning the Process Church. Yes, it was a bit strange, but they had a lot of fun doing it, and some of them even got something out of it. A few people even told me after the screening, they’d consider joining if the cult was still around. It made me want to learn more about the group, which is the best thing you can say of a documentary.

Told in blaring rockumentary style, both the film and it’s subject matter make no apologies for their shocking presentation. Like the group itself, the film is willing to laugh and admit “isn’t this all a bit ridiculous?” – while still putting on a damn good show.

Newcomer

AFF Description:

After a private defense operation goes horribly awry, a new recruit with unparalleled determination is blamed for it and finds himself on the run. Halfway across the world and with no safety net, he happens upon a reluctant ally and his abilities are put to a life-and-death test. He must piece together the truth by re-creating the events of the ill-fated mission with only the audio recording to guide him. As the puzzle proves more complicated and sinister than he imagined, the lines between right and wrong become increasingly blurred, and he must make decisions with consequences he may not be prepared to handle.

Newcomer is pure minimalist thriller filmmaking. We never know the details of who this spy organization is or what they’re fighting for. What we do know from the first frame onward is the determination of our main character, and his meticulous attention to detail – an attention shared by the filmmakers. Most of the story is told without dialogue. Even the protagonist’s attempts to put events together in his mind is shown through visualized flashbacks in a way I haven’t seen done in any other film.

If you like spy movies, this one is the real thing. It will be hard to go back to mainstream action filmmaking, after seeing what is possible with Newcomer.

—

I discovered the Austin Film Festival last year, when the film I edited called Terrible Love premiered at the Austin Film Festival, and won the Narrative Feature Audience Award. If you’d like to check out the trailer for that film, click here.

Watch More: Terrible Love Trailer

In my last post, I looked at whether Trump and the Republican Presidential candidates are likable by screenplay standards. In this one I’ll be looking at the two major democratic candidates – Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders – and evaluating if they would be likable by the standards of a screenplay.

I reminder readers that this has nothing to do with whether or not any candidate would actually make a good President. In my first post on what makes likable characters, I described the stoner leads from Pineapple Express as likable, but I wouldn’t vote for them. This is just a thought experiment, to see what political narratives look like through the lens of screenwriting rules.

What Makes a Character Likable?

In my first post on what makes a character likable, I laid out Eric Edson’s criteria from The Story Solution:

1. Courage
2. Unfair Injury
3. Skill
4. Funny
5. Just Plain Nice
6. In Danger
7. Loved By Friends And Family
8. Hard Working
9. Obsessed

To be likable, a character only needs a majority – 5 out of 9 traits.

Let’s see how the candidates stack up.

Is Hillary Clinton Likable by Screenplay Standards?

I’m going to come back to skill, but the others are pretty clear:

• Courage – No. Hillary hasn’t made any stands that require courage in her party.
• Unfair Injury – No. Hillary has establishment support.
• Funny – No.
• Just Plain Nice – No.
• In Danger – No.
• Loved By Friends And Family – No. There are hints Bill Clinton doesn’t fully support her.
• Hard Working – No.
• Obsessed – Yes. Hillary is clearly obsessed with political victory.

Skill should be an easy one for Hillary, given her history of skillful political maneuverings. However the recent email scandal shows a lack of skill.

It would actually be worse for Hillary if her email server was an honest mistake rather than an attempt to illegally hide her communications, because an honest mistake would show a lack of political and technological skill.

Hillary would actually be more likable if she positioned herself as a Frank Underwood style power-hungry politician who had the skill to hide her misdeeds from the federal government. Right now, it just looks like she doesn’t even have the skill to keep what she considers a non-issue from becoming a major news story.

But even if she had skill, Hillary doesn’t meet the criteria to be likable by screenplay standards. That may partially explain why despite having massive resources and political connections, she is losing in every poll to Bernie Sanders.

Is Bernie Sanders Likable by Screenplay Standards?

I’m come back to courage and unfair injury, because I think they may be a bit more complex in Sander’s case.

• Funny – No. Sanders is pretty serious.
• Just Plain Nice  Yes. Sanders actually said he was tired of hearing about the email scandal of his biggest political opponent, and sought common ground with the students who disagreed with him at Liberty University.
• In Danger – No.
• Loved By Friends And Family – I don’t know anything about his family, but I’ll say yes here, based on the massive support he has from his community.
• Hard Working – Yes. Sanders has been working on civil rights issues for decades.
• Obsessed – Yes. Sanders has been been working on civil rights issues for decades.

Not bad – 4 out of 6. But what about Courage, Unfair Injury, and Skill?

I initially I might have said yes on Courage, since Sanders has positioned himself as the guy willing to stand up to the big banks, and turned down donations from interests he doesn’t want to be beholden to. However, Bernie failed to stand up to #BlackLivesMatter when they shut down his speech in Seattle pushed him off his own stage.

Tell me, does Sander’s body language strike you as courageous here?

You could argue by giving them the stage, Sanders was being Just Plain Nice, but Sanders was already nice. No one would have thought him otherwise if he’d told the activists to wait until his speech was finished. An image like the one above makes Sanders look like he lacks the courage to stand up to powerful interests of any kind.

• Courage – No. When put under pressure, Sanders folded.

You might think Sanders political positions are courageous, but he hasn’t demonstrated those through action yet. I don’t have a photo as vivid as the one above showing Sanders being courageous. When it comes to storytelling actions and images matter more then words. We have to see the character do something brave, not just talk about it.

For Unfair Injury, Sanders has no early disadvantages to overcome, however like Trump, the media has consistently refused to cover him and covered him unfairly when they do. This graphic which made the rounds on social media sums it up well:

When the media describes Sanders and Trump as outsiders, they never define what they are outsiders to. Sanders has been in politics for over thirty years, and Trump is a billionaire. Neither of these men are outsiders they way you and I are. What they are outsiders to is the media and political establishment. Like Trump, the media has made Sanders more likable by their unfair treatment of him.

• Unfair Injury – Yes. Sanders has been mistreated by the media and political establishment.

Note that Sanders would not be likable by storytelling standards, if he wasn’t made an outsider by the media. The media actually made Sanders likable.

Whether or not you believe Sanders has Skill depends a lot on your political beliefs. The biggest criticism of Sanders proposals is that they are a socialist schemes which won’t work. If Sanders can demonstrate that his proposals will work, and that he has the skill to pull them off, he’ll be significantly more likable.

I won’t claim to have the political insight to know whether or not that is the case. However, unlike Trump, who has shown skill and business, and Hillary, who has shown some previous skill in politics (though not in her recent scandals), Sanders hasn’t demonstrated his skill yet.

• Skill – I’m going say no for now, with the possibility that Sanders could turn it around.

If I was advising his campaign based on this list, I’d tell them to throw significant resources behind making people believe Sanders is a master of political accomplishment, and seek out ways to demonstrate courage in the public’s mind.

Still, at five out of nine, Sanders is likable by screenplay standards, and significantly ahead of his primary competition.

Could the Candidates Win Against Trump?

The comparative liability of each candidate by screenplay standards matches the polls.

The media has repeatedly said Hillary will win and the party should just skip the debates and give the nomination to her, but every time they do, they actually just make Sanders more likable.

Based on this theory, a Trump vs. Hillary matchup would mean a landslide in favor of Trump. Sanders stands a fighting chance only if he can demonstrate some serious skill and courage before the vote.

However, Trump is systematically working to improve his likability. Expect him to work to demolish his opponents likability as well.

Remember, a candidates likability has nothing to do with whether or not they would make a good President. However, storytelling principles have a direct effect on who wins the election.

How we tell stories actually determines who becomes President.

—

Many thanks to the kind words Scott Adams shared about the my last post. It was inspired by his writing, so if you enjoy these posts, you’ll love his blog.

When you’d like a break from excitement of politics, perhaps you’d like to visit a meditation center? Fortunately, my old zen group is trying to build one in Los Angeles right now. You can learn more about it, and donate here.

Coincidentally, I edited the video for their campaign.

—

Read More: Is Trump A Likable Character By Screenplay Standards?

Scott Adam’s recent post suggesting Trump may be using screenwriting principles to engineer his campaign, got me thinking – can a Presidential candidates be evaluated like screenplay characters?

Much of the language used in politics is similar to storytelling. If media is about creating narratives, then how likable political characters are could have a direct impact on their campaign.

This has nothing to do with whether or not Trump or any of the other candidates would make a good President. In my first post on what makes likable characters, I said Ebaneezer Scrooge is a likable character, but I certainly wouldn’t vote for him. This is just a thought experiment, to see if screenwriting principles apply to political narratives.

What Makes a Character Likable?

In my first post on what makes a character likable, I laid out Eric Edson’s criteria from The Story Solution:

1. Courage
2. Unfair Injury
3. Skill
4. Funny
5. Just Plain Nice
6. In Danger
7. Loved By Friends And Family
8. Hard Working
9. Obsessed

To be likable, a character only needs a majority – 5 out of 9 traits.

Test this list on your favorite film characters and see how they score. Try it on anti-hero characters you like. Try it on characters you don’t like. So far I haven’t found a popular film or television hero it doesn’t work on.

This list explains why seemingly mean or “unlikable” anti-heroes are so frequently featured in modern media. Most people don’t consider Trump “nice” – but neither are the anti-heroes that populate HBO shows and dark R-rated films. Nice and likable are not the same thing.

How Likable Is Trump?

I’m going to start with the skill, because I think courage and unfair injury may be a bit more complex in Trump’s case.

• Skill – Yes. Trump is an incredibly skillful business man.
• Funny – Yes. Trump frequently rebuff’s his opponents with funny lines, like telling Megyn Kelly he’s only made fun of Rosie O’Donald, or saying to Jeb Bush “more energy tonight, I like that.”
• Just Plain Nice – No.
• In Danger – No.
• Loved By Friends And Family – Yes. Trump frequently appears with his family, all of whom support his campaign, and are attractive and accomplished in their own right.
• Hard Working – Yes.
• Obsessed – Yes.

That alone is 5 out of 9 – enough to be a likable character. But what about the last two – Courage and Unfair Injury?

Initially, I thought no on both of them. Trump seems driven more by ego than courage, and he had no unfair injury growing up. However, when Trump began his campaign, he was attacked by the media and written off by them. Trump has frequently complained that the media and the Republican establishment have not treated him fairly.

There is a screenwriting principle that if you’re going to have an edgy or morally ambiguous hero, you need to have an even worse villain who is even more unlikable. Ex: Batman might be a dark knight, but the joker is completely insane.

In the media, Trump has his worse villain. If you buy Trump’s narrative, the media and political establishment’s treatment of him constitutes unfair injury, and his standing up to them and their political correctness requires courage. So –

• Courage – Yes. Standing up to media and political establishment.
• Unfair Injury – Yes. Unfair treatment by media and political establishment.

Did you catch that? The media has actually made Trump more likable.

You don’t need to buy this interpretation to consider Trump likable by the other criteria, but it’s not a stretch to say that the media has become so powerful and so unlikable, that being attacked by them and standing up to them will raise any candidates profile.

If that idea causes too much cognitive dissonance, try imagining the opposite. What if the media loved Trump, and Trump was able to passively ride their support? Wouldn’t that make him less likable?

How Likable Are The Other Candidates?

Again, I remind you – being a likable screenplay character doesn’t make someone a good choice for President. Ebaneezer Scrooge is a likable character. But being likable certainly doesn’t hurt. Compare Trump to the candidate the Republican establishment has been pushing for – Jeb Bush:

• Courage – No.
• Unfair Injury – No.
• Skill – No.
• Funny – No.
• Just Plain Nice – Yes.
• In Danger – No.
• Loved By Friends And Family – No. His family has given little public support, his mother has said he shouldn’t run, and he’s losing in his home state.
• Hard Working – No. “Low-energy.”
• Obsessed – No.

Yikes! The best you can say about Jeb is that he isn’t intentionally mean.

What about Ben Carson?

Admittedly, I know less about him then I do the other candidates, but we’re evaluating the candidates like a movie character. You don’t know every little thing about a movie character, only what happens when the cameras are rolling. So take this not as an evaluation of him as a person, but as a character in the media.

• Courage – Maybe, but I haven’t seen it.
• Unfair Injury – Yes. Growing up black in Detroit likely put him at a significant social disadvantage compared to the other Republican candidates.
• Skill – Yes. Neurosurgeon.
• Funny – No.
• Just Plain Nice – Yes. Even Trump says he’s a really nice guy.
• In Danger – No.
• Loved By Friends And Family – Yes. Loved by his community.
• Hard Working – Yes. Again, neurosurgeon.
• Obsessed – Doesn’t seem like it. Retired as neurosurgeon at the height of his skill.

So again that’s 5 out of 9 – unfair injury, skill, just plain nice, loved by friends and family, and hardworking. Carson is likable by movie standards.

Where he could stand to improve is being funnier and more courageous. Carson seems very serious and soft spoken in every appearance I’ve seen him make. If he got people laughing and was willing to stand up to powerful interests in a public way, he could be more likable by screenplay standards.

Storytelling Principles Apply to Politics

So Jeb Bush 1/9, Ben Carson 5/9, and Trump 7/9 on the screenplay likability scale.

Doesn’t that reflect where they stand in the polls right now?

Screenwriting and storytelling principles go way beyond movies. They actually determine who we choose as our President.

—

By the way, if you like deconstructing the news and seeing behind the media’s narrative, you may also like the short documentary I made, My Dad & The Drudge Report.

—

Read More: What Makes A Character Likable?