Coalition of the Willing: film-making, collaboration, activism

February 5, 2010 by William Shaw
Filed under: Uncategorized 

This is a brilliant initiative: a growing online activist movie created by an army of collaborators, who are animating a script by philosopher/activist Tim Rayner:


Still from Coalition of the Willing: Back to the 60s by World Leaders

The film is appearing online at coalitionofthewilling.org.uk. Rayner’s collaborator is the film maker Simon Robson aka Knife Party, who has pulled in a glorious range of film makers and animators to bring Rayner’s script – on how activists can come together to combat climate change.

The first clips went up at the start of this week. More will be appearing in waves in the coming weeks.

it’s a really exciting way of bringing creative people together on a project like this. The medium is wonderful. I’m not entirely sure I’m convinced of the message – though I would like to be. The Coalition of the Willing’s theme is that that the net allows “swarm politics” to flourish, giving activists a unique chance to mobilise against global warming.

While the net does have that effect, there are two other effects which seem to be just as strong:

1) It gives exactly the same power to those who think the very opposite of what you do – witness the swarm  of warming scepticism online.

2) Though it creates lots of networks there is no real incentive for those networks to link up. They are often reproducing exactly the same message, deploying the same tactics, in isolation from each other. At the same time as it pulls people together it also keeps them in separate silos.

Knife Party, Tim Rayner

FILMMAKERS: Adam Gault & Stefanie Augustine, Bran Dougherty-Johnson, Cassiano Prado, Mario Sader & Ralph Pinel, Clapham Road Studios, Dave Baum, Decoy, Dom Del Torto, Dylan White & Andy Hague, Echolab, Foreign Office, Andreas Gebhardt, James Wignall,BBWD (Loyalkaspar), Sehsucht – Directed by Mate Steinforth, Mighty Nice, Parasol Island, Thiago Maia, World Leaders, Yum Yum London

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2 Comments on Coalition of the Willing: film-making, collaboration, activism

  1. Rick Sherman on Mon, 8th Feb 2010 6:47 am

    2. Back in the early seventies a handful of young activists envisioned a non organization to pull together the separate but different social movements of the time, environmental, anti war, feminist, gay rights, etc.. They went on the road in different directions for a year with an invitation sewed to the backs of their jackets. They hit every social event, Dead show, protest, and festival they could to carry this invitation to all people of all creeds, colors, religion, and point of view to a gathering.
    In 1972 the first Rainbow gathering came together in Granby Colorado. Twenty thousand people showed up and an event that had no sponsors, sold no tickets, and had no promoted entertainment other than the participants themselves. Thirty nine years later the gatherings have spread to every continent of the globe and still attract thousands to come together to simply experience each other and share ideas.
    If a bunch of motivated hippies with an idea and a thumb to hitchhike with can create a positive social movement then the potential of the internet to communicate ideas and organize people in the face of the greatest threat that we have faced, is a great hope.
    We all have to do as much as our creativity will allow to turn us around. Apathy is not a viable option.
    Thanks for the work
    Rick Sherman
    By the way I’m doing everything I can to spread the word of your project within my own circle and hopefully beyond.

  2. William Shaw on Mon, 8th Feb 2010 9:37 am

    3. Thanks for both the excellent history and the kind words, Rick.

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