Why Wait For Superman? Let The Film Geekz Help Save The Earth! Mikey's Savior Complex Gets Totally Cereal For A Moment.

Is it strangely ironic that Earth Day and April Fools Day are in the same month? Or am I just too cynical? Probably a bit of both, but sometimes it takes a fool to state the obvious truth of things?.and I AM THAT FOOL!!

Being that Earth Day is coming up many of the DVD's coming in this month are somewhat related to environmental issues and good ol mother nature (hats off to the BBC and Warner Brothers for the amazing catalog and foresight to put together these amazing sets), and as I pour through them and talk to friends and family about them I'm starting to realize just how little attention these subjects are getting. Sure I love documentaries and I love recommending them to people but honestly they are a hard sell for the average person.

So what can we do about that? How can these filmmakers and advocates get these films and information to the eyes of a far more massive public audience?

Strange as it might sound I have an idea about that, and one that's so effortlessly simple.

As most of you avid movie goers can attest to in most theaters now a days you get assaulted by a string of advertisements while you wait for the feature to start; everything from pepsi to what's crackin on NBC must see Thursdays..then you get a handful of trailers as well. With me so far? Excellent.

Now as most of you couch potato's can vouch for at some point you will hit some sort of preview guide to look for your favorite shows, and while you wait for your show to scroll by the top of the screen is filled with all kinds of stuff from previews to mini-shows, and more. With me still? Dammit! Come back! I swear there's a payoff coming up soon.

Now what keeps the average person from seeing most of these documentaries? Two reasons; 1) Lack of knowledge about them to start with. 2) It's all about attention span. Most people would rather be entertained with 90 minutes of car chases and explosions than be educated about the plight of Man-Bear-Pig. Which I totally understand because when you are standing there in Hollywood video on Friday night holding a copy of Point Break in one hand and Who Killed The Electric Car in the other..odds are you are going to drop everything for some Keanu Reeves goodness.  Were only human.

Now here's the pitch:  Mini-Documentaries!!! Take any full length documentary and cut a 10-15 minute condensed trailer version of it. Something to cover all points of the subject matter and leave people wanting more. Get in and get out quick wile pointing people in the right direction to follow up on it.

You take these Mini-Documentaries and place them before feature films, either mixed in with the advertising or the trailers. It wouldn?t take much to get the MPAA and FCC behind a set of rules that requires any theater chain that carries those aforementioned ads also has to carry these small educational nuggets. Naturally the content of the documentaries would be film and age appropriate so nobody needs to get their underoos in a twist. 

Then you take the same Mini-Documentaries and pop them onto preview guide with at least one being shown each hour of everyday.

Naturally if this idea can take hold these Mini-Documentaries would wind up becoming a part of DVD special features?and who knows the possibilities for online content at this point.

You see what I'm getting at now? Accessible information for the masses in short bursts for faltering attention spans. B-I-N-G-O!

With so many documentaries out there the variety of information would keep new and fresh information pouring into the general public's minds on a pretty consistent basis paving the way to much higher levels of awareness to so many important issues facing our little blue marble in space.

Help Spread The Word: Write, Call, E-Mail Your Support of This Idea to Your Local Congressmen, The White House, The FCC, The MPAA, and The Theater Chains...hell even just tell a friend! Every little bit helps.

Greenpeace: http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/contactus
Earth Day Network: http://ww2.earthday.net/node/67
The FCC: http://www.fcc.gov/contacts.html
The MPAA: http://www.mpaa.org/AboutUsContactUs.asp
Cinemark: http://www.cinemark.com/help.asp
Regal Entertainment Group: http://www.regmovies.com/corporate/contactus.aspx
Write Your Representative: https://forms.house.gov/wyr/welcome.shtml
Contacting the White House: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

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