THE BIG GATHERING

I have just completed shooting my first “Hollywood” movie – a big budget production for one of the major studios. Apart from all the expected and well-documented chaos, egos, excess and indulgence that is so inherent and rife within the industry, what I was very shocked to see was the way in which people were treated; the crews, the men and women on the floor that are making this film happen. There is this over-riding consciousness within the whole industry that the film is everything, that nothing is more important than the film and that it must be made and completed whatever the cost to those that are working on it. Under that umbrella pretty much anything can and does happen. Over and over these brilliant and dedicated people will be forced to work under extreme stress and insane hours to meet deadlines and the injustice in it all is that 99% of the time, these deadlines and ultimatums have only come about because of bad decision making at the highest level.

I often ponder how the film industry actually survives. The excess, waste, disorganisation and wanton indulgence in whims and egos would never be tolerated in a ‘normal’ company; money is haemorrhaged all over the place.

It’s an indescribably inefficient system that is propped up by this misguided illusion that it has some kind of higher purpose or value than any other manufactured product. That is the gateway through which the excess, irresponsibility and, at times gross behaviour of many is allowed to pass. Yet, the gigantic bubble that needs bursting is ‘what has film actually, truly delivered to humanity’?

If we are really honest about this, then the foundations on which the indulgence and abuse are built, would come tumbling down and the ‘excuses’ through which the people are treated so badly wouldn’t hold any water.

As with everything in life, we have to start making it about people first.

Film and TV is one of the most powerful forms of communication in the modern era; an incredible tool with which to connect to, support and evolve humanity. But it is a tool that is currently being used to entirely the opposite effect; with almost all of the content produced offering nothing more than pure escapism, indulgence and perpetuation of the status quo. And that is just the seemingly ‘harmless’ stuff, because there is also the ever-increasing and intensifying glorification and normalisation of violence, the sexualisation and demeaning of women, the aspiration of greed and supremacy, the promotion of illusion and glamour…the list is long.

Society is lost; everywhere you look you will see inequality, poverty, disease, excess, greed, corruption, abuse, disharmony; and so film and TV have an incredible opportunity and responsibility to try to address some of these issues.

We live in a supply and demand world and film-making is a high-cost business, so it is slave to the market forces and the demands of its audience and many a studio executive will just put the ticket receipt figures in front to of you and say “you see, this is what the people want to go and see”. And, in some cases, many cases, they may be right and it is their job is to make money so I understand the dilemma. However, I believe very strongly that the world is crying out for truth, that the world is crying out for true connection and for messages, teachings and inspirations that may open themselves up to a new way of being.

The glorious opportunity that film has is the fact that this doesn’t have to be delivered in some kind of worthy, art-house documentary; this can be delivered in an entertaining and absolutely commercial and fun package and so can reach literally millions of people in an incredibly short amount of time. This is a gigantic opportunity that is currently being totally missed. Anyone who holds such a powerful tool in their hands MUST accept the responsibility that comes with that.

Sometime in the future we will look back on this era of history and wonder in total bemusement how we managed to bastardise and abuse such an incredibly potent weapon of truth, support and inspiration, whilst all around us our brothers and sisters were struggling so deeply and painfully with the lives that they were living.

The moving image – whether it be on film, TV or social media has the power to change the world….cineastes often talk about their love of the “flickering light of the silver screen in a darkened room”…that is exactly what it could be …a lighthouse in the darkness, showing us all a truer way of being….

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OTTO BATHURST has been working in Film and Television all of his professional life. He started as a tea boy and worked his way up the ranks, learning the ropes on every level. Otto is now a director and the learning just keeps on coming. Except now it is less about the technical or creative and much more about his responsibilities. "Film, TV, Internet Media are all such potent and omni-present forms of communication, education and connection, yet almost all of the product that comes out of the industry is, at best, pure escapism and at worst, deeply abusive – in either form it is offering almost zero service to the evolution of humanity. We are in deep, deep trouble and we badly need help, inspiration, support and purpose. To be able to deliver that within the incredibly accessible and far reaching mediums of film and television is a right-now opportunity and gift that lays at the feet of any one of us who is making these moving images. I am blessed to be in a position from which I can reach millions and that is a responsibility that I am learning to take very seriously." 

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The use of media affects our health and well-being. We are influenced by what we read, for the better, or for the worse. There is thus a great responsibility for anyone in what they put out into the media, whether it be formal media such as written form, TV or radio, or whether it be on social media. People are always seeking opinions, facts and information and people tend to trust what they read on line. If incorrect information or biased information is published on line, this can affect people’s decisions, including decisions regarding their health care.

Peoples reputations can be affected by what is put out online about them, irreversibly so in this day and age where everything that is posted remains there eternally, effectively republished every day. Having lies spread about you and publicly so is very damaging for our mental health, with many suicides resulting from such affairs in both youth and adults. We need true integrity in those who publish in any form of media. We need to ensure that everything that is published is actually true and that no air time is given to lies and unfounded allegations. The notion of ‘balanced’ is simply a convenient excuse to give air time to lies. People believe what they read, and as our media are a source of turned-to information we all thus have a responsibility to ensure to our best possible ability that we are publishing only things that are true. Why publicise lies and unfounded allegations at all?

It unfortunately ought not need to be said, but does need saying that there is no room for abuse online. The online media is replete with people taking the opportunity to hurl abuse at another, including people they do not know, under cover of anonymity and lack of consequences. Abuse is not an appropriate use of freedom of speech, nor is the opportunity to defame, or lie about someone with impunity or spread baseless gossip. We must apply basic standards of dignity, decency and respect when writing online, as is appropriate in ordinary social settings. Abuse harms, and there need to be consequences for harming people.

Media is an amazing tool for connecting people, for bringing people true information, facts and a true picture of what is going on. Our media is there to be used to bring truth to people, and thus we need to regulate the entire industry based on premise of truth, with the application of a true concern for the well-being of people when things are published.

Our Media is an extension of our day to day communications. There is no more need for anonymity on the internet than there is anonymity in day to day communications. If you have something to say, say it under your own name, and accept the consequences for your actions. We need to eliminate anonymity from the internet and bring it into our day to day operations of society, governed by the same laws of consequences if harm is brought to another through one’s actions.

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Have we ever asked the question what kind of society we live in, that endorses violent and degrading visions of women’s and men’s bodies and presents this in such a prominent and pervasive place on our screens and in our media?

Through the Media we created a feedback loop of abuse that chronically and pervasively objectifies the body, which fosters two-dimensional human desires and imposes them on our three-dimensional reality. But not only are we squeezing ourselves into the flat standards of an image that forces us to trade Botox and Silicone as a higher good of eternal youth, we are furthermore undermining the fact we are multi-dimensional and the superficiality pleasures are short-lived in comparison to the depth that is in us all

Why did we accept to be role modelled by the superficial two dimensions and an industry that sophisticated the exploitation of harming gender stereotypes as their marketing strategy?

The Media is a reflection of the standards we accept as humanity we live in and it is the individual’s responsibility to foster our collective accountability.

If we were to make love the foundation of our human interaction our gender stereotypes will be replaced by equality, integrity and responsibility.

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The media holds a position of great power and responsibility in societies the world over. They have the opportunity and means to inform the world of important events, stories of great endeavours, and stories of great loss or injustice. They have the power to be the canary in the coal mine warning us of lifestyle trends that are making us ill, or corruption that is deceiving or misleading us. Equally the media can herald and showcase news of a new way in life that can offer what we all truly desire, love, joy and a purposeful life.

Are the media living up to the responsibility they have? Are they exercising their power wisely to bring true lasting change to the world? On the whole the answer would have to be a resounding “no” as they on a daily basis continue to let their fellow brethren down with stories of miracle diets, meaningless celebrity misadventures, dogs that smile and perpetual small talk. The media has everything they need to be a force for true change in a world that desperately needs that, but instead for the most part what we see is bland trivialisation that is devoid of true meaning, and certainly does not empower humanity.

But “the media” isn’t a giant group of people who got together and said, let’s plan to write articles, or film events that are trivial at best, misleading and dishonest at worst. They didn’t get together and plan to be biased based on who their mates are, or what story they personally wanted to promote. They didn’t join hands and say “let’s go to college and learn how to make a living by writing stories advertisers love”.

The illusion of the media is that the power is in the hands of media conglomerates, newspapers and TV stations. But it isn’t. The power of the media is in the hands of each person who choose to write, or film, or photograph.

The power of the media is the power of each person to be the representative of humanity and report with depth and understanding about events big and small, always knowing the responsibility they have to the world and everyone in it. That power has been put aside, and it is well past time that anyone who chooses to work in the media claims it back and in that knows they are a representative of the world.

For the people of the media, their job is to be a leading light, a harbinger of truth, a bell that will not stop ringing offering truth and evolution to a world that sorely needs it. The time has come for true media to return.

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