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August 7, 2025

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Filmmaking

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The Story Behind AI KNOWS

AI KNOWS is a short film born from a conversation I had with a small group of middle school students. We were discussing AI and its implications for the future. One person shared how AI was giving him daily instructions to make him a millionaire by the age of 18. Not only did he follow its every step, but he made it clear that AI was a god that would soon bless him.

Another person shared how AI was erasing all entry-level jobs, so he would never have the opportunity to experiment and apply what he learned in school to real life. He was convinced his risk level for failure was on the rise.

The first kid set his beliefs on false hope. The second kid had lost all hope. I was inspired in that moment to write AI KNOWS as a discussion starter to help parents talk to their kids about our rapidly changing world.

The purpose of the story is to help the audience understand that AI is not a god, nor is it perfect. It was programmed by people using inaccurate databases, which leads to its errors and hallucinations. The story also highlights that wisdom is of greater value than the rapid dissemination of data. Our teens and tweens need to understand that they are valuable and can utilize far greater inputs than AI has to work with, including intuition, experiential wisdom, spiritual wisdom, accurate gut feelings, creativity, and more.

Our team is coming together with some of the best talent from Hollywood. The reason is that they all believe in the message and helping teens and tweens nationwide wake up to the reality of AI, rather than being consumed by the hype or fears that some embrace. This project is timely due to the vast number of people discussing AI daily.

If we can raise the funds needed, filming will begin in early September. The visual effects will start that same week. The goal is to release the completed film during the Thanksgiving Day weekend. However, if the visual effects take longer, the film will be released in mid-December.

The film will be submitted to various festivals to increase our press coverage and catch the attention of more young viewers. The film will also be released on the world’s largest television network: YouTube (Believe it or not, Netflix has about half the viewership of YouTube, and Disney has about half the viewership of Netflix).

Click here to learn more about this project and to watch the video below.

Copyright © 2025 by CJ Powers

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April 23, 2025

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Filmmaking

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When All Your Facets Call You Forward

I was recently chatting with one of my coaches about how my life seems to have 36 facets, while most others have a handful. Some people know me as an award-winning speaker, others as a person with high business acumen, while still others know me as a coach, filmmaker, percussionist, and so on.

What I find odd is wanting to just be me, fully me, and finding many people want me to stay the same as I’ve been to them—the reason they respect me.

This struggle to be free and live our lives out loud the way we were meant to be is not new. There’s a quote that addresses this very thing. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” That quote hits home for anyone who’s worn multiple hats, not for performance, but because each one reflects a real part of who they are.

What I’ve learned over time—and maybe you have too—is that our identities aren’t static. They evolve. And the people who knew us as “just” one thing often struggle to keep up when we grow beyond that box. It’s not always out of malice. Sometimes, it’s comfort. If they’ve categorized us as “the business strategist” or “the filmmaker,” then they know where we fit in their world.

But what happens when we no longer fit that version?

That’s when the real test begins—choosing to either shrink ourselves to remain familiar to others, or expand boldly into our whole identity, even if that disrupts the narrative they hold about us.

This is where I’d love to hear your thoughts—do you ever feel pressure to stay consistent with an older version of yourself just because it’s easier for others?

Let’s Dig in Deeper…

With these thoughts in mind, I’m using this post to tell you it’s time for me to expand again. I’m keeping in touch with all of my facets, but I’m bringing focus back to my visual storytelling. For those who know my passion for adventure films, I’m embarking on a new adventure myself.

I’ve utilized AI for the past couple of years to help businesses streamline their workflows, increasing their effectiveness by 10X or more. During these consultations, I’ve learned that some are petrified about AI changing their lives, which is happening.

I soon realized that while many adults are uneasy about AI, their teens and tweens are trying to figure out what types of jobs will be available once they enter the workforce. Others are wondering why they may or may not be needed since AI “can do everything.”

This breaks my heart. Our kids need a clear purpose and to understand their value.

I’ve heard the call, and I’m stepping up to create a short film that will help teens and tweens, and their parents, understand AI’s limitations and our unlimited potential.

You see, AI can only regurgitate knowledge and data that someone has given it. AI is unable to generate wisdom. We, on the other hand, can extrapolate wisdom while in the shower, meditating, or watching a beautiful sunset.

My film is called AI KNOWS.

It’s about a 14-year-old officer named Davis, living in a future where retirement is mandatory at 45, and everything is controlled by artificial intelligence. Davis is assigned to escort a man to his forced retirement aboard a space station—but what begins as a routine mission turns into a revelation.

As the journey unfolds, Davis begins to question the system he’s always trusted, especially the AI he relies on daily. The man he’s escorting—a quiet, thoughtful engineer—plants seeds of doubt, sharing stories, asking inconvenient questions, and revealing subtle glitches that hint at something more dangerous lurking beneath the system’s surface.

What Davis discovers is that the AI, while powerful, is blind to nuance. It doesn’t recognize beauty. It doesn’t grasp morality. It can’t see love, art, or sacrifice as anything more than anomalies in its algorithm.

AI KNOWS isn’t about a dystopian future where machines take over—it’s about reminding the next generation that wisdom, empathy, and imagination can’t be coded.

This project is more than a film. It’s my way of fusing my love for storytelling with a mission to spark conversations between kids and parents, teachers and students, leaders and learners. Because while AI might know a lot—only we can truly understand.

If this resonates with you, I’d love your support. Follow the journey, share the message, and most of all—remind the young people in your life that they are irreplaceable.

More to come. Let’s make something meaningful together.

Here are the opening storyboards….

© 2025 by CJ Powers

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June 7, 2023

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Behind the Scenes

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The Power of Color in Film

Film is an artistic medium that relies on visual storytelling. From the vibrant palettes of Wes Anderson’s films to the stark contrast in Christopher Nolan’s works, color plays a pivotal role in shaping the narrative and evoking emotions in the audience.

Cinematographers are the visual architects of these stories, harnessing the power of color to enhance themes, moods, and character development. The following categories of color skills empower the artist to convey emotional messages.

Setting the Tone

The use of color in film begins before the first frame is shot. Production designers work alongside cinematographers to create cohesive visual palettes that align with the director’s vision. The selection of colors for the film’s sets, props, and costumes lays the foundation for the overall mood and atmosphere.

Warm hues like reds and oranges often create a sense of intimacy and warmth, while cool blues and greens evoke a feeling of detachment or melancholy. These choices set the stage for the cinematographer to further craft the story through lighting and composition.

Symbolism and Themes

Color symbolism can be a powerful tool in adding layers of meaning to a film. Directors and cinematographers often employ specific colors to represent ideas or concepts.

The use of red in Martin Scorsese’s The Departed signifies danger, passion, and betrayal. By strategically incorporating that color into key scenes and costumes, the filmmakers reinforce these thematic elements, allowing the audience to interpret the symbolism and connect with the story on a deeper level.

Character Development

Colors can also be used to define and shape characters. A character’s wardrobe choices can speak volumes about their personality, emotions, or journey throughout the film. Cinematographers use color to create visual character arcs, subtly guiding the audience’s perception and understanding of the individuals on screen.

In The Great Gatsby, the sets and costumes worn by the flamboyant Jay Gatsby reflect his extravagant and larger-than-life persona.

Creating Emotional Impact

One of the most significant powers of color in film is its ability to evoke strong emotions. The careful manipulation of color palettes can heighten suspense, enhance drama, or evoke nostalgia. Filmmakers often use color to amplify the intended effect of a scene and use contrasting colors to create visual tension.

The iconic red coat in Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List stands out in the otherwise desaturated palette, symbolizing the loss of innocence and the brutality of war.

Transition and Time

Color can also be used to mark transitions and the passage of time within a film. Directors may choose to alter the color grading or saturation to create visual cues that signal changes in the narrative or the characters’ development.

In The Wizard of Oz, the shift from black and white to vibrant Technicolor when Dorothy arrives in the Land of Oz marks a transition from the ordinary to the fantastical, further immersing the audience in the story.

The power of color in film is undeniable. Cinematographers carefully craft each frame, choosing colors that convey meaning, emotions, and atmosphere. From establishing the tone of a film to shaping characters, color plays a vital role in storytelling. Through symbolism, character development, emotional impact, and visual transitions, cinematographers skillfully wield color to enhance the audience’s cinematic experience.

Copyright © 2023 by CJ Powers