Daughter of Godcast
Episode 071
Wall Street Under Water
Welcome to the first episode of the 2nd season of the Daughter of Godcast, Crowd Completion. Less me and way more you. We're done talking about the past, from now on we're deliriously present. Test screening begins! This is episode 071, Wall Street Under Water.
We are test screening before Daughter of God is assembled because I want to invite you to participate in the making. You don't have to be in the movie biz or even aspire to be, you just have to like movies. Share what makes you feel excited, inspired, or leaves you cold.
I am asking for your help to finish the Daughter of God because I believe we can make a way more amazing movie together than I can by all by myself. I am not asking you to donate money, I'm asking you to share a far more precious resource - your beautiful brain, your cognition, your opinion.
Each week, we'll post a chunk of the movie on lots of social media sites simultaneously and pose a question or two. You can then check out the chunk on your favorite sites, ponder the questions and comment. If your world gets rocked, share the snippet with your friends and followers - the more feedback the better!
Next week, we'll summarize the feedback and show another chunk.
But wait, there's more! Even though we're not asking for money, we are offering premiums. Giving solid feedback gets you cool stuff, from swag like stickers or t-shirts to VIP packages like a summer weekend at our gorgeous studio on Crystal Lake, MI where you can learn to live lightly on the Earth or join the DOG crew and attend international film festivals with us. Just for your opinion! We'll be posting details in the weeks ahead.
OK ready? We're starting off simple with a very short shot. I want to see how this works before we get too complicated.
Wall Street Under Water
In this shot, gentle waves ripple over a submerged green street sign that reads, Wall Street. The sign is attached to a broken steel post, resting on a bed of red bricks.
Wall Street is of course a street in lower Manhattan, New York City where international stocks and commodities are traded.
So here's this episode's question. What emotions come as you watch this shot? Describe them as clearly as you can.
Now it's your turn. On www.dog.movie, find links to your favorite social media sites, and comment on what emotions come up when you watch Wall Street Under Water. Remember, there's no wrong answer. Your feelings are always valid and helpful. Comment as much as you like and feel free to discuss with other commenters and me too.
You can also give feedback here on dog.movie. Scroll down to the comments section at the bottom of this Episode.
That's it, short and sweet. Thanks for listening and I am so excited for your feedback and critique.
You've been listening to the Daughter of Godcast, Episode 071, Wall Street Under Water. DOG could be a sober sneak peek into an adjacent timeline, social commentary, allegory, a big joke, pointless VFX fireworks, none of the above. You decide. Nothing matters unless you say it should. You are the upgraded audience, crafting and honing your deliberate experiences until they are primo, perfecto, sparkling. This might be the first Crowd Completed movie, we could be setting a trend the monolithic sausage factories in Hollywood will desperately try to come up to speed on in the next decade. Way ahead of the pack are we, obviously. OK, there's the ranting you've come to know and love, now it's your turn. Give DOG your feedback, less me and way more you!
Wow! My first thought was, “that looks like Wall St has been over taken by the ocean, totally believable.” It reminds me a little of the book New York 2140. I felt both amused and alarmed when I saw it—kind of like, this is scary stuff. Why aren’t more people concerned about what is happening to our planet? It is amazing how far a little clip can go and what it brings up.
I also thought, how the hell did Shri Fugi Spilt pull this off? Did he steel a Wall Street sign in the middle of the night and head down to the Hudson? Did he knock over the signpost with a truck and then unscrew a nearby fire hydrant to flood the street? Or did he build a time machine to go film this in the future, and he has just returned to share a glimpse of where we’re all headed? Yikes! I totally bought the scene.
“Amused and alarmed” is roughly what I was reaching for, so your feedback feels very satisfying! 🙂 During my last stint in NYC, I did a lot of Tai Chi by the water in the financial district, so there’s something delightfully perverse in wiping out what I hold sacred. I still have to check out New York 2140.
All my production and trans-dimensional translation techniques will be revealed in Season 3 of the Daughter of Godcast, Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Ending the World But Were Afraid to Ask, (working title).
When I originally responded to the post on FB, I answered the simple question about what emotions were evoked with this: “I immediately felt relief. As in, wouldn’t it be nice if the “Wall Street” concept was gone. It could be a relic under the water, rendering “Wall Street” a myth, the likes of Atlantis. RIP, but forever in our view, so that we can know how much less stressful life is without the “Wall Street” ethos in our society.”
The next morning, I awoke from a dream which was clearly spurred by this image and my response to it. I posted what I call a #dreamsnippet on my timeline. The following two mornings, I continued to wake with more of this dream story. Perhaps this image was the seed of a novel… Here is the first #dreamsnippet:
future humans are far more sensory-based than we are now (something about toxic exposure leading to genetic changes to our neurology)
A group is kayaking the Clarifying Waters of the Manhattan Human Nature Preserve, where people come to reflect and gain insight before making social decisions. When they come upon The Sign, they stand barefoot in the water, together. when they Call Upon the Past, they sense the history and the radiating impacts of what humans who lived here long ago had unleashed on the world.
They are reminded of a time when humans could use words to deceive themselves and others. They could claim that a word meant something, then use that word to compel actions which did not match that meaning. A time when humans could avoid feeling the harm they were doing to others beings. They could block themselves from seeing and feeling, never realizing how distorted their vision was nor how thwarted their bodies had become.
Few people came to the Clarifying Waters alone. Tapping into the history and receiving the past could be traumatic. Experiencing the vibrations of ancient human existence was so terrifying that Grounders were needed. Grounders were people who stayed out of the water and kept their feet on the ground. They would watch over the Receivers and hold the hands of anyone who started to shake. People had died from seizures before there were Grounders.
Thanks Allison! I’ll be discussing your experience with Wall Street Under Water on Episode 072. Quickly, I love the Manhattan Human Nature Preserve! So amazing and exciting that this DOG scene inspired a whole new story! Please do keep us updated about the progress of your writing and where we might be able to read more!
OK, it’s 6:30 AM and I’m not feeling exactly eloquent. But, this scene immediately evoked a sense of anticipation and–yes–excitement in me. I knew it depicted a time and place that was either future or alternative, and that it promised an enticing, engaging story. The relative tranquility, because of the connotations evoked through the street sign and building debris, was menacing, in a good way. I love being sucked into a movie universe through some sort of intriguing but ambiguous device. I’m thinking, “What does this signify? Is it the end or the beginning? Or maybe the middle? Is it a good or a bad thing? Will I be scared or sad or amused or exhilarated?” This is all you need! Bring on the popcorn (but never ever release trailers, please)…