Do you support the ideals expressed by the greater Occupy Movement? Have you struggled to explain to your Grandmother, who gets most of her news from Rush on A.M. radio, what Occupy is really about? Does your seemingly exceedingly intelligent co-worker not understand what the deal is with all those hippies standing in the cold holding signs?
Wouldn't it be great if there was some fable or commonly know story you could point to that would break it down a little more? As Michael Moore said in The Winter of Our Occupation, now is the time for planning and creation. What we produce this winter, while it's too cold for many of us to stand outside of banks or to camp in parks, will be the ammunition we use to win this national debate when the spring thaw hits.
Please follow me over what used to be the fold to see where this is all going.
I feel that the strength of the Occupy movement is the absence of a central leader. As Alan Moore so astutely pointed out, ideas are bulletproof, and a movement that lacks central leadership is much harder to disrupt via violence or to corrupt via fiscal leveraging (ie. Bribes). However, a leader can oftentimes help to frame what a movement hopes to accomplish for those who either lack enough information to make a decision or for those who have heard willful misinformation from a complicit or democratically hostile corporate media. Many people have already heroically stepped into the breach to defend and articulate the positions of Occupy, including our own MinistryOfTruth. However, these leaders can't be everywhere at once, and in general, one must be a cable news junkie or already hip to the progressive intertubes to catch wind of them.
I'm going to posit that the people we need to reach out to, as progressives and de facto Occupy members, are the ones who are currently tracking Kim Kardasian (sorry, I'm not linking....) and who she will next marry. Thats a hard nut to crack, the whole disinterested hipster demographic; they know the political establishment has been corrupted through corporate influence... why pay attention?
We know that these people consume media. Lots of media. They carry smartphones, they use tablets, they have 4G. What if a progressive message came their way in the form of an entertaining story, something that made the issues interesting and of an increased relevance to the day-to-day existence. What if this parable caused them to engage, deputizing them as progressive envoys to their well maintained social networks?
Well, thats what the Saga of Larry Tunner is all about.
I think the Occupy movement needs a folk hero, a political Paul Buyon of sorts. Someone who can further articulate the message of Occupy, but due to their lack of existence in reality, cannot be killed of corrupted.
Without further ado:
The Saga of Larry Tunner follows the classic hero tale, with a few exceptions. Instead of discovering a flaming sword our warrior discovers a huge check, and rather than questing against a great dragon that has plundered the countryside, our champion and his merry band struggle against an unchecked corporate power that has corrupted our daily existence.
Homeless drunkard has-been Larry Tunner has had a rough couple of years since the plant closed, but his luck is about to change! Along with some of his trusty friends, including an unemployed professor, a liquor store clerk, and a bag lady, Larry is about to turn the American political establishment upside down.
After hitting the jackpot and realizing that he really can do anything, Larry decides to run for President, giving voice to the real concerns of America’s ninety-nine percent. Unpolished, charismatic, and full of heart, Larry is on a mission to save America, or die trying.
I'm proposing that a dark political dramady micro-feature (in movie speak, thats a project that costs less then 1 million, but in this case, the budget is $49,250) is one way to create this strawman leader. What would it look like if some laid-off UAW worker had the opportunity to take the national stage and break through the corporatist noise. Wouldn't it be nice if someone on that debate stage had the balls to tell Newt he has no moral authority? Would you appreciate someone telling the Bluedogs and Conserva-dems the county is collapsing while they continue giving free hand jobs to Wall Street? Larry Tunner can do that, and much more.
How's this all possible? We live in amazing times. Getting something on iTunes requires only $2500 and the ability to pass their tech specs, bringing with it access to the largest media storefront in the world. A camera amazingly similar to those that are shooting The Hobbit and Spiderman 4 can be rented for only 6k. A union cinematographer is willing to shoot and edit for 1/3 of scale. We plan to disseminate The Saga of Larry Tunner to the masses for the minimum price set by iTunes, right now $4.99 for HD content. The rental will be minimal fee as well, set at $2.99 by iTunes.
What does a Tunner media campaign look like? Youtube presidential ad's of course!
Economic Terrorism Ad
Are you tired of economic terrorists destroying the social fabric of America? Have you or someone you loved lost their home? Do you feel like you’ll never have enough money to buy effective congressional representation?
I feel that way too. I’m a laid off auto-worker who was lucky enough to win the lottery, and I know the issues from personal experience. My name is Larry Tunner; I’m running for president; and I approve this message.
www.TunnerForAmerica.com (Not yet live)
Fiscal Inequality Ad
Last year, an American named John Paulson made six billion dollars through the hedge fund he started. I think that’s great, but I don’t understand why he only paid 15% in taxes.
An American city bus driver pays 25% of their wages in taxes. A veteran teacher pays 28%.
If John Paulson’s wealth was taxed at the same rate as other Americans work, there would be another 750 million to spend on America’s decaying bridges and damns. John is an American, and I think it’s fair to expect from him what we expect from everyone else.
My name is Larry Tunner, I support fiscal equality, and I approve this message.
www.TunnerForAmerica.com
Pro Regulation Ad
Do you like having clean water and safe roads? How about the 40-hour workweek and factories free of child labor?
Is it reassuring that the medical professional who delivers your child is licensed, or that someone looked over the construction and installation of the elevator you rode in today?
Regulation helps to ensure that people are safe, productive, and free. It protects against the gross inequalities that capitalism, the engine of our economy, can produce. If you believe that government, when being controlled by the people it represents, is a tool for good, then I would ask for your support.
My name is Larry Tunner, I’m a progressive libertarian, and I approve this message.
www.TunnerForAmerica.com
Health Care Ad
Life and death shouldn’t be about profit. Every other industrialized nation offers universal health care to it’s citizens because it benefits the public good, and so should we.
Private industry already foisted the least profitable risk group on the government, and the vote is in, even tea party seniors love Medicare. With an overhead of just 3%, we could increase every Americans standard of living overnight by covering everyone, returning up to 20% of an average families income after for-profit coverage is terminated.
Let’s end the murder by spreadsheet. I’m Larry Tunner, I’m for a healthy America, and I approve this message.
www.TunnerForAmerica.com
Public Education Ad
America is known around the world as the land of opportunity, and the foundation of that opportunity is free public education. The knowledge economy is continually evolving, and keeping up demands an ever broadening foundation of core skills.
For those born without great advantage, public education provides the promise of America: Opportunity.
People have value, and more then any currency; people are the real capital of our society. I believe in an America that maximizes the potential and opportunity of every citizen.
I’m Larry Tunner, I’m a progressive libertarian, and I approve this message.
www.TunnerForAmerica.com
To be clear, this is not an attempt to undermine the Democratic party, but rather, an effort to utilize the Overton window in pulling the debate to the progressive left. I feel the existing Democratic party is growing wealthier everyday in progressive libertarians, and rather then support Ron Paul, we need to gain traction in our own party.
Want to help Larry Tunner get off the ground? In order to have this project be available on iTunes by August (it takes an average of 90 days after Apple receives the submission for a project to become available), it needs to start shooting no later than March 9th. Three weeks for shooting, Two months for post (thats the edit, the score, color correction, sound mix, etc) and the iTunes wait mentioned above put this project on a breakneck timeline. However, like the Avengers, the team is assembled. We have a cast and a production team ready to go (it's the off season in Michigan, which, along with Gov. Snyder's decimation of the film program, makes it much easier to attach talent). All thats left is coming up with the budget, which is off to a great start.
We've raised 20% (10k) so far, and are working like busy bees as we search for the remainder. So, if you are or know of someone who is interested in high-risk, unsecured, progressive-minded investment, don't hesitate to send them our way via Kos messaging!!
Want to check out the script? I'll send you a draft. Message me through Kos.
*Before someone says it, I'm aware of Kickstarter. We're more then willing to do that, but we think this project can be financially viable as well. As such, we want to give people a chance to jump on the train with us.
Thanks!
Andrew
About Andrew:
Andrew Tomlinson – Writer, Director, and Creator of The Saga of Larry Tunner.
Producer – Prometheus Motion Pictures
Long interested in the mechanics of society and the behavior of the individual, Andrew earned a degree in Psychology with a focus on Macro Sociology and Group Psychology, and continues to study the implementation of Macro Social Practice and social justice principals as he completes his Masters in Social Work at Eastern Michigan University. The Saga of Larry Tunner reflects Andrew’s love of America, politics, progressive ideology, and the belief that it is never too late to stand up for what you believe in.
As an illumination of human behavior in a world of depleted opportunity and lopsided resources, The Saga of Larry Tunner compels audiences to examine complex social issues such as political leadership, the social contract, resource allocation, and the human condition. Andrew is a longtime collaborator with Prometheus Motion Pictures, and helped to found the company in 2004.