creative works by dj kadagian
Crossover Experience - the Series
Life After Death / A New Perspective
Poetry in Motion is as it sounds - poetry which comes to life through powerful and beautiful imagery and hypnotic music. This is not poetry that just sits on a page. It engages the viewer through a form that, quite simply, has never been created in documentary-style video before. The Series features famous poems composed by some of the masters. Each poem is wrapped in its own unique imagery and music which reflects the words and metaphors infusing each poem. They are all woven together by a narrator who provides a peak into each poet's life journey which inspired them to create their powerful works.
Poetry in Motion will feature a broad array of poets - From the poetry of 13th century’s Rumi and 18th century Zen Buddhist monk Ryokan Taigu, to that of a young, contemporary free-form poet tapped into the major issues confronting society today. From poems of struggle and social justice to those of love and the ineffable - all fused together by a broad array of imagery; from unearthed archival footage filmed in 1904 to stunning HD shot by top videographers from around the world. All floating over a soundtrack featuring world class musicians.
Samplings of these types of poetry shorts have been viewed over 1.5 million times on our Youtube channel and screened at over 60 film festivals worldwide but never put into a documentary style series such as this. We know first-hand that there is a very large and passionate audience looking for such content - and those that have not experienced such works before.
In a world that has lost the ability to experience the power of metaphor -
this is not just a beautiful series - but an important one.
Video Synopsis:
Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī means "Glory of the Faith" and Rumi’s life journey was dedicated to realizing the spirit of those words. Born into a respected family, at 20 he had become a wealthy nobleman, brilliant theologian, law professor and scholar. However, it was a chance meeting with an obscure and eccentric dervish - Shams-i-Tabrīz - that would forever change the course of Rumi’s life.
It is said that Shams, a spiritual teacher, taught Rumi for 40 days in seclusion and over the course of the next 3 years they would become inseparable. However, one night as they were talking, Shams was called to the back door. He went out, never to be seen again. Over the next twelve years, Rumi’s intense feeling of loss found its expression in an outpouring of poetry. Rumi’s poetry transcends national borders and ethnic divisions. Poet Coleman Barks, who is featured in this film, has said that “Rumi shows us our glory. He wants us to be more alive, to wake up. He wants us to see our beauty, in the mirror and in each other.”
Main Points:
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Rumi is the most popular poet in America. Much of this has to do with the translations of his works by Coleman Barks and to a lesser extent, Robert Bly. Both have already been recorded reciting poems that will be included in this series. The only film I could find on the Gaia platform about Rumi is Rumi: Poet of the Heart which was produced 24 years ago in 3 x 4 format. I did not find any other film on the platform that was specifically about poetry.
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The style of this video is more experiential than your typical straight-ahead documentary. Please view the five minute video below which will give you an excellent example of the feel and content of poetry that will be woven within the story of Rumi.
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Through music and stunning footage, we will create an atmosphere that is both mysterious and inspiring.
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The telling of the story will include three sources, each with their own image-set and music bed:
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Narration - The film will be held together by voice-over narration. We have used this narrator for our soon-to-be released audiobook for Crossover Experience.
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Talking Heads - Four experts in the field will be interviewed - a poet (likely Coleman Barks), a scholar, a philosopher and a religious figure. They will discuss Rumi's fascinating life journey, unveil the meaning of the poems, explain the importance of poetry, and how our culture has, for the most part, forgotten the transformational power of metaphor. They will be edited in a “stream of consciousness style.”
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Poems - the poems themselves are the heart of the film and drive the content, pacing and experiential style of the film.
VIDEO 1
Crossover Experience - Life-After-Death / The Journey
TRT 45-60 mins
This video is an example of the poetry by Rumi that will be woven in with the story of Rumi. Our low-res version has been viewed over 700,000 times on Youtube.