The Elephant FILM
The film
HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHY YOU'RE HERE, OR FELT THERE MAY BE A MYSTERY TO LIFE?
PERHAPS YOU’VE HAD A DREAM, A COINCIDENCE, OR A SUDDEN, PROFOUND INSIGHT THAT FELT PURPOSEFUL—JUST FOR A MOMENT, AS IF EVERYTHING WERE CONNECTED. OR MAYBE YOU’VE ASKED YOURSELF: WHY IS LIFE SO PAINFUL?
THE ELEPHANT EXPLORES THESE UNIVERSAL QUESTIONS BY DELVING INTO WHAT WE CALL NON-ORDINARY TRANSFORMATIVE EXPERIENCES (NOTES), THESE ARE EXPANDED STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS WHERE PEOPLE FEEL ALL THINGS ARE INTERCONNECTED. THEY ARE FOLLOWED BY A CRUCIAL INTEGRATION PERIOD, DURING WHICH THE EXPERIENCE MUST BE PROCESSED AND EMBODIED.
WITHOUT THE RIGHT SUPPORT THEY CAN BE DEEPLY CHALLENGING, BUT WITH THE RIGHT FRAMEWORK THEY CAN BE POWERFULLY TRANSFORMATIVE.
AT ITS CORE, THE FILM FOLLOWS THE JOURNEYS AND TESTIMONIES OF INDIVIDUALS FROM DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS WHO HAVE BEEN PROFOUNDLY CHANGED BY A NOTE. THROUGH THEIR STORIES, WE UNCOVER INSIGHTS THAT COULD RESHAPE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HUMAN POTENTIAL, THE HEALING OF TRAUMA, AND OUR PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE.
BY WEAVING PERSONAL ACCOUNTS WITH PERSPECTIVES FROM QUANTUM PHYSICS, NEUROSCIENCE, PHILOSOPHY, ECOLOGY, AND ANTHROPOLOGY, THIS DOCUMENTARY CHALLENGES US TO RECONSIDER REALITY—THE ULTIMATE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM.
WHAT IF OUR EMOTIONAL PAIN AND OUR MOST EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIENCES ARE ACTUALLY KEYS TO UNLOCKING WHO WE TRULY ARE? COULD THEY BE GUIDING US TOWARD TRANSFORMATION—BOTH INDIVIDUALLY AND COLLECTIVELY?
STYLE
THE FILM WILL HAVE A VISUAL AESTHETIC, STEERING CLEAR OF THE CLICHÉD IMAGERY AND MUSIC OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH THESE THEMES. DRAWING INSPIRATION FROM DIRECTORS LIKE ADAM CURTIS AND ASIF KAPADIA, IT WILL MOVE BEYOND A RELIANCE ON TALKING HEADS, ENSURING A MORE IMMERSIVE AND DYNAMIC NARRATIVE. AT ITS HEART, THE FILM WILL CENTRE ON DEEPLY PERSONAL STORIES, WITH INDIVIDUALS RECOUNTING THEIR TRANSFORMATIVE JOURNEYS—BRINGING AN EMOTIONAL RESONANCE THAT IS FAR MORE COMPELLING.
FORMAT
THE DOCUMENTARY WILL BE PRESENTED AS A FOUR-PART SERIES, WITH A 90-MINUTE FEATURE EDIT SYNTHESISING KEY THEMES FROM THE SERIES.
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PART ONE: SPONTANEOUS EXPERIENCES IN THE UK, THEIR CONNECTION TO PSYCHOLOGY AND TRAUMA, AND THE LESSER-KNOWN WESTERN MYSTICAL TRADITIONS, INCLUDING AN EXPLORATION OF ‘BRITISH MYSTICISM’.
FUTURE EPISODES:
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ENTHEOGENS IN THE AMERICAS / NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCES
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AFRICAN AND INDIGENOUS SHAMANISM
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KUNDALINI AND TANTRIC SYSTEMS IN INDIA
FUNDING
WE ARE INDEPENDENTLY FINANCING THE INITIAL PHASE OF THE FILM. FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE PROJECT, WE WILL UTILISE A COMBINATION OF CROWDFUNDING, COMMUNITY MEMBERSHIP CONTRIBUTIONS, AND THE UK FILM TAX CREDIT.
DISTRIBUTION
OUR PLAN IS TO SHOWCASE THE COMPLETED FILM THROUGH AN ONLINE ROADSHOW AND SUBMIT IT TO FESTIVALS. AS OUR GOAL IS TO BRING THESE EXPERIENCES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS INTO MAINSTREAM CONVERSATION, WE ULTIMATELY AIM FOR DISTRIBUTION ON A MAJOR STREAMING PLATFORM SUCH AS NETFLIX.
