The Positive Power of the Internet! Congratulations to the creators and team of "Project Wild Thing" and "Night Running" on Kickstarter!

Especially during this time of year, I am very excited to announce that the spirit of Santa Claus is alive and well on Kickstarter (www.kickstarter.com) and "Project Wild Thing" exceeded their $30, 000 goal !! I enjoyed learning about this great endeavor and getting to know some of their team through our communications.  This is a really professional, experienced group of caring, concerned filmmakers and I am excited to see them finish this important film.  It is a great feeling to know that you have truly helped to make a difference by supporting the efforts of some brilliant, talented, dedicated visionaries who want us to have the best world possible now and in future generations.  Sadly, "Project Wild Thing's" work is even more relevant today than it was a couple of weeks ago, as we have had to witness the tragic effects on a formerly tranquil Connecticut community of a young man who spent too much time with violent video games and technology rather than being supported in experiencing what is best about our world and nature.  Granted, he had mental illness issues, but I think we can all see how spending so much time with violent video games and assault weapons rather than spending time learning about about and taking care of animals or exploring the wonders of being out of doors in nature could help send him down the horrible road he took to end his life and that of so many innocents.

Green Lion Productions were very professional in response to my request for their stated blog materials and sent them to me in a timely manner.  Their timely response and materials enabled me to create the two blogposts I put together recently to share their concept with you and to help them reach their goal.   Part of the fun of "supporting" a project, which can be done with as little as $2 or as much as $5,000 (the largest donation tier I've seen so far on a Kickstarter project) is that when you make a contribution, you then get to see the creator's updates and all the other backers (there can be over a thousand backers for one project!).  "Project Wild Thing" had about 680 or so backers and when they were at about 520, I took some time to peruse them.  You get to see their names, "avatars" (photo/icons if they have them) and how many other projects they have backed, if any. 


When I have time, I like to look at the other projects people have backed to see what people of similar tastes to mine might like.  One of "Project Wild Things" backers also backed a project about a new book called Night Running.  I was curious about what the title meant, so I checked out the video clip on the project.  This clip really spoke to me and I think the book will speak to lots of people.    Even though I do love to exercise, I am not a runner, but have friends who are runners.  (True confession - I so wish I liked to run, as I do love to eat!  I completely envy my running friends for their lack of fat and their ability to eat anything they want whenever they want.)

I was very taken by Night Running, as the concept of "running in the dark" has never even occurred to me, not being a runner (unfortunately!)   I couldn't even imagine why someone would want to run in the dark, but in watching the clip, I learned that running is so important to some people and their lives are so busy that night is the only time they can carve out to run.  There seems to be another unique slant to this book which is that the act of running is compared to the act of writing.  I am thinking this will be very helpful to people like me who must fight to overcome procrastination more often than not.   To quote Steve Kettman, Night Running's creator:

 "Writing and running have a lot in common, especially that feeling in the pit of your gut that tells you to be afraid, very afraid, just before you start. But in writing as well as running, sometimes the fear and dread turn out to have been misplaced. Sometimes you are powered as if from without by a feeling that you can do what you have never done before.   NIGHT RUNNING is a project all about breaking through that feeling of fear and dread and discovering exciting new possibilities. It's a book of essays by five different writers, each alone in the night, each exploring the raw hope and agony of life that we so often keep hidden, bottled up inside or at best, meted out with half-ironic camouflage." 

I am very happy to see both "Project Wild Thing" and Night Running exceed their goals and get funded and I look foward to seeing the finished products in 2013!   Kudos to Kickstarter for helping these and many other amazing projects get funded!  It is exciting to see different projects that people in your state, across the country or in a different part of the world are coming up with and it is a great way to support talented, enterprising people who are working hard to add their great ideas to our world.  If you have a great idea that you want to put into play, Kickstarter is a great way to introduce it to the world, while getting support to help make it happen.  My advice is to do a really good job in packaging and describing your idea and to study those who have been successful on Kickstarter (www.kickstarter.com) . 

Less than 65 Hours to go for "Project Wild Thing"

Two days ago, I wrote a post about Project Wild Thing.  It's rewarding to see they have inched more towards their goal since then, but they are still only about 75% there and the deadline is drawing near!   I really want to see this film and to see children playing out of doors, rather than glued to their electronics all the time, don't you?!?  I think it will be a reminder to all of us to let children see us taking a break from our screens and going outside for some fresh air and sunshine.  Please check it out and if you like it - help them reach their goal!  www.bit.ly/projectwildthing  "Pretty please with a cherry on top"!

I said I would post some copy from David Bond's blog that was sent by Green Lions. I have highlighted the paragraphs that were most outstanding in my mind. Here it is along with one of their photos:

"When I ask my children why they would rather watch TV than go outside, they say that television is more fun. But what is fun for a 3 and a 5-year-old? Their tastes are hugely influenced by my tastes. They emulate me, poor things. And I love screens. So when I complain about the barriers that stop them from playing in the big wide world, could it be that I am the problem, or at least a big part of the problem?

 Indoor activity has evolved quite a bit since cave painting. Bad entertainment ideas like El Dorado [link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIP4QeIkXfw] have died off, and through a natural selection process we have been left with the screen content that does its job best. But what job?

 TV shows or games that survive the media jungle are those with the power to hook in the greatest audiences. It is widely accepted now that what brings in the audiences is content that fires up emotion in viewers.

Agnes Nairn co-authored a UNICEF report that judges the UK harshly as a difficult place to bring up happy children. She says, “There is no evil marketeer sitting in a boardroom, stroking a white cat and plotting how to monopolise children’s brains”. Rather, she says, the whole system incentivizes the production of addictive content.

 Addictive content is the stuff that best triggers our hottest emotions – our so-called ‘fight or flight’ reactions. The endorphins that we release to respond to fight or run from stress are very addictive. In the wild, the release of such chemicals is usually followed by intense exercise (as we escape the lion). In front of the television, this state is maintained for hours on end with no accompanying exercise. We are designed for flight of flight. But we need to recuperate from it. So when I turn off the television, my 3-year-old son usually reacts angrily. He is ready to punch me for denying him the fix.

 So if screens are drugs, should we go after the manufacturers and suppliers, or the users? Should we start a war on screens? No – because, like a war on drugs, it will not work. Whatever the local rules, content is now a democracy and you can get your violent video game, or latest episode of Downton Abbey (they both push the same buttons) on demand on the Internet.

So whilst we could ban or regulate child-directed media, we would, I believe, get further by dealing with the addicts, like me. Spending hours on screens leads to more hours on screen. The stressed physical state means less sleep, and less energy for other activities. Going outside is pretty tough work after TV. So children do less outside and do more television and games.

Just 20 years ago children used to play out a lot more. 40% would regularly play in natural places. Now only 10% do. That is why I have appointed myself the marketing director for Nature. Because I figured Nature needs one.  The sales of outdoor play to children have fallen off a cliff, while sales of screen activities have soared. Disney and Nintendo have eaten Nature’s breakfast. They are well on the way to winning the battle – and making outdoor play fully redundant.

I am making a cinema documentary about the loss of connection between children and nature. I want to know if it is possible to ‘sell’ the idea of the outdoors to children. Can we beat the screen content providers at their own game?

We have almost finished the film. We just need to shoot some final scenes. I am not giving away anything to say that I failed in the initial plan. We just could not get nature’s message heard over the racket made by billions of dollars of marketing budgets. But is has made me take a more subversive route – using guerilla marketing and crowd funding. That is why we are on Kickstarter. It is a platform where people pledge money to help complete the film, market nature, and in turn get rewards - like a free download of the finished film, tickets to the premiere, producer credits.

If this sounds interesting, take a look at www.bit.ly/projectwildthing for more information.

We have to do something to persuade ourselves, and our children that there is a whole world out there – outside of screens – that is rich, varied, stimulating, healthy and free. That is my sales pitch. Do you buy it?

 

"Project Wild Thing" on Kickstarter

 

If you go onto Kickstarter (www.kickstarter.com) and search for "Project Wild Thing" you will find an amazing documentary based on the No Child Left Indoors philosophy from author Richard Louv's book of the same name.    "Project Wild Thing" is the perfect antidote to the many hours our children are currently spending inside, addictively glued to their electronic devices, instead of having good, clean healthy fun playing outside and learning to love and respect our natural world.  Even though the film is produced in Great Britain, it addresses a wide problem that is also huge in the United States, as you can see from their website.  The film is being prepared for international screening and distribution.

David Bond and Ashley Jones, two award winning cinematographers who started a film production company in England called Greenlions, are the writers/directors/producers of this important film.  The film is slated to come out in 2013 for international and right now they are on Kickstarter to raise 30,000 UK pounds needed to finish filming a couple scenes and for editing.  They are already at 72% of goal with over 500 supporters,  but only have 4 more days to get fully funded or they get nothing.   You can go directly to the "Project Wild Thing" page at www.bit.ly/projectwildthing .

The above photo is one that Greenlions sent at my request for additional information - it is a telling visual for how most children of well-meaning parents spend a great deal of our time, starting at a very early age.  This young child represents many children and is great motivation for this film, as he happens to be the son of one of Greenlion's founders. Soon, I will publish the article they wrote, but right now, I just want you to visit Kickstarter so you can see "Project Wild Thing" for yourself. 

The way Kickstarter works is that you are given 30 days to meet your desired goal for funding and if you don't raise at least the total amount none of the supporters' credit cards get charged and there are no funds awarded.    Please check out "Project Wild Thing" and, if you like it, do whatever you can to support it.  I think you will enjoy and appreciate this important, worthy film and feel good that you helped to make it happen.   Even a little bit helps - the clock is ticking loudly now!   Thank you for your time and contribution.  I look foward to seeing your name along with mine as a supporter of this project.