About this project
Dolphin Intelligence
Through interviews, animation and underwater footage this film will explore the possibility that dolphins' intelligence may be superior to our own. The film will hypothesize that our own limited intelligence and human-centric orientation may prevent us from recognizing the true intelligence of other species in much the same way that 19th century western science failed to recognize the intelligence and worth of non-western cultures. Research of dolphins will be cited comparing dolphin brain size and development to that of humans. Comparisons to human society and behavior with that of dolphin behavior will suggest some unsettling possibilities. Could dolphins be more socially well-adjusted and intelligent as a species, than Homo sapiens?
The funds raised for this project will be used to cover a variety of expenses associated with the production of this documentary. Expenses for travel and equipment will be incurred to conduct on-camera interviews with researchers working in the field of dolphin intelligence. Stipends will be offered to interview subjects to help procure the interviews.
The documentary will include a 3-D animated sequence that will require funding to hire an accomplished animator with the necessary sophisticated software to render a photorealistic scene depicting how dolphins sense their underwater environment with their echo-location, a type of sonar. This animated sequence will portray from the dolphin's point of view, their ability to range distance and detail of underwater objects based on the relative delay of high frequency echos that reflect off underwater objects. Using the colors of the visible light spectrum ranging from red through orange, yellow, green, blue and violet as a visual substitute for the spectrum of sound frequencies, we will portray how the dolphin uses her acoustic senses to "image" the underwater environment more clearly than is possible using the visual senses that we rely on. The software used will be Maya, Lightwave 3-D, or a comparable program capable of portraying the scenes in a highly realistic manner. This scene is likely to be one of the most visually stunning parts of the documentary because of the rainbow of colors involved in the portrayal of objects at varying distances and the underwater setting!
Several individuals have already contributed their talents to this documentary. Stunning underwater scenes of Bottlenose Dolphins photographed in the Gulf of Mexico by Denis Richard of Water Planet will be included in the documentary. Music by Richard Houghten, an accomplished experimental musician, has been contributed to the project. Houghten's music has a haunting quality somewhat reminiscent of dolphin and whale songs. Some beautiful 2-D animation is currently being created by Candice DiCiano to illustrate the basic process of echolocation and the 2 types of sonar that dolphins use: long-wave length to get a general view of their surroundings, and short wavelength to resolve details of objects.
Stay tuned for updates as this exciting project continues to develop!
Scene from $15 Donation Reward, "Hidden World: Tibetan Sand Mandala"
Ltd. Edition Signed Art Postcard "Visualize" $25 Donation Reward
Ltd. Edition Signed Art Postcard "Mandala" $50 Donation Reward
DVD "Li: The Patterns of Nature" $75 Donation Reward
FAQ
-
No. Only if the funding goal of $3800 is reached by July 18th will your pledge be charged to your credit card.
-
This documentary will be released on DVD and submitted to film festivals and public TV stations for broadcast.
Have a question? If the info above doesn't help, you can ask the project creator directly.
10
Backers
$886
pledged of $3,800 goal
0
seconds to go
Funding Unsuccessful
This project reached the deadline without achieving its funding goal on July 18, 2011.
Pledge $15 or more Pledge $15 or more
Streaming Download of "Hidden World: Tibetan Sand Mandala." A 30-minute documentary about a group of Buddhist Monks that travel the world constructing Sand Mandalas- a type of ritual artwork. They explain the purpose of the sand mandala's construction and ritual dismantling. The intricate details of this beautiful piece of visual art's construction are shown over the course of several days, concluding with the dismantling puja- a ceremony in which the mandala is destroyed and its sand scattered in a local body of water to disperse the blessings of the Medicine Buddha. Background of Tibetan culture, and the environmental and human rights impact of the Chinese government's invasion of Tibet are explained in an interview with Geshe Lharampa Lobzang Samdup.
Pledge $25 or more Pledge $25 or more
"Visualize", a Signed Limited Edition Art Postcard by John N. Campbell. PLUS Streaming download of "Hidden World: Tibetan Sand Mandala." A 30-minute documentary about a group of Buddhist Monks that travel the world constructing Sand Mandalas- a type of ritual artwork. They explain the purpose of the sand mandala's construction and ritual dismantling. The intricate details of this beautiful piece of visual art's construction are shown over the course of several days, concluding with the dismantling puja- a ceremony in which the mandala is destroyed and its sand scattered in a local body of water to disperse the blessings of the Medicine Buddha. Background of Tibetan culture, and the environmental and human rights impact of the Chinese government's invasion of Tibet are explained in an interview with Geshe Lharampa Lobzang Samdup.
Pledge $50 or more Pledge $50 or more
Two different Signed Limited Edition Art Postcards by John N. Campbell, "Visualize" and "Mandala" PLUS Streaming download of "Hidden World: Tibetan Sand Mandala." A 30-minute documentary about a group of Buddhist Monks that travel the world constructing Sand Mandalas- a type of ritual artwork. They explain the purpose of the sand mandala's construction and ritual dismantling. The intricate details of this beautiful piece of visual art's construction are shown over the course of several days, concluding with the dismantling puja- a ceremony in which the mandala is destroyed and its sand scattered in a local body of water to disperse the blessings of the Medicine Buddha. Background of Tibetan culture, and the environmental and human rights impact of the Chinese government's invasion of Tibet are explained in an interview with Geshe Lharampa Lobzang Samdup.
Pledge $75 or more Pledge $75 or more
Limited Edition DVD, "Li: The Patterns of Nature" and other films by John N. Campbell. A compilation of award winning short films by the acclaimed experimental filmmaker. Includes work that received the Best Cinematography Award at the 2008 Ann Arbor Film Festival. PLUS Streaming download of "Hidden World: Tibetan Sand Mandala." A 30-minute documentary about a group of Buddhist Monks that travel the world constructing Sand Mandalas- a type of ritual artwork. They explain the purpose of the sand mandala's construction and ritual dismantling. The intricate details of this beautiful piece of visual art's construction are shown over the course of several days, concluding with the dismantling puja- a ceremony in which the mandala is destroyed and its sand scattered in a local body of water to disperse the blessings of the Medicine Buddha. Background of Tibetan culture, and the environmental and human rights impact of the Chinese government's invasion of Tibet are explained in an interview with Geshe Lharampa Lobzang Samdup.
Pledge $150 or more Pledge $150 or more
Patron Credit in the completed Dolphin Intelligence Documentary PLUS one Signed Limited Edition DVD "Li: The Patterns of Nature" and other films by John N. Campbell. A compilation of award winning short films by the acclaimed experimental filmmaker. Includes work that received the Best Cinematography Award at the 2008 Ann Arbor Film Festival. PLUS Streaming Download of "Hidden World: Tibetan Sand Mandala." A 30-minute documentary about a group of Buddhist Monks that travel the world constructing Sand Mandalas- a type of ritual artwork. They explain the purpose of the sand mandala's construction and ritual dismantling. The intricate details of this beautiful piece of visual art's construction are shown over the course of several days, concluding with the dismantling puja- a ceremony in which the mandala is destroyed and its sand scattered in a local body of water to disperse the blessings of the Medicine Buddha. Background of Tibetan culture, and the environmental and human rights impact of the Chinese government's invasion of Tibet are explained in an interview with Geshe Lharampa Lobzang Samdup.
Pledge $300 or more Pledge $300 or more
One General Admission to the National Aquarium in Baltimore, MD; PLUS a Patron Credit in the completed Dolphin Intelligence Documentary; PLUS one Signed Limited Edition DVD "Li: The Patterns of Nature" and other films by John N. Campbell. A compilation of award winning short films by the acclaimed experimental filmmaker. Includes work that received the Best Cinematography Award at the 2008 Ann Arbor Film Festival. PLUS Two different Signed Limited Edition Art Postcards by John N. Campbell, "Visualize" and "Mandala." PLUS Streaming Download of "Hidden World: Tibetan Sand Mandala." A 30-minute documentary about a group of Buddhist Monks that travel the world constructing Sand Mandalas- a type of ritual artwork. They explain the purpose of the sand mandala's construction and ritual dismantling. The intricate details of this beautiful piece of visual art's construction are shown over the course of several days, concluding with the dismantling puja- a ceremony in which the mandala is destroyed and its sand scattered in a local body of water to disperse the blessings of the Medicine Buddha. Background of Tibetan culture, and the environmental and human rights impact of the Chinese government's invasion of Tibet are explained in an interview with Geshe Lharampa Lobzang Samdup. (Travel and Hotel accommodations not included).
Pledge $1,000 or more Pledge $1,000 or more
One 18 x 23 1/2 inch Acrylic Painting. Signed, One of a kind Artwork depicting an Earth-like Planet from Space. Impasto style painting depicts oceans, land forms and cloud formations (Donor pays shipping cost); PLUS "Special Thanks to" Patron Credit in the completed Dolphin Intelligence Documentary; PLUS one Signed LimIted Edition DVD "Li: The Patterns of Nature" and other films by John N. Campbell. A compilation of award winning short films by the acclaimed experimental filmmaker. Includes work that received the Best Cinematography Award at the 2008 Ann Arbor Film Festival. PLUS Two different Signed Limited Edition Art Postcards by John N. Campbell, "Visualize" and "Mandala" PLUS Streaming Download of "Hidden World: Tibetan Sand Mandala." A 30-minute documentary about a group of Buddhist Monks that travel the world constructing Sand Mandalas- a type of ritual artwork. They explain the purpose of the sand mandala's construction and ritual dismantling. The intricate details of this beautiful piece of visual art's construction are shown over the course of several days, concluding with the dismantling puja- a ceremony in which the mandala is destroyed and its sand scattered in a local body of water to disperse the blessings of the Medicine Buddha. Background of Tibetan culture, and the environmental and human rights impact of the Chinese government's invasion of Tibet are explained in an interview with Geshe Lharampa Lobzang Samdup.
Project By
Has not connected their Facebook account.
John N. Campbell is a filmmaker and TV producer who graduated from the Experimental Animation program at California Institute of the Arts in 1993. He has produced dozens of films and TV programs many of which have won awards at major film festivals and been screened internationally at film festivals, on the internet, PBS affiliates and Independent TV stations.
Awards:
Kodak/Filmcraft Imaging Award for Best Cinematography Ann Arbor Film Festival, Director's Choice Award Black Maria Film Festival, Bronze Apple Nat'l Educational Media Network, Videographer's Award of Distinction, Honorable Mention Humboldt Film Festival, Honorable Mention Rochester International Film Festival, Honorable Mention Northeastern PA Film Festival, PIFVA Subsidy Grant Awards 1988, 1996, 2007.
Festivals, Screenings & Broadcasts:
Cinefest 2011, Philadelphia Stories seasons 7 & 8, Ann Arbor Film Festival, Vila do Conde International Short Film Festival, Big Muddy Film Festival, NEMO Film Festival, Black Maria Film Festival, Humboldt Film Festival, Philadelphia Festival of Independents, The Kitchen, Collective for Living Cinema, Medicine Wheel Film Festival, Algonquin Film Festival, Fortress of the Arts Short Film Festival, Video Works, Barnsdall Art Park, Rogue's Gallery, CalArts Bijou Theater, Northwest Film Center, L.A. Freewaves Videoforum, Pop Ambient, Rochester International Film Festival, Northeast PA Filmmakers Society, WHYY, WYBE, WQEX, DCTV, DUTV
