LIEabilties
LIEabilities is an episodic, true-crime documentary about how lies change culture. This series will investigate the psychological and cultural cause and effects of lying in discrimination, politics, medical science, money, romance, and history.
Sometimes it's a gossipy "little white lie," or it could be a lie that manifests litigious defamation and slander. Lies influence the perspectives of ourselves and each other.
In the present time, infinite information streams exist which spread (mis)information to millions of people. Why lies are created and how they are used will be the questions we seek to answer. The American Dream has not changed since its inception during the precolonial era. LIEabilities will infatuate you with the crime stories of the American struggle and how this narrative continues today.
BLM Edit
“The piece I am creating will be titled: “LIEabilities“. This is a short documentary that explores the current state of division in America that was influenced by obstruction of the truth, amplifying the Black Lives Matter movement as well as the alt-right that has affected people from all sides of the divide. What happens when people are divided by class, race, gender, sexual preference or other differences is the question we seek to answer as America is at the tipping point of change. The conversation will explore some solutions to overcome these problems including the need to vote and unite the country. In the spring of 2020, George Floyd was killed amplifying the BLM movement. Seattle, like many other cities across the nation, held ongoing protests. Seattle’s protests resulted in a controversial take-over of a popular neighborhood called the CHOP. This film includes first-hand accounts of these events and how disinformation has helped fuel division nationwide.
Seattle has a long history with division. The most recent developments where entire communities have been displaced due to the expansion of the tech sector. South Seattle is currently facing gentrification, which affects a majority of people of color. Most of the speakers will be residents of South Seattle or have intimate connections to it. Those who are interviewed are expected to comment with non-biased, educated responses derived from their own experience. We will also examine how the Alt right is using a presupposing narrative leading to election wins. Director Derek Johnson will be engaging in conversations with people who are the conversational stakeholders in his diverse, local network of South Seattle. Derek has been a lifelong activist involving civil rights policies for BIPOC people residing in America. Derek will reflect on his own observations from past events and weave them into the conversation of the current social climate inside America. The expected runtime of this film is 15-20 minutes, it will be released online for free, and will include weekly and nightly discussions around the topic of division.”
Derek Johnson
Whats Next:
LIEabilities experienced great success being a part of the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art WSU BLM exhibition. However, I decided that I wanted to seek out turning this into a 1 hour pilot for a TV show I want to produce. I am teaming up with my co-producer and we have a script to add a narrative sequence and also a wee bit more of the story with an additional interview or two. I expect to complete the pilot in Jan of 2022 and will post it here. Please stay connected to me via social or newsletter to get updates.