What's new

Writing an Essay; Any Advice?

NCSP

Patron Meritorious
Freedom was made in 1969 or 70. I remember sitting by the pool with Geoff Lewis at that time. His son was less than a year old. Long before video tape, it was celluloid. All the centers and orgs had a copy. It was really well done for its time.

You're obviously a generation younger than even my youngest, so if you don't know who Stephen Boyd and Geoff Lewis are, you should google them, and perhaps watch Ben Hur or Every Which Way But Loose for background.

In the Scientology, that I was involved with, late 60s / early 70s, there were grades 0-4, 5 & 5A (called Power), and grade 6 (R6EW), then the Clearing Course. My wife course suped the solo course which taught the basics of solo auditing for grade 6. There was a b/w film of Ron talking about what we were about to audit. In it, he accurately described, what I had been looking at for ages, and having trouble with. The grade 6 auditing that I did, along with the Clearing Course auditing changed my life 100 fold for the better.

On a different tack, if you ever read "The Right Stuff" by Tom Wolfe, you read about the effect of Chuck Yeager (who first broke the sound barrier) on pilots across the globe for generations. Chuck Yeager had (and has) a slow unperturbed drawl when he speaks. For decades, you could get on any commercial plane, and hear the pilot talking in Chuck Yeager's voice.

LRH has had the same effect. Listen to one LRH tape, then listen to Jack Horner, Alan Walter, etc. Consciously or unconsciously, they mimicked his cadences and delivery.

You might try researching the Library of Congress for films. If they were copyrighted, the LoC probably has a copy.

If you're in LA, you might just go knock on Karen Black or Geoff Lewis' door.

When I heard Boyd's name I knew it must have been pretty early -- he died in '77, after all. Thanks for alerting me to the existence of that movie. So it was directed at the general public, as opposed to the training films?

(I do know who Boyd and Lewis are. One of my favorite bad movies is "The Oscar" starring Boyd and Tony Bennett!)

Unfortunately, I'm pretty limited in the footwork I can do -- I'm on the East coast, so I can only really use what's in books or on the internet. I have a pretty solid assortment of source material though. And I love getting firsthand stuff like this -- even if it's not really usable in the paper, it helps me get a more complete picture in my mind.
 

HelluvaHoax!

Platinum Meritorious Sponsor with bells on
Re: Funny how that OT III tech works.....

just as a footnote, not as a contribution to this thread:

Ken Ogger, "The Pilot" was working as a consultant to a production company, looking to make "Revolt in the Stars" when "Battlefield Earth" (the movie) came out. Production was immediately 86ed.


Even Hubbard himself was 86ed, in 86.
 

NCSP

Patron Meritorious
Re: Funny how that OT III tech works.....

Did a quick search and came up with the same that you did. Unformatted script.

It used to be easily locatable on the internet, apparently not today. Way back, I used to have a hard copy of it when it was given to me to read by the "producers" seeking to set up that film project (financing, distribution, etc).

Being a professional scriptwriter, I was excited to read Hubbard's work--assuming (as a Scientologist) that he would naturally be a master of the genre. I found it awful, really awful. Got an even worse reaction when I read "Battlefield Earth" which was just plain unreadable to me. I know that other Scientologists "got wins" on it and enjoyed BE, but I could not figure out how that was possible. My god, the material was so dated, corny, cliched and just...cringefully uncool!

It was back then that I began to get a firm grip on the idea that Hubbard, despite his grandiose assertions about his OT prowess and advanced abilities, was ridiculously amateurish in many fields he claimed to be a master in.

Just look at the photographs Hubbard took in those Scientology books--the ones with guys draped in bedsheets and glue-on beards. Just listen to "Thank You For Listening". Just...just...just...just say no! lol.

There were some LRH Advices on REVOLT IN THE STARS that I will include for anyone that hasn't seen them. Get ready for a major cringefest...




Come on, Scientologists and Indie Scientologists! It's not so bad, just admit that this stuff is fucking crazy and move on.

That is *amazing*, thank you! (I do look forward to delving into LRH's series on aesthetics and photography, etc. You know who else wrote a manual on the "right" way to make movies? Kim Jong-il. http://www.amazon.com/Art-Cinema-April-11-1973/dp/0898756138 )
 
When I heard Boyd's name I knew it must have been pretty early -- he died in '77, after all. Thanks for alerting me to the existence of that movie. So it was directed at the general public, as opposed to the training films?

(I do know who Boyd and Lewis are. One of my favorite bad movies is "The Oscar" starring Boyd and Tony Bennett!)

Unfortunately, I'm pretty limited in the footwork I can do -- I'm on the East coast, so I can only really use what's in books or on the internet. I have a pretty solid assortment of source material though. And I love getting firsthand stuff like this -- even if it's not really usable in the paper, it helps me get a more complete picture in my mind.

Freedom was an intro to Sci. very down to earth and real.

If you want, I'll look for "Revolt in the Stars." I think it is in our barn. I can take it to Kinkos and mail you a copy (how 20th century).

If you find "Freedom," I'd like to see it as a vid on YouTube. i've never tried researching at the library of Congress, but I would think that it would be fun.
 

HelluvaHoax!

Platinum Meritorious Sponsor with bells on
Re: Funny how that OT III tech works.....

That is *amazing*, thank you! (I do look forward to delving into LRH's series on aesthetics and photography, etc. You know who else wrote a manual on the "right" way to make movies? Kim Jong-il. http://www.amazon.com/Art-Cinema-April-11-1973/dp/0898756138 )

By the way, like Kim Jon-il, Hubbard has a confidential series of "Advices" (on making movies) that one needs special clearance and permission to read at Int. They may be floating around on the net, haven't checked. I recall one of them being called "Cine is Pix". He also requires that his Golden Era filmmakers study a couple seminal (wog) texts, including "THE 5 C'S OF CINEMATOGRAPHY" and another very short one I can't recall the name of. (EDIT: I think it is "HOW TO SHOOT A MOVIE STORY"]

Nobody (in Scientology) seems to notice that Hubbard the master film maker cannot make a film that is not hideously amateurish.

Nothing quite says "cult leader" like boundless audacity & capacity to tell The Big Lie.


"And it is very true that a great catastrophe occurred on this planet and in the other 75 planets which formed this [Galactic] Confederacy 75 million years ago. It has since that time been a desert, and it has been the lot of just a handful to try to push its technology up to a level where someone might adventure forward, penetrate the catastrophe, and undo it. We're well on our way to making this occur." ( -Hubbard; Ron's Journal '67)


Thanks, Ron. I was not sure if it was true. But since you say it is "very true" I have no reason any longer to doubt you.
 
Last edited:

NCSP

Patron Meritorious
Freedom was an intro to Sci. very down to earth and real.

If you want, I'll look for "Revolt in the Stars." I think it is in our barn. I can take it to Kinkos and mail you a copy (how 20th century).

If you find "Freedom," I'd like to see it as a vid on YouTube. i've never tried researching at the library of Congress, but I would think that it would be fun.

That would be great, but don't go to too much trouble on my account; it would definitely be helpful, but it's not absolutely crucial for the paper.

I'm almost positive that there's never been a deposit requirement for films at the LoC the way there is for books. I know that lots of 'lost' films are only represented in the LoC archives by a single frame supplied for proof. At any rate, copyright isn't dependent on depositing or registering anything -- it's automatic at the time of composition. There are additional protections to registering with the LoC (triple damages in infringement cases, absolute proof of date of copyright, copyright renewal for older works, etc.) but there's no requirement to register or deposit a copy anywhere for purposes of basic copyright. It would be interesting to look into the records, though.
 
That would be great, but don't go to too much trouble on my account; it would definitely be helpful, but it's not absolutely crucial for the paper.

I'm almost positive that there's never been a deposit requirement for films at the LoC the way there is for books. I know that lots of 'lost' films are only represented in the LoC archives by a single frame supplied for proof. At any rate, copyright isn't dependent on depositing or registering anything -- it's automatic at the time of composition. There are additional protections to registering with the LoC (triple damages in infringement cases, absolute proof of date of copyright, copyright renewal for older works, etc.) but there's no requirement to register or deposit a copy anywhere for purposes of basic copyright. It would be interesting to look into the records, though.

If you could find out who made "Freedom," then there might be a way to find a copy. It wasn't a Co$ production. It was too well done.
 
Re: Funny how that OT III tech works.....

By the way, like Kim Jon-il, Hubbard has a confidential series of "Advices" (on making movies) that one needs special clearance and permission to read at Int. They may be floating around on the net, haven't checked. I recall one of them being called "Cine is Pix". He also requires that his Golden Era filmmakers study a couple seminal (wog) texts, including "THE 5 C'S OF CINEMATOGRAPHY" and another very short one I can't recall the name of. (EDIT: I think it is "HOW TO SHOOT A MOVIE STORY"]

Nobody (in Scientology) seems to notice that Hubbard the master film maker cannot make a film that is not hideously amateurish.

I was at CLO on L Ron Hubbard Way in LA a year ago. On the TV, they had some really well done 30 second ads for Dn and Scn, that I had not seen before or since. They had to be professionally done, not Sea Org budget.
 

Student of Trinity

Silver Meritorious Patron
I'm not sure how much the piece could be expanded, though. It seems like it might make a "sexy" topic for publication or conference presentation down the road, but I don't think it's got great dissertation potential.

Again, I know nothing about film, let alone film studies. But I'd bet a beer or two that you'll blush for this, someday. If graduate school teaches you one thing, it's that anything that can be studied can always be studied more. There's quite a lot of Scientology film, I believe. All the training films, all the events. Even Battlefield Earth, if you have to. I do know one a guy who did a very good film studies dissertation on what I think was a narrower set of material than that. (He got his thesis published as a book, which is the cut you want to make.)

In the long run, too, I bet a study of Scn films could launch a whole distinguished academic career focused on film as manipulation. I repeat my caveats about my ignorance, but I repeat: this sounds like gold, to me. A lode, not a nugget.
 

Disinfected

Patron Meritorious
Perhaps someone else can flesh this in but I have always wondered about the Technical Training films as being yet another way for upper level Scientology management to bleed money from the local orgs. My take is that the local org had/has to pay an exorbitant fee for the films and the special "Gold" projectors and had/has to buy multiple copies of each Tech film. Amirite?

disinfected
 

NCSP

Patron Meritorious
Again, I know nothing about film, let alone film studies. But I'd bet a beer or two that you'll blush for this, someday. If graduate school teaches you one thing, it's that anything that can be studied can always be studied more. There's quite a lot of Scientology film, I believe. All the training films, all the events. Even Battlefield Earth, if you have to. I do know one a guy who did a very good film studies dissertation on what I think was a narrower set of material than that. (He got his thesis published as a book, which is the cut you want to make.)

In the long run, too, I bet a study of Scn films could launch a whole distinguished academic career focused on film as manipulation. I repeat my caveats about my ignorance, but I repeat: this sounds like gold, to me. A lode, not a nugget.

Frankly, I just think there's too much material missing right now to justify a book-length work. One day, when the archives are opened, absolutely. But I just can't see calling up Gold these days and asking to root through the archives, you know?

(And I know what you mean about narrowness. There's a book (a good one) called The Cinema of Jean Genet. He only directed a single short film.)
 

NCSP

Patron Meritorious
OH! I should have led off with this but I forgot. The absolute #1 item on my wish list for this project is "Ron the Filmmaker," one of the issues in the Ron series. I have a copy of "Ron the Music Maker" but "Ron the Filmmaker" has been really elusive.
 
I haven't read the whole thread.
Someone may have mentioned this already....
There is one bit of film (TV) that sticks in my mind......the BBC interview in the 60's or very early 70's where the interviewer puts out the idea to Hub that he might be insane. Hub may or may not have had a hand in arranging to get himself on TV...even if he didn't he agreed to the interview and I think it was the last time he ever did one becuase he was shocked to find out that the media were not going to be his promo-whores. In fact the british press treated him with disdain, which of course fed into his "Me vs Them" screw-ballness and seperation from society.
 

HelluvaHoax!

Platinum Meritorious Sponsor with bells on
Re: Funny how that OT III tech works.....

I was at CLO on L Ron Hubbard Way in LA a year ago. On the TV, they had some really well done 30 second ads for Dn and Scn, that I had not seen before or since. They had to be professionally done, not Sea Org budget.

Two of the longstanding, contracted in-house (non-Sea Org) people up at Gold have been veteran, professional (mainstream) advertising writer/directors. Mitch Brisker and I also believe Wendy Gillotte is still producing for them.

There are many hilarious things about the slick multi-media promotion that Scientology churns out, but one of my favorites is the super-strict "ethics clearances" required to work at Int for non-Sea Org professionals.

Only the most ethical people are allowed to go there to service a sociopathic, brutal con man in the creation of advertising to trick people to surrender all their money to a hoax.
 
Last edited:

NCSP

Patron Meritorious
Re: Funny how that OT III tech works.....

Only the most ethical people are allowed to go there to service a sociopathic, brutal con man in the creation of advertising to trick people to surrender all their money to a hoax.

Balance is important.
 
Top