Waking Up is an open source movie about a positive future for humanity, for a change. The manuscript is available online and the public can contribute to and comment on it. Welcome! We are starting to get quite far on the story now, but there’s always room for more ideas and feedback. More info.
The scene above acts as a short film to show the concept of the movie. It may or may not be in the final movie. Cast in the scene: Ben: Katene Nicholas. Aweena: Sara Lahne. Script, director, editor: Harald Sandø. If you have trouble watching the clip here, or would like to contribute with a translation, you can go to the YouTube version. The scene won the Official Selection in the Cinema Out Of Your Backpack festival.
What Can You do?
Waking Up is about a positive future set about 100 years from now. What will the world look like then IF Humanity chooses a positive route starting from today? What will a film look like when we apply optimistic realism to the script? Can we make it exiting? Endearing? Compelling? If you like this concept and want to help out, there are several things you can do:
- Sign up. To make sure you get all important updates on this, sign up on the mailing list top right. This way you also show your support.
- Spread the word. Use the sharing tools on this page to share it with your friends.
- Contribute. If you think you have some thoughts about how this film can be, go to the guideline page for more info and then on to the google document collection.
- Donate. To donate, click the button to the right. We haven’t set up a budget for this film yet, but want to make a film that really shows this possible future, and we want it to look real, believable and high quality, which will require a significant budget.
The Film
Waking Up is about a former businessman, who chose cryogenic preservation of himself in 2012, in the hope that humanity once might be able to thaw him up and cure his disease some time in the future. And this is exactly what happens.
One hundred yeas later the world has gone through massive changes towards the positive. Both technology and human values has developed into a whole new world, positive in all aspects for humanity. One of the aspects is that money and property is gone, and people do things for other reasons than trading and hoarding wealth. Waking Up is about Ben’s experiences in this world and the difficulties he faces in waking up to this new reality.
In the scene above, Ben is walking in the woods with his newly acquainted guide, Aweena. He has only been awake for a few days, after several weeks of curing and restituting his body while he was asleep. He is a bit confused, and can’t really understand what has happened. He feels somewhat attracted to this new world and to Aweena, but at the same time he has trouble believing it is real.
Non-Profit
The film is a non-profit venture where any profit of this film will go towards a fund aimed at creating the world the film describes. In effect, this can mean to make more films, buy land, build villages and cities, and inform the greater public about these new possibilities for humanity.
January 17, 2012 at 9:01 pm
I am browsing your world, such as it is. As for water, let me make things simple for you: Hydrogen is the most common element in the universe. Moreover, from an engineering standpoint, all resources translate to energy. Even today, most shortage is artificial and due to sheer inefficiency and zero sum solutions. But clean plentiful power, too cheap to meter, along with plentiful material resources, is on the horizon of space technology. And the elimination of scarcity and rising standards of living have always accomplished more for Humanism than disastrous goody two-shoes moralism. Besides, none of these background details as yet rise to plot points, only preaching. All manner of premise may be taken as given, so long as it does not beg question and strain credulity. The maxim for screen drama remains: “Show, don’t tell.” Indeed, a Utopia eliminates all drama. That leaves such substitutes as the scientific, technological and sociological speculative element and sheer pandering to wish fulfillment. Alas that your wishes are so tame, and your curiosity so dim. That’s what political correctness does to you. Indeed, for another matter, the elimination of fear from media presents needless problems. There will always be an appetite for horror movies and the like, barring extreme censorship, and a responsible electorate will always want to discuss their fears and concerns, in order to prevent adverse outcomes. Your future also is supposed to be free of emotional neglect, entirely because everyone is so benevolent. And I’ll be the first one to admit that universal affluence will be of great help. But you are more than a little short on the logistics or social structure etc., all the solutions presumably already long in place from “act zero”, eliminating all drama to resolve.
January 18, 2012 at 12:06 am
Oookay…
Well, first of all, it is no utopia we want to describe, but rather how this world can be. Secondly, ‘The World’ document isn’t supposed to serve as plotpoints, but maybe it should…? Thirdly, this document is also not finished, but still in it’s feeble beginnings.
I don’t know what you have in mind, but if it actually is something, why don’t you share it?
To me this world is not perfect, but there are other problems than we have in today’s world. To try to imagine those problems is a stretch, and this has not been entered into the document, yet.
But again, if you have any ideas, please bring them. But spare us for the ‘capitalism vs rbe’ plot. It has been suggested before, but is too obvious and looks like propaganda. This film is not only about plot points, but also getting into the head of Ben and the other characters.
January 18, 2012 at 8:34 am
That gives me another idea! What about making the story of Ben around a huge earth wide problem that arises shortly after Ben awakes. The story then shows that an RBE and the high dedicated attitudes of people make it much easier and faster to solve the problem then ever before in history. Through this you can also show that there will always be problems and that it’s not really a utopian world. The story of Ben would then be just told on the side of the needed drama but will still be important.
January 18, 2012 at 11:04 am
That IS actually a very good idea! Yes, the story of Ben can still be told as it is, but with ‘reports’ from and interactions with this problem during the film.
So…what is the problem…? A meteorite? A virus? Tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes, aliens (I picture alien encounters to be friendly, though), earth axis shift, global warming, rising sea…? Something never thought of before…? It has to be believable and not ‘too obvious’ and preferably not used before…
January 18, 2012 at 11:16 am
I’m definitely for showing some drama, to indicate that RBE’s not an utopia, but PLEASE, no aliens
Earth axis shift sounds quite good to me – not very common ‘disaster’ to be seen in movies or books.
February 20, 2012 at 9:05 pm
Hi Harald
In thinking more about creating some sort of challenge or problem that they face in the future so as not to paint a complete Utopia, perhaps it could be a future problem and not something we deal with today. For example today our problems are wars, pollution, earthquakes etc. But those are today’s problems. In the future they may be facing something entirely different. For example 100 years ago no one was worried about someone hacking into there computer, cellphone, or any of the problems that technology has brought about. The same could be true in the movie. Some new discovery or technology comes with some issues or obstacles that humanity all has to overcome together. This will strengthen the plot and focus of the film to show how everyone working together as “one big family” like Aweena says overcomes the problem. This problem could be a number of things. Perhaps the CD divices, maybe some who wakes up can’t get over their greedy past and it threatens the connection, or perhaps some anomaly in the universe. I believe the human race will always face creative challenges. I just think we will learn how to overcome them together by all being connected as one big family.
Hope this helps a little.
I thank you so much for the opportunity to participate in this project. Very exciting indeed.
Love & Peace
Ron
April 5, 2012 at 5:54 pm
Ghost in the Shell had a good idea for possible future problems. What if, due to the increasing role of technology and it’s integration into the human form itself, someone threatened the entire world by figuring out how to hack into our own minds. It brings up the questions, what makes us different from machines and what does it mean to be human?
Perhaps humans in the future have tried to come together, not just by improving communications, but by allowing for a more universal consciousness; the server-side consciousness of humanity as it relates to the client-side individualism of each person. Add in the Trojan Horse virus of an individual who is still stuck in the monetary past and looking for ways to capitalize on anything to the end that he will become rich again.
Perhaps Aweena is simply acting as a malware fighting program as she tries to neutralize the monetary virus within Ben, but without harming the good parts of his internal programming. Don’t quarantine the virus; rewrite the parts that make it a virus and make it a more useful, benevolent program. The RBE itself becomes a key point in the story, as that is what Aweena is trying to protect, yet the RBE is also just a small part of the overall story in that most of the population simply take it for granted and no longer give it much thought.
January 16, 2012 at 10:00 pm
This is very motivating, very subtle and very meaningful, I though i had everything i could ask in my entire life, but something was missing…this is what was missing….. a purpose … the meaning of our existence as a unique species. for the past 10 years i been uncomfortable with the lives we had been living lately, i was brought up catholic by birth (definition) which with the passing times and knowledge acquired had grown empirical by observation, experimentation and by intelligent rationality … now i do not want to discourage those whom feel good or accomplished by reaching their spiritual been (inner self’s), this could manifest very well if your intent is to find balance between Mind and Body and to keep ones sanity, but i do not encourage those that lets ones selfishness into “what or whom to believe”, in the very much unexplained plethora of mystical philosophy written by “Ancient” cultures.
My daughter has been my first awaken, she has entered into the Realm of the Human Element and i hope to awaken many more, its going to be very hard do to awaken the reluctant selfish and hardheaded dogmatic theistic ones do.
Am putting my grain of salt … hope others will too !!!
January 12, 2012 at 10:00 pm
Hi Harald
Great idea! I’m sure you’ve probably thought of this already, but I’ll say it anyway… you could make the story into a book as well. It’s quite easy to self-publish and get a book on Amazon.
I’m the author of “The Mischievous Nerd’s Guide to World Domination”, a novel including two parts, each with a transition to a resource based economy. It’s available here: losthobbit.net/download.php, or on Amazon.
I’m also into video making, visual effects and 3D modelling, so I’ll browse your site, and see where I can help… looking forward to it!
Cheers,
Stephen
January 12, 2012 at 10:15 pm
Wow, impressive and interesting! And thanks for the book! I’ll read as much as I have time for. Looking forward to your contributions.
February 3, 2012 at 4:57 am
Glad to have your aboard Steven. You’ve made some excellent contributions to the script. I’m in the process of converting all the Google Docs into a more interactive and easier to navigate iBook format, via iBooks Author. I was really doing it for my own organizational benefit but if anyone else wants it, I can send a copy. We could add to it over time and use it as a reference when building the world and writing the script. After the project is complete we could publish it as an all in one book including a novel, a “How-to” for open source filmmaking, a text book for RBEs, a storyboard, a screenplay, and behind the scenes journal. Just a thought.
February 3, 2012 at 10:21 am
Yes, that’s a very good idea. I thought about this possibility as well, but only as making The World into a book. But to include it all is even better. If you are dedicated to that, great!
February 5, 2012 at 6:13 am
I’m on it.
February 6, 2012 at 10:20 am
Good!
January 6, 2012 at 6:19 pm
Great Idea…. I think the best is to Give this Message with a Movie ready for the Cinema so wie use the capitalism itself by promoting it.
How i can help: i am a touroperator and can Give you nice places to Film in greekislands like Corfu Zakynthos ios or Santorini. Athens or places in italy cause in 2110 sure ist will be fast and Easy to Travel. I can organise Clubs tavernas or anything over there. Same in italy or Germany. I can Take care about accomodation of the staff Food etc.
We are specialized for Young People and our Future has to change. I would be very happy to help also with promo in Germany and Other cities. Please contact me for more Info.
January 6, 2012 at 7:00 pm
Hello!
That sounds very nice.
I have saved your info for when we get as far as determining where to shoot.
January 2, 2012 at 8:59 am
This is beautiful. I am crying while writing this. I hope that this movie will, as intended, WAKE people UP and show them that there are always alternatives, that money does NOT make the world go ’round and that all our needs can be met without harming the very planet that provides us with all that. I am so, so happy that something is finally being done and I am hoping for a brighter and happier future for all of us.
April 12, 2012 at 4:43 pm
Hallo Ole,
Grüße aus der Heimat von Oma Karin. Für eine bessere Welt sind nicht nur die “Anderen” verantwortlich und in hundert Jahren wirst auch Du sie nicht mehr erleben,wenn Du nicht in Dir selbst etwas findest um einen Teil davon zu leben.
January 1, 2012 at 5:12 am
Nice, can’t wait to see the whole thing.
December 26, 2011 at 7:42 pm
Simple loved the forest scene. It just makes you want to be in this future world. I so wish to help, but I have absolutely no experience in film-making.
December 26, 2011 at 7:46 pm
You can all help! By spreading the word. Which is just as important than anything else.
December 25, 2011 at 9:59 pm
Hi everyone,
First of all – I love the idea. I think that making such a movie is a great way to spread the idea and make people realise the truth about the Project.
Second – I can try translating to Polish, when the script is ready.
Third – comments on previous comments:
@Homero – I like the idea of showing the transition in flashbacks.
@Jan – something like ‘Second Life’? I’m a Computer Science student, and I can say, making such a thing is not easy – and requires some funds for servers, for example, supposing that the software itselft would be open-source. It would take a long time as well. And, additionally, making it a game would bring one more argument to the opponents, namely: “It’s just a game, it can’t work in real life.” Risky.
@Colin – 7 Sins, quite an idea, but some traits are very, very human, for example egoism – I believe there is some ‘healthy’ dose of egoism – one has to think of self, not only of others, as otherwise it could be destructive for the individual. And, probably, they will not be gone completely, as RBE doesn’t present Utopia.
@Stepanie – in a case of such a breakdown, I think it would just prolong the process greatly. Can you imagine spreading the word with no Internet? There are too many people who would take the chance to improve their own status in current understanding – I don’t think that the idea of RBE would emerge globally just like that. It just doesn’t sound probably to me.
Lastly – some time ago, I’ve read a book titled “Voyage from yesteryear” (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyage_from_Yesteryear), in which a system similar to RBE (I’m not quite sure about exact similarity) was implemented on a colonized planet. Later, people living in old, monetary system were to confront this new reality – pretty similar situation, right? All the things were explained very nicely, I remember such a scene (more or less, I’m writing from my memory):
[Old-world guy talking with a new-world guy painting a fence]
- Why do you paint this fence?
- Because it needs to be painted…
- Who told you to do that?
- No one, it just needs to be painted.
- And who pais you for that?
- …who does what?
Perhaps you can find some inspiration there.
One more thing – a movie needs a good ending, some climax. What would that be? The new guy accepting the RBE? Doesn’t sound like a strong, momorable ending to me.
December 26, 2011 at 12:43 am
We are working on it, don’t worry… If you like, you can join us. There is quite an amount of documents to read through at this point, but any help and suggestion is appreciated. Still, we are starting to get a grip on this now… And thanks for the Wiki tip!
January 5, 2012 at 7:55 am
The book “Voyage from yesteryear” is awesome! I just read it. It’s the world we all long for!
February 8, 2012 at 10:34 pm
Thank you for the suggestion of the Voyage from Yesteryear. It was excellent!
December 19, 2011 at 9:33 pm
Very nice project and please feel free to use any of my thoughts from my website for your project if you find them helpful. I am more than willing to share.
Its All About LOVE!
If we don’t know how to truly love our self, be at peace with our self, how to stop hurting our self inside, then we will inevitably hurt those around us. Because we are all part of One. Love is freedom. Love is about letting go. Love is not holding on to all the hurt and pain that’s been dwelling inside of us.
Love is not about trying to patch up the broken shell in which we existed. But Love is about emerging, transformed into something new and beautiful while we continue to be part of our One. Our Source from which we come. Love is an actual Universal frequency. When we tune into it we will be in balance with One. There are studies showing evidence that being in harmony with this Love frequency can even alter our DNA.
Ron Lewis
December 20, 2011 at 7:21 pm
Yes, I agree. Universal Love is the most important thing to be aware of. Thanks.
December 17, 2011 at 11:02 pm
Hey!…really nice demo! If everything continues like this, it will be a film very welcomed after all the doom scenarios I have seen so far from Hollywood.
I am no writer, but I do everything to read as much as possible and educate me on my spare time( I actually got here from the TZM site). So I have a couple of suggestions… I figured that even if I am wrong, and someone else will show or demonstrate that…I will still learn something new from that comment.
First of all…I am for the idea that the future will be very tehnologically advanced, and although many people are scared about that, and think their privacy in a such future will be gone….perhaps they should do some research on the internet and figure out that Today there is No such thing as privacy! The future will how ever wil be about a different mentality, and since that is the most important thing the world needs now…perhaps a good attention should be given to this part.
Most people don’t understand that we are teached every thing since our birth, starting with your name and carrying on with the formation of your personality.We want properties,…because that is what we are tought. But what we really need to be happy has nothing to do with how rich we are. Even the ancient greeks have known that! Great philosophers from that time say that to be happy, we only need the basics needs to be fullfilled ( food, shelter, warmth…) ,then good friends, and the need to learn more everytime and meditation (food for the soul they called it)!
And about that tehnology from the future…I love the saying: “great power comes with great responsabilities and equally great sacrificies”. Most people forget the last 2 things…being “blinded” by the first. I would like to live in a future where not only the tehnology evolved, but also the human mentality and morality…so it will keep up with the tehnology. This obviously is not a new idea, but is right in many ways…otherwise the human kind would be like little children playing withg big loaded guns (the tehnology of the future).
Clearly the biggest problem everybody see in the future is the birth rate control of the future population….that again it is a thing of mentality and…education! There was a study made in India, in some different regions of this country, and discovered something quite interesting. In the region where the young girls were send by their parents to school and received a proper education, the natality was much lower than in the poor regions, were girls were not send to school , and, when old enough, given to mariage by their parents (here the natality was high, these women in general had at least 3-4 children). Why the differece…well, when the reporter asked the girls from the school what they wanna be when they grow up,…all of them said a doctor, or teacher, or manager, and not one even thought of getting married before having a carrier. That makes everything obvious!
I’m pretty sure that if the future will resemble the picture you try to envision in this movie, the people from 2110 will want to learn about as much as possible, and try to improve and contribute to the entire society. Already many studies have proved that THIS is a much more powerfull incentive for humans than money! That is why there are charity organisations and volunteers. Social recognition is what everybody whats!!! Unfortunally now that is tied with the money level you own, so…
I have some other ideas as well but…for now, I want to see how is the feedback for so far. And one more question…when your film will be ready, will I be able to watch it free somehow on the internet?…like youtube, or posted free on your site.
Thx! I wish you a lot of succes with this project! It’s really in tune with the times.
December 17, 2011 at 11:47 pm
Thank you Faustina, for some great input! There’s a storyline suggested now. You might want to take a look at that as well: www.wakingupmovie.com/2011/12/the-plot-thickens-and-needs-your-help/
I really like your understandings, and they are all things I want to depict in the film. About the population level, I don’t think there is any need for worry. There are studies now that show fertility is going down, and that a world population in 2100 of no more than 10 billion is realistic. And with the combination of education in addition, I think we’ll be fine.
Yes, I hope we can make the film available for free online. I also want it to be shown in as many theaters as possible as well all over the world. I want this film to reach as many as possible in as many ways as possible.
December 15, 2011 at 8:51 pm
I was watching the clip (which is great, by the way!) and wondering how we, globally, might end up on a path that leads to the 2110 future depicted, and what kind of questions the “Wake Up” gentleman might ask.
Lately, there has been a lot of discussion in the science community about solar flares and the solar cycle that is scheduled to peak in 2012. Since solar flares, if powerful enough, can cause massive disruptions to electrical grids, what if there was a major flare in the next few years which knocked out electricity for the planet? (The way EMPs from the sun work, it would take several years to replace the infrastructure — transformers, electric cables/wires, etc.)
If, for your film, this happened, then for the next few years humanity would basically be in the dark, trying to figure out what it needed to simply survive. How to grow food, get clean water, stay warm and find shelter, how to connect with others and learn from each other (I know how to farm, you know how to efficiently gather and filter rain water, let’s work together — kind of thing). The value of things like farming, gathering rain water, and using local solar power (panels on rooftops, etc) would sink in. People would realize the infrastructure that brought them food, running water and electricity (eg: big power plants that run on coal) aren’t able to transmit power across any significant distance anymore. New, efficient technologies would arise — including many technologies that have actually surfaced before, like Nikola Tesla’s tech that transmitted electricity through the air instead of wires, or magnet-powered perpetual energy machines.
People for a couple decades, slowly come to realize that the old way of doing things was unsustainable and illogical. The resources they actually *need* aren’t on the other side of the world, but right in their backyard. By 2030, people are self sufficient, and they start rebuilding eco-friendly infrastructure (no more wires/grids that can be wiped out by a solar flare!) that reconnects them with the rest of the world. Pockets of new information and technologies that had emerged in isolated areas are shared with the global population.
More efficiency and more of a global consciousness solidifies and ideology that’s based on what’s best for everyone, the entire planet, and the *future* of everyone and the planet. Technology is treated as a tool for finding logical solutions (like building new infrastructure (automated with 3D printing!). By 2080, a new global society has grown roots. Communities govern themselves and use logic and computer analysis to help make social decisions — if we gather X amount of resources for our infrastructure now, how long will it take to grow back before we can gather it again? Are there other communities that have an overabundance of that resource that they don’t need? People, due to the collapse of the global electrical grid 70 years ago, have learned to only want what they need, and to share what they don’t need with those who do — no one goes hungry anymore. They have grown to see the value in helping each other and how it builds up everyone.
If you want to add some more realism, there would likely be chaos for the first couple years after the collapse, but again, soon people would realize what it really takes to live — freely and happily.
Just a random wondering of what it would take to create the world suggested in that brief clip
December 15, 2011 at 11:15 pm
A very very good wondering, Stephanie! Now, the film will show a ‘snapshot’ of 2110 or around, but as a transition, I think what you describe sounds plausible.
The only thing that bothers me a bit is that it requires an uncontrollable external event for us to ‘wake up’, which kind of makes us doomed if that event never comes….
I have a hope that humanity will find out these things without any big calamities. But that might just be utopic…
December 14, 2011 at 10:08 pm
I think the first scene in this future film is superb and instantly makes me want to know more and more about how the world will be in 100 years time. Look at the advances we have made since 1911 they are quite unbelievable, so what does the world have in store for 2110 or 2111?
Zeitgeist heralds a future based on a resource based society, where there is no money no bartering, and no ownership, and resulting tranquillity (as near as possible) for us all, and I have to admit, it sounds wonderful a future I think most of us would really like to see (considering what we have now).
However, as much as I would dearly love this to happen as we can all see the world is SO RIDDLED with the 7 deadly sins. They seem to be in built into the human character and will be very difficult to remove.
I would therefore really look forward to the way the film deals with these common flaws that lets face it, most of us has.
Power: How the ‘New World Order’ released its strangle hold on the people of the world, and how the likes of those people can be prevented from infiltrating the leaders of the new society – Power such as they held will not readily be bestowed on mere beginners – How will that be done?
Avarice: Humans do not seem to know ‘When Enough Is Enough’ they still seem to want MORE – How do we stop them wanting more and curbing the need for more?
Envy: We all see this every day, if you buy a new car a neighbour has to have one similar or better than you have. In the New Society for an example, if everyone is given a TV screen that covers the whole wall – wonderful! But what happens when someone gets a TV that wraps around 3 walls and makes sure his neighbours see that, how will such envy be dealt with. If everyone then gets a 3 wall TV what about resources ans what happens to the old TVs?
Sloth: In the new society people will be encouraged to pursue a useful pastime that they wish to follow – what about the ‘Idle by Nature’ will they be laying around all day?
I am not going to go through the full 7 sins, but I hope someone sees what I am addressing, and how I think, these points MUST be included in the film.
This film will I think be made, and will be a ‘Box Office Smash’ if Ben is debriefed in a way that all these points are answered in a ‘believable’ way. Honestly, I cannot wait for script writer to provide us all with answers to those questions, and if they do, lets get ahead and get this conversion done NOW!….
December 15, 2011 at 10:47 am
Very good comment here, Colin. And the answer to it is what we all want to find out, and that’s the reason I started this website. So that we can come with input on it together.
Yes, the EGO, which is where all the 7 deadly sins come from, we all have with us. Still, egoism is, even today, regarded as a negative personal trait, and one that most people won’t be identified with, at least not by close friends and family. No one likes to be called an ‘egoist’.
I think that the transition from today’s world to a resource based economy is only a slight shift in thinking. Still, a slight shift that will have enormous consequences in the world. It is a simple revelation that people have to wake up to. And the revelation is this: To simply GIVE is much much much easier that to TRADE.
And it will benefit both the individual AND society in profound and extreme ways that will be clear to people as soon as they realize and experience it. It is a turning of the way one thinks about one self and about life. We are moving towards oneness. Meaning that we think more and more of the society as a whole as myself. That when I do something for others and society, I also do it for myself. It will automatically boomerang back to me. Maybe not at the moment, when we are still in a ego- and self centered society, but eventually it will.
It is an awakening that has to take place. An awakening from service of ego to the service of community.
Today, people who are billionaires are looked up to, just because they are billionaires. They have cleverly managed to collect a lot of money. In a money and propertyless society, there of course will be no billionaires to look up to, and to hoard anything would be quite meaningless, since you can get anything you need when you need it.
In this world, the shift has been total, so that instead of ego gratification, the gratification lies in sharing and giving to the community and celebrate together with them. Celebrate life and all it’s wonder. Yes, it is difficult to see from our egocentric monetary perspective, but this is how I think it will be.
Now, how this film will depict it is another, very good, question. And that’s why we’re all here. It is a very difficult question that I am trying to find an answer to every day.
There has to be a Story, of course. Or, maybe multiple stories in the same film. There has to be some kind of conflict, but what. What I can see is that the conflict arises in Ben and his (lacking) ability to adjust. But it can also come from other places. I don’t picture this world as perfect, so there can be some conflict in this world as well.
We have to develop it……..
December 15, 2011 at 6:55 pm
Thank you very much Harold, what an exceptional answer to my comments. I agree wholeheartedly with you, and regarding ‘Ego’ comment one only needs to look at the current ‘Celebrity Society’ that the young are so obsessed with – no thought of giving there – their only thought is to be a ‘Celeb’ with the riches and fame that they hope will follow. It will certainly be a very uphill struggle to turn their ‘service of ego to service of the community’.
I do not doubt that society will change as it cannot continue with the present corporate greediness and environmental destruction.
When the ‘New World Order’ owns everything, (which I believe they are well on the way to achieving now), all that would be left for us is ‘Serfdom’ – maybe that will be the moment people wake up and see what has happened to them, being Serfs they have nothing left to lose, maybe that will be the cathartic event that sows the seeds for the Resource Based Society – Could that be the moment Harold or has it gone too far then?
One final hypothetical point, when the New Society is settled, how do you visualize Birth Control would be dealt with? If we are currently grossly overpopulating the world when two thirds of the world are Sick, Starving and Diseased, if everyone in the New Society is Fit and Healthy and has more time (excuse the pun) on their backs, how will that be controlled – Because it’s only Nature!!….
December 27, 2011 at 4:45 am
Hello Colin,
you asked how birth control will be dealt with – but then began talking about overpopulation. These are 2 separate things.
As to birth control (i.e preventatives such as condoms), these would be available to all of course.
As to controlling population growth – no such thing would happen, nor would it be necessary. Populations under stress will have more children, whereas populations under low stress (such as a future society), would naturally have less kids. In fact we already see negative population growth in some wealthier countries when you discount immigration.
So fortunately it looks like the issue takes care of itself in a saner world.
December 13, 2011 at 10:52 pm
I really liked the clip and after it was done I wanted more. I would really like you to consider keeping the actors I think they did an awesome job and now I’m dont think I could see anybody else for those roles. I really applaud you for doing this, It really looked legit and I hope that you finish what you started cause i think a lot of people need this.
December 13, 2011 at 10:24 am
What about creating a virtual reality game based on the world of this movie?
December 13, 2011 at 10:30 am
That is interesting. If you have the capacity to do that, go ahead!
Right now I am personally to engulfed in trying to write the script of the film and find the story that will work….
December 12, 2011 at 5:41 pm
Hi there! Great work Harald and everyone! I volunteer as Marketing Co-coordinator and Media Contacts Project Coordinator with The Venus Project. Great to meet you! Your vision sounds very similar to our goal of making a film to spread awareness globally! We would love to talk to you – feel free to email mediacontacts@thevenusproject.com. Thanks for reading.
Warmest Regards
Sheena Bratt
www.thevenusproject.com
www.tvpactivism.com
www.venus-expressions.org
December 10, 2011 at 11:34 pm
Nice idea, really liked the main story of waking up 100 years later in a RBE system. I believe this can be very useful to explain the mainstream that a RBE is not impossible as most think, with a good plot I’m sure it will be great!
Comparing the new to the old ways will be great, I believe this can show people that the problem is not in details(corruption, food stocks, human nature, etc) but the system itself.
Anyway, I still have doubts about using computers as decision-makers(doesnt matter how powerful they are), as commented before this is can be called Tecnocracy that can be as oppresive as any other forms of government we have today. Another thing I was wondering, how is that transiction going to happen? I really do believe in a RBE but I can’t see an easy, plausible way to get there considering what we have today. Usually a system is built upon another, we can’t do a civilization from scratch. Also, is likely that the current system will fight the new one while it’s emerging, how is that possible from the new system to be non-oppresive or self-defensive? I really have some other questions about getting there when this idea was first presented by ZM. If you are considering to use flashbacks in the plot to show the transiction those questions will really need to be answered in a way people will accept both emotinonal and rational.
I hope myself and other people can help with this! Will look forward for the projet, Great idea!
December 9, 2011 at 2:13 am
My first comment did not come through, so again: I feel that creating a vision for the future, which we will hold constantly, will bring us the change we want. Fighting for the good is one way, which is important as well ……… but NOW we need both: Standing up for our rights and the rights of others …. and the vision clearly held in our minds. The film is a great contribution to make it clear WHAT we ALL want to live! STEPPING OUT OF SLAVERY is a great task …. we need as much people and contributions we can get. THANKS for your effort!
December 9, 2011 at 2:06 am
In the forest scene there is an error How can this guy ask for a cellphone, having lived 100 years earlier?? Did you notice?
December 9, 2011 at 11:50 am
What do you mean?
I’ts set 100 in the future..he was cryogenically frozen now (or last year, in 2010) and the film is set 100 years from 2010 when he was thawed out and was woken up and cured of his disease..the year is 2110..in 2010 we have cellphones, 100 years from now there is no cell phones..that’s why he was confused.
December 9, 2011 at 10:08 pm
Mmmm…..what…? In his time (which is now) they used cell phones…. In the scene it is year 2110…..
December 14, 2011 at 12:47 am
You don’t seem to be contemplating the story line of the movie. The guy asking all these questions, he just woke up from being cryogenically frozen after over 100 years. Meaning, since the-then time is 2110, the man asking the questions once lived sometime between 2008-2010.
He’s asking the woman about cell phones because he remembers using cell phones quite often in the past (2008-2010). He’s just now starting to understand how 2110-society operates and all the brand new technological advancements in which is vastly superior with that of the technology we use today.
Do you understand now?
December 14, 2011 at 12:48 am
Sorry, talking to Nina FYI. Not you.
December 7, 2011 at 4:34 pm
Amazing, love the idea of this movie, congratulations.
December 7, 2011 at 9:44 am
Oh wow, the future is here today if we want it!
December 6, 2011 at 4:38 pm
Thanks Guys! this is exactly the future i dream!! great idea and.. kissess
December 6, 2011 at 1:19 pm
This is such a great project. I think it has the potential to help humanity become more open to the idea of a more just and technologically advanced society where humans can explore their potential. I think it would be a good idea to depict a society tht is not some kind of Utopia, but rather a society that also has issues that will arise as humanity evolves. One of the problems most people have with a Resource Based Economy is that they think it would be some sort of Utopia which is not true. Another thing that I was thinking about is that just as the main character struggles understanding this new society, this futuristic society also stuggles to understand the main character. This could be used as a way to make the audiance question some of ideologies of our society such as the monetary system or the idea of false prospeity where over 1 billion people starve around the world.
December 6, 2011 at 8:10 am
hmm.. I sure hope I’ll be able to enjoy nature without being disturbed by any “CD”, or “Lens”… and being bombarded by gazillon of wifi networks.. or being constantly watched by Big Brother..
Here again, my fears about TMZ being way too much “Technological-God” oriented (in reaction to the past abuse of Religions or economy..)
To me, and many others
the solution to seek is not in any extremism (for the moment, I still see TZM as a technological/mecanised/automatised extremism) but in a MIDDLE WAY (see Taoism, Bouddha and many others for more details:)
replacing a dogmatic patriarch god by a dogmatic technological god .. Still not convinced…
Same for the idea of obtaining everything without any effort.. take some animals in Zoo, they are juste Zombies..
My passion is Mountain.. I can garantee you that a big part of the pleasure is the effort required to do the ascension.. Our human nature being what it is, I would be bored by the mountain in a few month if I could “instantanely” be where I want, anytime I want..
Just some thoughts
Sorry for my english, best regards
December 6, 2011 at 12:45 pm
Hi Conrad,
In the new world, just as today, you can choose you preferred vehicle to where you want to go. You can walk there, take a bicycle, ride a horse, take a train a train, a plane, a car, a boat, or whatever is available. You can choose to walk across the USA if you like. But if you’re in a hurry, there’s a plane available, but no one is forcing you to take it.
And no one will be forcing you to wear contact lenses. That is also totally optional. You can enjoy the nature, that will still be there, only more serene and untouched than it is now. And if you don’t master natural telepathy, and don’t want to use lenses, but still want to be able to stay in touch with others on a distance, well, then you can use glasses or one of the older pad like devices, or even a holographic device. By all means, you might even use smoke signals, or mirrors reflecting the sun, or nothing at all if you want to be alone.
It will all be there for you to choose or not to choose. It is all up to you what you choose, how you will travel and how you will communicate. Much like it is up to you today. Only, in the new world, you are not limited by your buying power. Everyone will have the same choices. You can choose to climb up the mountain and no one will stop you.
I think you are still in our old limited monetary mindset where you think that if you have more choices you would be lazy. There are a lot of rich people around today with all the choices in the world, still they clim mountains, exercise, ride bikes and horses or what have you. Laziness doesn’t come from a lot of choices. On the contrary, laziness comes from being crushed by a system taking all your choices away, leaving you with no hope and no point of doing anything, since all choices is limited by the money you have.
Than again, thinking that your choices is limited by your money only is again only a mindset. So, what you want to do is up to you in the end, not the world around you. Sure, the world can limit you, or give you options, but in any case, if you want to climb a mountain, you do that, no matter what the world says or want’s you to do.
Does this seem like an ok world to you?
Harald
April 5, 2012 at 6:34 pm
Take for instance the contact lenses. With the way we are today, we’d likely try to find a way to power such things with the burning of fossil fuel, perhaps by charging them when you take them off at night by plugging them into the wall (electricity comes from somewhere, and that somewhere is often a coal-burning power plant). Perhaps in the future, the power could come from us by tapping into our nervous system wirelessly. Power harnessed from the electrical firing of synapses, some of which is modulated into signal flow (the rest being used to power the contact lenses’ connection to the ethernet), and sending the signal flow back to the brain. The lenses could be turned on and off simply by sending the proper signal from your brain, for instance, thinking ‘lenses off’, similar to using voice recognition software on your computer.
It would not be so much an overuse of natural resources (the zoo animal in your example, or the coal-burning power plant in mine). There would be no attempt to rape nature for our own wants and needs. Instead, we would be using our own, natural ‘power plant’, our own nervous system, to power such things. It’s really more a mild self-sacrifice to have such things and no longer forcing our external landscape (oil fields and the like) to provide every little thing to the point of depleting our non-renewable external resources.
As for big brother, the technology could be used less as mind-control or brain washing, and as more of a way to connect with other like-minded people. So you’re born into a place where people mostly enjoy one thing, though you enjoy another? Use the lenses to connect with the internet and open a search engine, then look for the future version of chatrooms and forums where people like you congregate. Use their location information to find an area with a high concentration of like minded people and pick up a ticket* for transport to that place. You would simply be scanning information that those like minded people uploaded for the purpose of allowing people like you to find.
*tickets As I see it, the ticket would not be like tickets today. They would not be bought and sold, especially considering there is no monetary system that would facilitate the purchase of tickets. Instead of having, say, a 3pm transport to somewhere, you would have a transport that was scheduled according to transportation needs. When a ticket is issued to enough people to fill all the seats on the transport in the same departure location and going to the same (or similar) destination location, a notice would be sent to all ticket holders that the transport is scheduled to leave the departure area when they are ready to board. Ta-da, no more empty transports moving according to a set timeline. Minimal resources required…
December 6, 2011 at 4:17 am
Nice Idea! Love it!
I think maybe you should consider laying the plot to a later date. If you consider how radical the changes from todays society to an RBE would be, I think it would take more than a hundred years. Maybe a couple of hundred, I don’t know. I just don’t see an RBE as close as 2110. And for the movie to be given any credibility other than an Utopian dream, I think it’s an important aspect.
Other than that I love the idea, and wish all of you good luck with the movie, and I’m looking forward to watching it.
December 9, 2011 at 7:45 am
With the internet, information exchange is now exponential. The stubbornness of the masses cannot continue in this environment as people will evolve toward a more logically progressive approach in education. Given a mass grassroots movement, founded fundamentally on the principle of the scientific method, social collaboration can achieve a resource based economy in the matter of one acclimated generation.
April 5, 2012 at 6:39 pm
Simple fix: Leave out the date. Let viewers come to their own conclusions about how long it will take.
December 6, 2011 at 3:49 am
Brilliant idea! Are you in the need of someone to score the film or contribute any music? I have a large catalog of music ranging from ambient pieces, industrial and hard rock to symphonic jazz.
Here is a sample of one of my songs: soundcloud.com/blissfullmusic/heartfelt
Either way good luck with the film and I cant wait to see how this transpires.
~peace~
December 7, 2011 at 8:50 am
I appreciate it, thanks!
April 5, 2012 at 6:41 pm
Heh, between Robert and I, you should have plenty of resources for a soundtrack.
November 30, 2011 at 4:34 am
Hi!
im really excited about this, so let me know if i can help in some way, im an artist so maybe i could do some concept art sketches or color scripts… dunno, i think is wonderfull contribute to the vision of a better tomorrow for all of us. best regards! great job by the way!
November 24, 2011 at 8:45 pm
Great trailer, if you need any music let me know. I’d really like to get involved in this.
#:-)
November 22, 2011 at 5:21 am
here are Aweena’s contact lenses: www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-15817316
November 23, 2011 at 12:59 am
Cool.
November 12, 2011 at 5:38 pm
This is really nice! How about that for a future! I wonder if this was shot somewhere in Scandinavia or Finland. The nature just looks so familiar
November 13, 2011 at 11:24 am
Sweden.
September 17, 2011 at 12:34 pm
Great!! Spreading the word of this amazing project!
www.instinctmovement.com/waking-up/
September 4, 2011 at 1:49 am
Where is the complete movie?
Donde esta la película completa?
Onde esta o filme completo?
September 4, 2011 at 8:50 am
There is no complete movie yet. That’s what this website is here for, so that we create the script for the movie together. And when the script is done, we will of course need people mastering CGI, casting, lighting, sound, foley, catering, music, acting, location scouting, set building, costume making, make up, filming, producing, financing and directing. I hope I will be competent to direct this movie when the time comes. I have directed some films by now, and I’m working my way up in terms of experience.
August 23, 2011 at 7:32 pm
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoXvPFgz5Bg hi I find this video whit chineses subt ,so i hope you can use it
August 23, 2011 at 7:30 pm
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoXvPFgz5Bg hi i find thist video whit chinese traduction
i hope this help 
August 11, 2011 at 10:48 am
Wow! Thanks for sharing! I liked this clip, got me inspired to write some music for the final movie! This is the way to go for the future!!!
August 11, 2011 at 2:56 am
After Ben exits the Doc’s office with his prognosis he stops into a cafe for a for a double espresso. He plans to never go to sleep again and see and do all he can with the little time he has left..
Aweena mother, Betty , played by Aweena 2110, slides the coffee across the counter along with a white envelope and tells him that it is a promotion he may be interested in. As Ben settles in to contemplate what he has to do with this time he opens the envelope to find an exclusive innovation to several one of a kind adventures offered through Sir Richard Hansons, Glatic Adventure
Network. The adventure network of the Billionaires. They have excellent target marketing.
After browsing through the ultimate and mega expensive adventures. Ben has received these promotions before. Only the one percent could afford to toss away all those resources and get nothing in return, he finds the one with the bulls-eye. For One Billion you can be frozen while out in space and sent off on a 100 year round trip to the edge of our solar system and back. You can then tell all your friends you have been there.
300 singed up. Ben was #299……….
August 11, 2011 at 12:05 am
Harald,
Awesome idea and awesome scene! I am not much of a writer, but am an amateur in audio engineering & also a bit of an amateur musician. I would love to help any way I can if you would need help in these areas. If not, I could always be an extra in any scenes that you would need one for
August 10, 2011 at 7:37 pm
Harald, you can use Google Docs to collaborate on writing the script as well.
August 10, 2011 at 8:58 pm
Yes, I know. Working on it…
Forgot to mention it. Google Docs looks good but doesn’t have the formatting the script writing software has. But I think we can use Google Docs for The World and The Story, and temporarily for The Script. Later The Script can be transferred to Celtx for proper formatting, storyboarding, etc.
Another problem with Google Docs is that it doesn’t show any contribution percentage or word count per user, but it looks like it will have to do for now.
August 10, 2011 at 2:19 am
Getting started registering for FiveSprockets and Plotbot. I’ll get into Celtx when I can get them there 4.99. Found the project on FiveSprockets but couldn’t figure out how to join. Had better luck with Plotbot.
So, I have gotten this far, I’m still learn’n the process. I’m lurk’n around tonight work’n out Ben goes to sleep 1.02. I’ll paste it up somewhere.
chow
August 6, 2011 at 5:54 am
It’s sooooo beautiful. Thank you, Harald, from the bottom of my heart.
Maybe you just need to do a little more meditation… Perhaps you could meditate together with the actors, too. It would be interesting to see what direction they would want the story to go.
All the best to you.
August 9, 2011 at 4:37 pm
Thank you! Meditate with the actors is a good idea. They are in LA now, having a good time. But I’ll suggest it at the next crossroads.
August 1, 2011 at 1:51 am
I was wondering how this project works… Is it possible to just provide the stories, or at least one story, and then others will do the filming if they like it? Or is it requested that other folks contribute videos for stories that are already done?
I’m asking because I have a friend who has written a number of stories of some utopian society in the future that could possibly be used here.
Thanks!
- Ian
August 2, 2011 at 12:18 am
Hi Ian,
This site is about the film Waking Up, and the realization of that film. The only scene that is filmed is the one you see above. It might not be in the finished film, as it was only meant as a teaser and a submission to the Cinema Out Of Your Backpack festival. But we are not looking for more footage. When the script is done, sometime, hopefully, we will work on finding actors, locations, financing, etc. etc. and finish the movie as a feature film!
As you can read above, anyone can contribute to this film. If there are stories that can be useful, or at least inspirational, I would like to read them.
You can press ‘register’ above and submit them as new posts to the blog.
Thanks!
Harald
July 31, 2011 at 10:17 pm
This film is very important as a counterpart to all this Hollywood crap. A vision of a positive future is exactly what the world needs right now.
Wish you good luck and success for your film project.
July 31, 2011 at 8:52 pm
Great idea. I’d love to contribute too. I can help translate to german. I have also some experience in photography, image editing, painting and drawing.
wish you all the best for the project!
greetings
raphi
July 30, 2011 at 1:48 pm
I will help to contribute in any way I possibly can. I’m no writer though but I have other skills like photo editing and 2D artistic skills, I can also translate this clip to Swedish. Or at least try ( not so familiar with the software ).
July 29, 2011 at 1:49 pm
Great dialogs and actors ! Can’t wait for the next scenes
July 29, 2011 at 12:34 pm
excellent video!!! RBE the way to go!!!
July 27, 2011 at 2:50 am
Resource Based Economy..?? Awesome! Can’t wait to see the whole film.
July 26, 2011 at 7:48 pm
Very inspiring and positive.
Godspeed upon you.
July 26, 2011 at 5:35 pm
Hi Im from Argentina im very happy whit this project so whit some friends ho understand ingles we translate a subtitulate this video here the link
and the EBR 
www.youtube.com/watch?v=1p4sWZxxgiw
i like the think abaut open source
July 27, 2011 at 11:26 pm
Hello! I’m flattered… I see there’s actually 3 (!) upload (and thus ‘hacked’ downloads from Vimeo) of the clip now on YouTube. But I guess it’s ok, since they all link back to either this site or the clip’s Vimeo page.
It’s also amazing how much feedback this clip has gotten in such a short time!
Anyway, now I’ve finally uploaded the clip to YouTube myself, and if you guys would like to translate that to Spanish as well, please do! And if others have other languages, please include them!
Here’s the clip’s original YouTube page. Waking Up forest scene:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrdyeW2YUzQ
Thank you,
Harald
July 30, 2011 at 8:19 pm
Ok sorry :/ …. look you can upload the spanish sub. from here www.megaupload.com/?d=UX8TFGU0 to your youtube
August 1, 2011 at 9:31 pm
No prob. Thanks for the translation! I’ll add it eventually.
July 25, 2011 at 2:45 am
I love this movie short, I wish you all the best with getting it produced.
July 24, 2011 at 1:24 am
Very cool. A user created film about a positive future. That is a very unique idea.