Reprinted Courtesy of Konformist.com

Why I make hoax films

 

 

Ever since I appeared on the Jeff Rense program pretending to be Chris Wilson offering an eerie video on my web site I have received a steady stream of e-mails. Some of them came from people who felt cheated after learning that my internet film DEATHBED CONFESSION was a hoax. Some of them have suggested that I could do something better with my skills than try and trick people. This is why I do what I do.

 

I used to make a living working in the Hollywood film industry. I am well aware of why movies and TV shows are so outrageously awful. It is because the Hollywood system is controlled by.... people that do not respect their audience. One producer that I used to work with would chuckle that he was only trying to entertain America whenever he was asked why the TV show he was producing was so lousy. Most popular entertainment is mindwash, telling stories that reassure you, that tell you what you already know. Pick up a screenwriting instruction book, and you will see that movies are intentionally made to give you the whole story in the first five minutes, so you know right away where the movie is going to take you. I decided to try and do something different. I began making short videotapes that would allow the audience to get involved in the ideas I wanted to address without pandering to the industry standard of telling stories the way they have always been told. I like raw experience. There's nothing more exciting than watching something shocking, dangerous and real. That's why I create hoax films. To approximate the visceral thrill of the real thing. I offer the viewer the chance to experience my tapes without the comforting Hollywood reassurance that "it's only a movie." My work has always used what I call Experiential filmmaking. It is not a new approach, and it was made familiar by the success of The Blair Witch Project. Unlike pranksters who merely seek to ridicule the gullible, I intend to wake them up. I make propaganda with a political aim. I want to inspire and embolden the audience to reject mind numbing popular entertainment.

 

After having my work shown at the few underground film festivals that would accept noncommercial tapes like the ones I was making, I decided to use the Internet to find a wider audience. With Y2K on the horizon, I made MILITARY TAKEOVER OF NEW YORK CITY. In response to my tape, certain agents in the FBI and the Department of Justice decided to prove that the government was not going to do anything evil during the millennium. They did this by approaching my webhost with threats of putting him out of business unless he agreed to take down my site. The resulting suit filed in response to this unprecedented assault on the first amendment is languishing on the desk of some federal judge, and the ACLU has plenty of more important matters to deal with these days.

 

When I started working on DEATHBED CONFESSION I wanted to explore the kinds of fringe ideas that I have been reading about on the Internet. The most interesting aspect of conspiracy theories and paranormal belief systems is that they give people the thrilling experience of discovering things that are not discussed in the mainstream culture. Many times I start out the creative process by imagining what kind of tape I wish I could see. I think everyone would like to see the smoking gun video that places blame on the most deserving villains (ask the CIA why they made that bin Laden home movie.) Once the September 11th attack occurred, I felt I had to make this tape.

 

I make films so that people can see them. So I made some effort to lead people to my site. That is how I got on the Jeff Rense show. Within hours, people had uncovered the thin layer of misdirection that I had employed, and revealed the tape to be a hoax.

 

Some people ask why I am not more upfront in announcing that my work is fictional. Perhaps I should. Tell you what. I promise that I will make every effort to stop misleading the public as soon as the mass media, the Pentagon and the White House do the same.

 

Until then, enjoy the ride.

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