What would you choose to make a film about?
Posted on May 19th, 2008
by 
Heather Coffee
Heather Coffee
This is in Response to the Questions and Reflections for May 10, 2008:
I have two...
One would be how Pagans are neither the evil dark force for corruption that the media likes to portray us as (because that gets ratings), or the fluffy bunny airheads that many more open-minded people tend to imagine us to be. The film would show more of the reality of a life that is often just like everyone else except for an inseperable, personal relationship with the natural world and the belief in the immanent life force in all of Nature. The details and nuances are countless, but that is the heart of it. I'd want to make Pagans look mainstream enough to be listened to and respected, not only by our own.
The other film, another documentary although it could be done as a drama from the viewpoint of a core group of characters, it to portray to the world the difference of culture in the part of the world from which I hail, central Appalachia. To many poeple it is like stepping through a time portal when they visit, the cultural differences from most of America are so vast. Poverty, lack of education, and a general low standard of living are countered by a society that exemplifies craftsmanship, resourcefulness, and a sense of fmaily that are second to none. It's a tough balancing act for a film like this not to appear mocking or to play to people's sense of pity, which is not the purpose. The purpose is to promote understanding and awareness, to open the eyes of the public to something that exists right here in America. I'd like to help people see things of this sort from a different perspective. It might make them uncomfortable at first, but it would also make them think. And when people start thinking, that is when change occurs.
One would be how Pagans are neither the evil dark force for corruption that the media likes to portray us as (because that gets ratings), or the fluffy bunny airheads that many more open-minded people tend to imagine us to be. The film would show more of the reality of a life that is often just like everyone else except for an inseperable, personal relationship with the natural world and the belief in the immanent life force in all of Nature. The details and nuances are countless, but that is the heart of it. I'd want to make Pagans look mainstream enough to be listened to and respected, not only by our own.
The other film, another documentary although it could be done as a drama from the viewpoint of a core group of characters, it to portray to the world the difference of culture in the part of the world from which I hail, central Appalachia. To many poeple it is like stepping through a time portal when they visit, the cultural differences from most of America are so vast. Poverty, lack of education, and a general low standard of living are countered by a society that exemplifies craftsmanship, resourcefulness, and a sense of fmaily that are second to none. It's a tough balancing act for a film like this not to appear mocking or to play to people's sense of pity, which is not the purpose. The purpose is to promote understanding and awareness, to open the eyes of the public to something that exists right here in America. I'd like to help people see things of this sort from a different perspective. It might make them uncomfortable at first, but it would also make them think. And when people start thinking, that is when change occurs.
Access: Public
film
May 2008