The 7 Step Formula To Almost Every Documentary I’ve Ever Seen

March 5, 2012

I’ve seen a lot of documentaries over the years. After awhile they all start to run together and you begin to pick out patterns. And with a few exceptions, I don’t like what I see.

If you’re wanting to truly influence people and change the world in some meaningful way, I am wholly unconvinced this normal template for almost every single doc I’ve ever seen is really the best.

Here’s the normal doc template in 7 steps, as experienced by Greg:

1. Start out with a few seconds of each of the several talking heads you’re going to feature in more detail later on in the doc. Try to include someone famous and respected so you can put their name on the title credits, even if you disagree with what they’re saying (like Noam Chomsky).

2. Establish the “problem” – clearly stated. Intersperse cuts from some old 1950′s movie or classroom educational piece to hold audiences attention in between talking heads.

3. It didn’t used to be like this. Better times were had before. “So how did we get from there to where we are today?” Cue history part of the show. Include even more 1950′s black and white bits, maybe some stuff from an old horror movie when you want to jokingly refer to something as “scary” etc. Maybe begin some type of half-ass cinematic sequence we can refer back to later to create the illusion we’re telling an interesting “story”

4. Take us on a lackluster romp through history as it pertains to our topic. Do lots of History Channel-like panning over still photos. Ken Burns effect crap. Some archival footage from these older times, if it exists. Forgettable voiceover.

5. Now we’re back up to the present day. Few more talking heads shots. “So what can we do about this?” Now let’s talk about possible SOLUTIONS, or if we’re really biased, we’ll only talk about our one favorite pet solution and make it look as good as possible, never (or seldom) mentioning any negatives.

6. The “Yay we can do it!” part of the show. Cue inspirational, upbeat music. Cue talking heads saying a bunch of crap you’re not really listening to at this point because they could be saying anything and it would sound good when combined with the background music. Show lots of vague shots of people coming together and singing around the campfire type stuff. Maybe some smiling children recovering from disease holding American flags, blah blah blah.

7. “It’s up to you” – call to action. Usually some flavor of “call your congressman” or “go to some website” – FUCKING YAWN, DUDE! WTF!!! That shit NEVER helps anything! Cut to black credits and continue playing happy music. la la dee fucking da

THE END! Woohoo! Win awards at film festivals and pretend like you’re making a difference in the world! Yay!

Except nothing changes. Rinse. Wash. Repeat.

So what’s the alternative?

I’m dreaming up something more revolutionary. I keep thinking of that Pink Floyd movie “The Wall” and wanting to create something like that in a doc, but obviously something that will make SENSE to the average dude. I’m thinking about combining The Wall with what Michael Moore used to do that made him so famous. If it’s done right, that could make some real waves worth talking about.

I think you have to be relentless, uncompromising, unfair, and artsy to the extent you know what people are really thinking and you bring that out in your work graphically to keep their attention – and deal with objections much like a good salesman would do. That way you can be biased with your topic, but still cover the other bases to create the illusion of fairness. Unanswered questions at the end equals less persuasion.

Making your documentary along the 7 steps I described above is just lazy. Where are the new ideas, the innovation, the creativity? There’s a little out there, but not nearly enough.


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Topics: Film and Photography | 2 Comments »

Are Politicians Stupid… Or Is The Joke On Us?

December 2, 2011

How many times have we all heard from someone who calls government actions “stupid”?

They say government-created lending institutions were a “dumb” idea; FEMA’s waste of half a trillion dollars after hurricane Katrina was due to “ineptitude”; the war in Iraq is “idiotic”; the state-controlled educators are “incompetent”; the military is “mismanaged”; the subsidy of ethanol is “a colossal failure”; the Fed is “foolishly” inflating; the welfare system “doesn’t work”; the immigration department “can’t do its job”; the war on drugs is a “failure”; and so on.

Be that as it may, perhaps we’re asking the wrong questions.

Consider this: Over the past 40 years, members of the House of Representatives have enjoyed an average re-election rate of 94%! In the last few elections, they have enjoyed a re-election rate of 97%!

What is stupid about that?

Obviously, politicians are not wasting a dollar on mismanaging anything. Government is designed to serve the people IN it, and for that purpose it works great. The public gets fleeced, cheated, punished, and crushed, but that’s just a side effect.

The favor-trading process, in which special interests fund campaign coffers in exchange for pet legislation, is a form of unnatural selection that weeds out those who are unwilling or incapable of predictable, reliable and discreet power brokerage, which is a rare, delicate skill. People who can rob their fellow citizens blind, throw their money down rat holes, plague them with endless rules and punishments and simultaneously get their victims to confer upon them society’s highest level of respect are in some intuitive way, geniuses.

Members of Congress may be short-sighted, dishonest, corrupt, pragmatic, hypocritical, immoral or amoral, but they are not stupid. They know exactly how to influence voters, hand out tax stolen money and manipulate the political system to enhance their personal, social, and financial status while making it look as if they are upstanding citizens trying their gol-darndest to provide services.

And the public buys it.

So… which group is stupid?

Until this crony system of control is shattered, electing your favorite politicians each time will just be like loading a different bullet into the same gun, sighing “I hope this one doesn’t kill so bad.”


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Tags: congress, corruption, elections, government, political campaigns, political system, politicians, power

Topics: Politics | No Comments »

Is The United States Still The Best Country In The World?

November 30, 2011

Ask most people this question nowadays and they’re likely to scoff and act like you’re an idiot for even bringing up the issue.

“OF COURSE it’s not!” they’ll protest, “Just look at ____” and then they’ll rattle off whatever their favorite Utopias are they’ve read about recently. “We’ve GOT to do something about this,” they’ll add and proceed to explain how if people weren’t so damn “greedy”, we’d be able to pull through this “together” etc etc.

To add insult to injury, a group called Mercer just published their 2011 Quality of Living Survey results, showing the absolute best (and worst) places to live in the world.

But you would have to go all the way down to #29 to find your first U.S. city, which is Honolulu, Hawaii. Even our beloved New York, the great American powerhouse, ranks a pathetic #47.

Most other websites looking at this report would start going into all the statistics, economics and political differences that make for a great place to live.

I’m not going to do that.

Instead, there is a much more simple way to gauge whether the United States is still for you, or whether you should consider taking your business to greener pastures – like some of my wealthier friends have started to do.

When you ask, “Greg, is the U.S. still the best?” Here is my honest answer:

I’m still here. We got a ton of problems but nothing that can’t be fixed, eventually. Problem is, I don’t want to be the freest, happiest 90 year old, I want it now :) We all need it now, because we have to consider our life span. What’s most important in a country is how well you think you can achieve the things you value. We still live in a place where I think its possible for me, but that may change. The moment it changes and you no longer think you can get what you want, it’s time to go somewhere else.

Changing human nature ain’t gonna happen. And changing society takes more time than most of us have got. But you CAN change your personal circumstances if they don’t suit you, by voting with your feet to a place that allows you to be a happier more fulfilled person.


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Tags: happiness, living conditions, personal choices, personal responsibility, politics, united states

Topics: Philosophy | No Comments »

What Does Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness Really Mean??

July 16, 2011

I’m sure that you, like me, were introduced to U.S. History and the Declaration of Independence in a very BORING way, probably by a very BORING teacher who droned on and on about the confusing language of dusty old documents written by a bunch of ugly guys who died long ago.

This sort of thing eventually led you to roll your eyes and zone out anytime someone started talking about things like “government”, “freedom” and all that stuff.

Don’t. Not this time.

You see, I used to be just like that. I used to not care about ideas of government, took any notion of freedom for granted and hated the very idea of politics and wanted to avoid it at all costs. That stuff was for “other people” to complain and bicker about while I just tried to get on with living life and having fun.

All of this began to change when I seriously got into business for myself and started to make my own money. And all of it permanently changed when I began to see with my own eyes how powerful these ideas are – how the right ideas can uplift you to the highest pleasures of your existence – or the wrong ones can utterly destroy your soul and will to live.

And even worse – there are people out there right now at this very moment, hard at work dedicating their time to ensure your soul is crushed and your will to live is numbed so you just don’t care anymore.

That, my reader, is evil.

I’ll do whatever I can to stop it. Not for your sake, but for mine. Because it makes me feel alive and happy to live surrounded by other other people who also feel alive and happy.

The whole thing starts with ONE IDEA: knowing (and understanding!) your rights.

FIRST AND FOREMOST… you have a right to your own life. Sounds simple at first but this means a whole lot of different things. The right to your own life is the only fundamental right – and all other rights are based on this one.

It means you have the right to do everything in your power to PRESERVE and ENJOY your life to the fullest extent. I’m sure you’ve heard many young women (and some guys too) say they want to “live life to the fullest” – it’s obvious people adore and want this idea in their lives…

…but how to do it? I mean, how do we ACTUALLY live our life to the fullest? By what means?

One answer (and this may sound strange at first, but listen carefully) : The right to Property.

Without property rights, none of your other rights are possible. We live in a world where each of us has to sustain our lives by our own effort. And if you do not have a right to the RESULTS of your own effort, then you have no means to sustain your life. A good example of this is owning your work. If you create something and do not own it, and someone else benefits from it, you are a slave. It’s also like if a skilled contractor came over to my house and installed a bathtub, and if I denied him ownership of his work and did not pay or reward him, he is a slave.

But don’t make this mistake: the right to property does NOT mean you have a right to a particular piece of property or some object. It is not a guarantee you will earn anything, but only a guarantee you will own it IF you earn it. This is the right to gain, keep, and dispose of material values.

The right to life also means you have the right to support yourself by your own work, AND MAKE AS MUCH OR AS LITTLE MONEY AS YOUR SKILL  AND ABILITY WILL ALLOW. It does not mean other people will provide you with the necessities of life, but that no one can take away your ability to provide for yourself. You also can not be deprived of your life for the benefit of anyone else.

You have the right to liberty. Really, what does “freedom” actually mean? Freedom from what, exactly?

It’s simple. It is freedom from ANY kind of force. Freedom from any kind of rape. Freedom from being forced to do anything you did not AGREE to.

It does NOT mean freedom from your landlord, freedom from your employer, or freedom from laws of nature which do not provide us with automatic prosperity. It simply means freedom from being forced to do something at the threat of a gun or being thrown in jail.

Your knowledge, your ability to think and act on your thoughts do not happen automatically. You must CHOOSE to do these things and choose to do them well. And your survival as a human being absolutely DEMANDS that you are free to gain knowledge, think and act without interference from anyone else.

None of us are perfect. We make mistakes. That is why we must be free to agree or disagree with each other, to cooperate or pursue our own individual plans, all according to our own individual judgment.

If someone pointed a gun in your face and screamed “BUILD ME A HOUSE!! And I want it to be the most CREATIVE, AMAZING house EVER built or else I’ll BLOW YOUR BRAINS OUT!!”

This is impossible. Even if you’re a very skilled home builder, it would be impossible to do this. Your mind, a rational mind, does not work under force; it does not subordinate its grasp of reality to anyone’s orders, directives, or controls; it does not sacrifice its knowledge, its view of the truth, to anyone’s opinions, threats, wishes, plans, or “welfare.” Your mind may be hampered by others, it may be silenced, proscribed, imprisoned, or destroyed; BUT IT CANNOT BE FORCED; A GUN IS NOT AN ARGUMENT!!

ALL of our knowledge and achievements we have today – ALL of the things that allow us to live here in the United States and around the world better than kings did long ago (yes even the poor here in the U.S. can enjoy more luxury than the king of France did hundreds of years ago) – ALL of it has come from the dedicated work and integrity of FREE MINDS.

America’s abundance was not created by public sacrifices to “the common good,” but by the productive genius of free men who pursued their own personal interests and the making of their own private fortunes.

And this is so important because we owe our very survival to great minds… and our future survival DEPENDS on how free we allow great minds to roam and play right now. This isn’t dusty old history in some boring school textbook. This is HERE and NOW. Everything depends on our freedom.

Now don’t fall for this trick, either: some people will try to fool you and say that we are not “truly” free because we have no right to murder. They go on to say that since we can not kill, freedom is not determined by right, but by whatever society says we are free to do.

But this is silly and ridiculous. It is not society that forbids killing, but the other person’s right to their own life. So goes the saying “you are free to do anything you want as long as it doesn’t infringe on the rights of someone else.” Within your own rights, your freedom is absolute.

You have the right to the pursuit of happiness. This is SO IMPORTANT – the pursuit of happiness means your right to LIVE FOR YOURSELF and choose what private, personal, individual happiness means to you… And then have the freedom toward achieving it. Different things make different people happy. There is no one-size-fits-all life and our Founding Fathers knew it. We are all happiest and most creatively productive when we are let loose to run free with our minds and abilities.

This is no guarantee you will achieve happiness. No one can guarantee you that. But you can be allowed the freedom to decide what happiness means to you and go after it with all your might. If you’re wrong, you can change and go do something else. If you’re right, the world will be your oyster.

Where do your rights come from?

It’s not a law, or president, or king or society that gives us our rights. Rights don’t come from anywhere, they just ARE. You and I are human beings and our rights are required by conditions of our existence for our survival on this planet. If we are to live here, together, it is right for you to be free to use your mind, to act on your own free judgment, and to work for your values and keep the product of your work.

If living a happy life on this planet is your goal, then you have a right to live in this way. And any group, gang or government who tires to take these rights away from you is wrong. They are wrong and they are evil. They are against you living your life and must be stopped at all costs.


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Tags: ayn rand, declaration of independence, force, freedom, government, life, rights, thomas jefferson

Topics: Philosophy | 2 Comments »

7 Steps To Get Restful Sleep Every Night And Wake Up Feeling Refreshed

February 14, 2011

Americans now spend over 24 BILLION a year trying to get a good night’s sleep – buying magic foam and adjustable mattresses – up to $5,000 each, 600 thread count sheets, soothing sound machines, homeopathic remedies. By next year the market for insomnia drugs is set to grow 78% – to $4 billion dollars.

And barely any of it actually works.

Well, I’ve solved this problem. Doing it my way will cost you around $88, with $50 of that being a one-time cost.

I used to keep wild hours that fluctuated weekly, if not daily. I could never seem to get to sleep at the same time every night, so I’d stay up later… which would screw me up for the next day and I’d feel horrible… then I’d go to bed too early (or too late) again… which would mess me up for the NEXT day, and on and on and on…

It was a vicious cycle that saw no end in sight. I couldn’t get any meaningful work done and never seemed to have enough time in the day to do the things that really mattered.

Until about 3 months ago, when I stumbled across some experiments that have literally changed my life.

Here’s your New Plan, all laid out nice and neat for ya:

Step 1. California Poppy Extract – Cost: $8.95/oz

Go to Vitacost.com and get a 1 oz bottle of California poppy extract. Before bed each night, put 20 drops in a cup and then put a little water in the cup. Just a LITTLE water – enough to swallow in one gulp. Swig it down and continue on to step 2. (California poppy extract will increase your deep wave sleep on average by around 20%)

Step 2. Almond Butter (I prefer Barney Butter – smooth – $7.72/jar) and Flax Oil – $16.89/bottle

Eating two tablespoons of organic almond butter on celery sticks before bed eliminated MOST of the mornings where I woke up feeling like shit. Ever wonder how you can sleep 8–10 hours and STILL feel tired? The likely culprit: low blood sugar. Make a pre-bed snack part of your nutritional program. One to two tablespoons of flaxseed oil (120–240 calories) can be used in combination with the celery-and-almond-butter to further increase cell repair during sleep and thus decrease fatigue.

Go see BarneyButter.com for the almond butter (12 pounds of the stuff just arrived at my doorstep the other day) and Vitacost.com for the flax oil (I get the 32 oz because I like bulk and it saves precious money)

Step 3. Cholesterol! (yay!) – Cost: depends

Eat at least 800 milligrams of cholesterol (about 4 or 5 large whole eggs) and 40 grams of protein within 3 hours of going to bed. This will allow you to go to sleep FASTER, and combined with the other steps basically knocking you out cold when it’s time to sleep.

Personally I do not eat eggs every night because good eggs are expensive when you eat that many all the time, so I’ve engineered my evening meal to contain the necessary protein (via chicken breast) and cholesterol to see me through the night.

Oh, and if you’re one of those fossils who still think cholesterol is bad, you need to do some reading up on HDL versus LDL cholesterol.

Step 4. Cold bath or shower – Cost: Free

Take a cold bath or shower 1 hour before bed. I didn’t believe this at first and resisted it… but after I actually started DOING it, the results are amazing.

Don’t fight me on this, just TRY it and you’ll see. Freeze yourself and prosper.

Step 5. Use a WakeMate – Cost: $50 one time

When it was first released to the public, I was among the first people to get a WakeMate. Basically the WakeMate is a little wristband you charge up during the day and wear during the night while you sleep. It monitors my movements while I sleep and then communicates via Bluetooth to my iPod Touch to wake me up at a time when I’m in a lighter phase of sleep and thus will be more likely FEEL BETTER the second I wake up.

I’ve been using it for about 45 days now, and I can say that IT WORKS. Get one. Despite some recent software bugs they’ve had lately (all of which have been fixed), the device and concept WORKS.

What you do is set an alarm for a time you want to wake up – then the WakeMate will use that time as a target to wake you up sometime within a 20 minute window, no later than that target time. You can also add tags to your night’s sleep so you can look back on your sleep history and see what sorts of variables affected your sleep positively or negatively.

The online “analytics” feature allows you to upload your sleep stats to your own account on the WakeMate website every morning so you can graph and analyze your sleep data over time. This has been VERY helpful for me to nail down exactly what is helping me and what isn’t.

Step 6. Sleep in a cool room – Cost: Free

Use a single bedsheet with room temp of 67 to 70 F – as low as 65 but test different socks to keep your feet warm. Lately I’ve been profiting from this colder winter by turning my central heat OFF and just letting the temperature do whatever it wants.

The results have been good, I’m saving heating bill money and I realize that I sleep better in a cold room as long as my feet and hands are warm and my blood is circulating well.

Side note: Taking cayenne pepper every day (40,000 BTU) lately has allowed me to let temperatures in my home reach what would normally be extremely uncomfortable levels. In fact it’s so cold in here right now, no one else can stand it! No one but me of course. With all the things I’m doing and experiments I’m running, my body is generating so much excess heat that I actually feel like I need ICE PACKS on my neck in 65 degree rooms! This is awesome and combining this with what I’m doing to make my testosterone levels skyrocket makes me feel like some kind of superhuman who can melt stuff with his eyes… or… something like that :)

Step 7. Wake up with (natural) UV light shining in your face – Cost: Free

We are evolutionarily programmed to respond to and feel AWAKE and ALERT when the sun comes up and hits our face in the morning. But so many people (me included) live in houses and apartments that are shut off from natural sources of light by curtains, shades, etc.

You must make certain you do NOT wake up each morning in a DARK room! That is very bad for your brain, because you’re essentially “tricking” your mind into still thinking it’s night time, thus your mind will keep you groggy and sleepy.

But when you start waking up to real UV light, you will train your body back into its natural habit of revving your engines to start the day. Combined with all the other stuff on this list, you’ll feel ready to go INSTANTLY when you wake up. Gone will be the “yawn, stretch, think about going back to bed, slog outta bed, etc” phase and you’ll hop out of the sheets and get moving right away. Also, this will help you go to sleep much faster the following night.

The source of your UV light doesn’t have to be natural sunlight but it helps. A good alternative are those little lights they use to treat SAD (seasonal affective disorder.) They are high-end blue light emitters and work just as good.

And there you have it; 7 real life steps I personally follow every day that have changed how I sleep and how I feel every day, thus truly changing my life and allowing me to get more done and feel better about it.


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Tags: Health, healthy living, insomnia, personal testing, sleep, sleeping

Topics: Health | No Comments »

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