Posted by eliza gale on January 3, 2012 - 12:43am
Charles Level is the producer of the documentary "The Voices of Occupy Los Angeles". Here is a link to the Youtube page:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWr4WC5Xdr8&context=C345b757ADOEgsToPDskJ...
1. What inspired you to make your documentary?
My inspiration as a filmmaker to create “The Voices of Los Angeles”
was fueled by a moral obligation I felt to accurately document the
voices from the Occupy Movement.
Today I am blessed enough to have a job and housing, so I couldn't
make it to the encampment daily. I’m just a working class American
who identifies with the people protesting the government bailouts and
corruption. I too am outraged by the corporate shills running our
country, and the “banksters” controlling the economy.
2. How long were you at Occupy LA?
I was at the encampment several days, but never overnight. In my
spare time I followed the movement from various independent news
sources, forums, and blogs, and tried to spread awareness by reposting
articles.
3. Your documentary suggests that the main stream media did not give
fair coverage to the occupiers, can you give some examples of this?
There is an abundance of talent, knowledge, and money in the
entertainment industry in LA, but unfortunately much of it is
squandered daily. For instance, our media can fly to England with the
president to watch a $70 million dollar royal wedding dog and pony
show, and validate a monarchy. Yet the president can't show up for an
hour to the Occupy Wall Street encampment and show the citizens and
the world he's listening? Not after 30 days, or 60 days, or even 90
days? This is unforgivable for a "leader" to do, and it only proves
our government is becoming a corporatocracy, and it’s out of touch
with the demands of the people.
The mainstream media mainly covered the negative aspects of the occupy
encampments. They showed the homeless, or showcased the more
irrelevant messages on certain picket signs, and rarely aired
empowering material. The media also conducted interviews with hired
shills, basically disinformation actors, who were planted as
distractions. If you want to go down this rabbit hole, check out
Operation Mockingbird, which was the CIA's attempt to control all the
media in the 1950s. It’s pretty apparent today that the media is
still government controlled, some scholars even call the media the 4th
branch of the government.
4. What was unique about Occupy LA as opposed to other occupy
movements around the country?
At the Los Angeles City Hall the protesters painted a 25 foot tall by
30 feet wide large mural on panels in the center of the camp depicting
a giant octopus inside the White House. I can't speak for all the
other camps because I’m not omnipresent, but I didn't see any murals
like this on the blogs or in the news.
Picture seen here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/65857054@N08/6392350213/
5. Do you think Hollywood caters more to the 99 percent or the one
percent and why?
Hollywood indubitable caters to the 1% because it's a business being
run by the 1%. The media appears to cater to the mass audiences with
"reality television" and advertisement driven programming, but the
state of television today ultimately disempowers people.
The state of modern television programming today is no less than a
godless, morally depraved, advertisement filled wasteland. I know
these are strong words, but I can’t bring myself to tell it any other
way. The production work force is comprised of legions of writers
and staff trying to reach the top of a slippery pyramid, which is only
assisting in the mass production of swill. Take for example the
recent studies and facts reflecting how certain television shows make
you a less intelligent person. We should know better as a species by
now.
6. Why should I watch your documentary when there are so many other
about the same subject?
I consider myself huge documentary watcher and connoisseur, but
honestly I don’t know the “so many other” documentaries you are
referring too in your question. But I’d like that list!
Our documentary is meshed with facts and statistics pertaining to the
state of the nation, and the problems with the current system. It's
more than just showing talking head interview. In the making of this
film we wanted to convey the big picture of why the citizens are
standing up. The footage was professionally shot and edited. Our
film is not in a competition with other truth seekers, I encourage
everyone to watch as many documentaries as they can with an open mind.
7. What is the main difference between the Occupy protest and the
protests in the 60's?
Unlike the 1960s protests, today we have the internet as a tool to
coordinate and share the message with a mass audience. This isn't a
magic bullet though, currently the government is tampering with the
basic structure of the internet and trying to censor it with the
current controversial Protect IP or SOPA act.
There are certainly parallels that can be drawn between the Vietnam
War and today's endless "War on Terror" that we are forced to pay
taxes into. Approximately $4 trillion have been spend on the Iraq war
according to a Brown University study. Today activists are outraged
by the current economic crisis, the printing and inflation of
un-backed fiat currency, the collapse of the housing market, a
laughable "two party" system, and the government bailing out
corporations and many more issues.
8. What would you say to someone who says that human nature is
competitive and Capitalism is the only system that really works?
For someone in conversation to say there is "only one system that
really works" is slightly tyrannical and a conversational turn-off.
That sounds more like a one world government supporting statement,
which I’m opposed to.
If someone is referring to a text book economics definition of
capitalism, and practicing it from a climate controlled Petri dish of
a society, than yes, capitalism makes sense. But that's not how life
works. The world is comprised of 7 billion people with thousands of
unique societies, cultures, and economies. I don't feel capitalism
has to change in the U.S., we need to focus on changing the self
serving ruling class and jail the criminals bankers and politicians
instead of paying them raises. We also need to get honest as a nation
about our hostility towards other countries we are occupying with
bases, and turn off the pestilent crusading war machine we have now.
9. Who was the most interesting person you met at Occupy LA and why?
I was moved by everyone I interviewed at the Occupy LA encampment,
most of the people I met were college graduates or students. I
particularly like hearing from individuals with economical
backgrounds, some of whom could run economic theory circles around the
unfounded critics Occupy movement.
10. What is the most common misconception about Occupy LA?
The most common misconception about Occupy LA is that the people in
the tents are the 99% ... when there are over 300 million Americans
who are effectively the 99%. The working class who are fed up with
the lies and the imbalances are the 99%. Everyone who is “awake” to
the facts and opposed to corporatocracy, fascism, tyranny, and baron
robbers, they are the 99%. Of course we all can't be at a protest
encampment everyday, we have jobs, kids and mortgages, but we all need
to try out best to stand up for our liberty. This country is ripe for
change and the world is waiting.
Please note; Eliza's interviews are done by email. All answers are unedited and come right from the lovely fingertips of her subjects:)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWr4WC5Xdr8&context=C345b757ADOEgsToPDskJ...
1. What inspired you to make your documentary?
My inspiration as a filmmaker to create “The Voices of Los Angeles”
was fueled by a moral obligation I felt to accurately document the
voices from the Occupy Movement.
Today I am blessed enough to have a job and housing, so I couldn't
make it to the encampment daily. I’m just a working class American
who identifies with the people protesting the government bailouts and
corruption. I too am outraged by the corporate shills running our
country, and the “banksters” controlling the economy.
2. How long were you at Occupy LA?
I was at the encampment several days, but never overnight. In my
spare time I followed the movement from various independent news
sources, forums, and blogs, and tried to spread awareness by reposting
articles.
3. Your documentary suggests that the main stream media did not give
fair coverage to the occupiers, can you give some examples of this?
There is an abundance of talent, knowledge, and money in the
entertainment industry in LA, but unfortunately much of it is
squandered daily. For instance, our media can fly to England with the
president to watch a $70 million dollar royal wedding dog and pony
show, and validate a monarchy. Yet the president can't show up for an
hour to the Occupy Wall Street encampment and show the citizens and
the world he's listening? Not after 30 days, or 60 days, or even 90
days? This is unforgivable for a "leader" to do, and it only proves
our government is becoming a corporatocracy, and it’s out of touch
with the demands of the people.
The mainstream media mainly covered the negative aspects of the occupy
encampments. They showed the homeless, or showcased the more
irrelevant messages on certain picket signs, and rarely aired
empowering material. The media also conducted interviews with hired
shills, basically disinformation actors, who were planted as
distractions. If you want to go down this rabbit hole, check out
Operation Mockingbird, which was the CIA's attempt to control all the
media in the 1950s. It’s pretty apparent today that the media is
still government controlled, some scholars even call the media the 4th
branch of the government.
4. What was unique about Occupy LA as opposed to other occupy
movements around the country?
At the Los Angeles City Hall the protesters painted a 25 foot tall by
30 feet wide large mural on panels in the center of the camp depicting
a giant octopus inside the White House. I can't speak for all the
other camps because I’m not omnipresent, but I didn't see any murals
like this on the blogs or in the news.
Picture seen here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/65857054@N08/6392350213/
5. Do you think Hollywood caters more to the 99 percent or the one
percent and why?
Hollywood indubitable caters to the 1% because it's a business being
run by the 1%. The media appears to cater to the mass audiences with
"reality television" and advertisement driven programming, but the
state of television today ultimately disempowers people.
The state of modern television programming today is no less than a
godless, morally depraved, advertisement filled wasteland. I know
these are strong words, but I can’t bring myself to tell it any other
way. The production work force is comprised of legions of writers
and staff trying to reach the top of a slippery pyramid, which is only
assisting in the mass production of swill. Take for example the
recent studies and facts reflecting how certain television shows make
you a less intelligent person. We should know better as a species by
now.
6. Why should I watch your documentary when there are so many other
about the same subject?
I consider myself huge documentary watcher and connoisseur, but
honestly I don’t know the “so many other” documentaries you are
referring too in your question. But I’d like that list!
Our documentary is meshed with facts and statistics pertaining to the
state of the nation, and the problems with the current system. It's
more than just showing talking head interview. In the making of this
film we wanted to convey the big picture of why the citizens are
standing up. The footage was professionally shot and edited. Our
film is not in a competition with other truth seekers, I encourage
everyone to watch as many documentaries as they can with an open mind.
7. What is the main difference between the Occupy protest and the
protests in the 60's?
Unlike the 1960s protests, today we have the internet as a tool to
coordinate and share the message with a mass audience. This isn't a
magic bullet though, currently the government is tampering with the
basic structure of the internet and trying to censor it with the
current controversial Protect IP or SOPA act.
There are certainly parallels that can be drawn between the Vietnam
War and today's endless "War on Terror" that we are forced to pay
taxes into. Approximately $4 trillion have been spend on the Iraq war
according to a Brown University study. Today activists are outraged
by the current economic crisis, the printing and inflation of
un-backed fiat currency, the collapse of the housing market, a
laughable "two party" system, and the government bailing out
corporations and many more issues.
8. What would you say to someone who says that human nature is
competitive and Capitalism is the only system that really works?
For someone in conversation to say there is "only one system that
really works" is slightly tyrannical and a conversational turn-off.
That sounds more like a one world government supporting statement,
which I’m opposed to.
If someone is referring to a text book economics definition of
capitalism, and practicing it from a climate controlled Petri dish of
a society, than yes, capitalism makes sense. But that's not how life
works. The world is comprised of 7 billion people with thousands of
unique societies, cultures, and economies. I don't feel capitalism
has to change in the U.S., we need to focus on changing the self
serving ruling class and jail the criminals bankers and politicians
instead of paying them raises. We also need to get honest as a nation
about our hostility towards other countries we are occupying with
bases, and turn off the pestilent crusading war machine we have now.
9. Who was the most interesting person you met at Occupy LA and why?
I was moved by everyone I interviewed at the Occupy LA encampment,
most of the people I met were college graduates or students. I
particularly like hearing from individuals with economical
backgrounds, some of whom could run economic theory circles around the
unfounded critics Occupy movement.
10. What is the most common misconception about Occupy LA?
The most common misconception about Occupy LA is that the people in
the tents are the 99% ... when there are over 300 million Americans
who are effectively the 99%. The working class who are fed up with
the lies and the imbalances are the 99%. Everyone who is “awake” to
the facts and opposed to corporatocracy, fascism, tyranny, and baron
robbers, they are the 99%. Of course we all can't be at a protest
encampment everyday, we have jobs, kids and mortgages, but we all need
to try out best to stand up for our liberty. This country is ripe for
change and the world is waiting.
Please note; Eliza's interviews are done by email. All answers are unedited and come right from the lovely fingertips of her subjects:)
Comments (9)
Even if a mass movements could raise 2 million in 90 days it would never buy any air time.
Also the 2 million spend, this is almost a mute point considering HALF of all our taxes go to a war machine, against third world countries. Wars that most Americans don't support, or don't fully comprehend the business motives of the occupations.