The film has many dimensions, the first being the story, which is a defining moment in the colonialism of North America. Then there is meaningful employment. In our perfect world there will be lots of carving and costume making to do, and many people will be paid fairly to complete this task.
People will find the third dimension in the Nuukmiis Family Teachings and historical events that have been woven into the script. Many will learn precious life lessons, some protocols and beliefs of a different way of life, and will teach others. If people choose to read the thousands of script notes for free, they will also find references to thirty two lessons of war from Robert McNamara, who served as the Secretary of Defense during the Vietnam war, along with quotes from legendary chiefs, every United States president, and hundreds of other philosophers, history books, and videos. They would also learn some basics about writing screenplays, how to teach themselves about all sorts of things using modern technology, and they might be inspired to give storytelling a try themselves.
This project will trigger increased interest in west coast art and travel. The film sites will provide the fourth dimension when people come to the beaches to stay in the 100% First Nations or Hawaiian owned village sites where they can purchase art right from the source. Perhaps a fifth dimension could be soaring box office sales when people find out that their ticket price is going to fund social and environmental change in a way that has never been done before.
The legacy of conservation will provide the sixth dimension, when many sail off on a healthier ocean to explore untouched old growth forests and mountain meadows. A seventh dimension could be the growth of the operation. We will raise more declarations of history, rights, and titles all over North America and then the world. We will carve more canoes, float more ships, and construct more villages through philanthropy, film, tourism, volunteers, sponsors, and government.
Other dimensions could include increased demand for aboriginal art, teachings, and justice. All of this could lead to more protected areas, language preservation, cultural revitalization, education, and tax revenues, while decreasing social assistance costs, health care costs, domestic and substance abuse, suicides, and other senseless deaths.
Simple tactics in the art of war could reach across the globe. Perhaps adversaries of all sorts could work through conflict and avert catastrophe by taking the time to get to know themselves and each other before resorting to war. This tactic works not only in war between nations, but also in personal relationships and businesses big and small.
Even with libraries full of history books, our leaders still make the same mistakes again and again. Corporations act like machines instead of thinking human beings. Our media blinds us for the personal gain of a few. They brag about their ratings and the majority watches, clueless to the propaganda. How simple we are. Patriotism blinds us further, and governments rob their own citizens, with no accountability. We can do so much better.
Why are mistakes being made, even in this age, with so much knowledge at our fingertips? It could be that greed drives most of the mistakes, and it is unlikely that greed will ever leave the human condition. But what if it was possible to harness the staggering power of the media to fight back against our own faults?
What if we could unite aboriginals, activists, philanthropists, superstar actors, superstar musicians, artisans, environmentalists, and the tourism and education sectors? What if youth take a genuine interest in what we do and try to follow in our footsteps because they see a great future in it? What if we could help them do that? What if our story, with all its lessons, thousands of years in the making, could reach millions? What if it could reach billions?
Tony Benn, former member of British Parliament, gives me conviction that change will happen sooner than later. He quotes in the documentary 'Sicko': 'They said in the 1930's we had mass unemployment, but we don't have any unemployment during the war. If you can have full employment by killing Germans, why can't we have full employment by building hospitals, building schools, recruiting nurses, recruiting teachers? If you can find money to kill people, you can find money to help people.'
Forty years ago the archaeology industry was in its infancy in British Columbia, and my father was there. We will find the money to build new sustainable industries, even if it takes us forty years to look. I'll bet it takes no where near that long.
I once had a friend who had made his fortune raising money for other people ask me to find him sixty five million dollars for a project that he had created. He agreed to a multi million dollar finder`s fee for me, gave me an incredible presentation to pass along, and I added my slant on things. A week later he gave me the name of a man that was a likely prospect. My friend knew that it sometimes works better when it comes from a third party. I called that man and he was in a couple weeks later. I let my friend know, who had found thirty million himself by that time. I suggested he raise his bid on the part of the deal that hadn`t been secured yet. He didn`t want to get into a bidding war and lost, but that`s not the point.
The point is that ever since he offered me a ridiculous pile of money and was nice enough to tell me who to call, even though raising money was his forte and he was also doing so for the project, I lost the gate on my imagination and feel that I am now able to pay that good deed forward.
I can`t ring up philanthropic billionaires and expect to get through anytime soon, but I know others that can, and by helping this project they can receive a handsome finder`s fee, possibly for very little time, while helping make this project a reality. My lawyer tells me a standard finder`s fee for raising money in the film industry is 5%, and if we could raise a couple hundred million I`m confident we could attract the talent and create the sets that will be needed to turn this project into a blockbuster.
Bill Gates' and Warren Buffett's success in inspiring many billionaires to publicly state that they will give away such great wealth before they pass, and two of them being enormous filmmakers, makes me very optimistic that we will be able to find financiers that are willing to return the lion's share of the profits to Mother Nature. Imagine the profits of a blockbuster going to repair healthcare, education, and rivers. If we can help the people, they can help the environment, and with prosperity comes peace.
George Lucas is apparently worth over 3 billion, filmed the Ewok scenes in Cathedral Grove on Vancouver Island, thinks that we're not using the arts to make education as emotionally meaningful as much as we should be, and has pledged to give most of his wealth to education. Jeff Skoll is a Canadian whose biggest dream as a kid was to make films with a message, and has been doing so since 2004. He funds social entrepreneurship and is worth over 4 billion. Paul Allen is apparently worth over 13 billion and has a documentary film company. His company used to do features too. When Mark Zuckerberg pledged his wealth in December of 2010 he was worth about 7 billion. As of April 2011, I believe he is worth close to 20 billion. He loves epic movies and wants to inform the public.
Larry Ellison is worth over 39 billion, used to own a yacht that cost 200 million to build, loves sailing, and won the America's Cup in 2010. In 2010 he also purchased the Beechwood Mansion, the former summer estate of the Astor family.
Except for Zuckerberg, none of these men are spring chickens and according to the pledge they are going to try and GIVE AWAY at least half of their wealth before they die. Larry Ellison has pledged 95% but he wasn't specific that he would do that before he leaves us. Even still, those are encouraging odds. If these five aren`t interested there are one hundred other billionaires that have signed up to the pledge, and if they aren`t interested I know of some more.
There is far more than enough money out there to cause systemic change all over the world. Fortunately for everyone, and like Eisenhower suggested might be the case, political will doesn't factor into this picture. The money is however beyond my reach until someone makes an introduction, and while I would welcome more, that is all I ask.
Sincerely,
Cam Baker