WE ARE EARTHLINGS
Electronic Press Kit
Short Film

Key Art + FILM &
TECHNICAL DETAILS

DIRECTOR
River Davis

SCREENWRITER
River Davis

PRODUCERS
River Davis, Christine Shin, S.Ryan O’Connor

STARRING
Silvia Maria Schwarz, Jonas Kirsch, Blue Moon (Christine Shin), Mikey Woodbridge, S.Ryan O’Connor

GENRE
Dark Comedy, Sci-Fi

COUNTRIES OR PRODUCTION
Germany

LANGUAGE
English (Subtitles Available)

RUNTIME
3 Minutes, 47 Seconds

SHOOT FORMAT
Color · 16:9

FRAME RATE
25 FPS

Stills

cast

Silvia Maria Schwarz

Jonas Kirsch

Blue Moon (Christine Shin)

Mikey Woodbridge

S.Ryan O’Connor

selected credits

Directors Statement

Growing up during the consumer era, I always questioned why we choose to propagate a system of infinite growth within a finite world. Drawing on the theories of propaganda and manufactured consent from Edward Bernays and Noam Chomsky’s respectively, I began to see our social reality as veiled in agendas designed solely to engage individuals as consumers, making it difficult to understand why we make the decisions we do. To explore this, I wanted to tell a story of “awakening” in a world controlled by consumer narratives where purpose is promised for a price. Inspired by the infomercials, tabloids, 1-800 hotlines, televangelists, and Home Shopping Networks of the 1990s.

We Are Earthlings subverts current marketing tactics by using strategy itself as a medium. This integrated conceptual art piece spans film, social media, advertising, web, and print to build a world of dark humor and satire, confronting the reality of consumer capitalism and questioning whether consumption can ever truly bring purpose to the individual.

OVERVIEW

Act 1: Earthling Daily’s nightly news anchor, orates a picture of a world in disarray. “But there is one hope left, a group of people called the Earthlings.” The Members of the We Are Earthlings global self actualization scheme. Its global marketing promises new members “self realization,” for a small fee. We follow Four new members' on their pursuit of a hidden hotline where they are meant to speak with the Earthlings Hotline Operator, their first guide.

Act 2: After arriving at the Earthlings Hotline, we meet each Earthling as they begin their wait for the hotline to ring. The Believer (Skin color blue): She is the Earthlings who is fully committed to the system and invested in the hotline’s legitimacy. The Skeptic (Skin color pink): Participates outwardly while privately questioning the movements authenticity. The Opportunist (Skin color green): Engages with the movement as a self-serving transaction. The Seeker (Skin color purple): Joins in search of personal direction, but is unprepared for the outcome. Until the call occurs, they remain in a suspended state of waiting with no confirmation of status, instruction, or legitimacy. Their participation risks confirming the system’s authority or worse exposing it as another empty consumer product, eventually determining whether they advance within the organization or disengage from it entirely. 

‍*The anticipation has reached a breaking point. 

‍Act 3: The hotline rings. The Hotline operator on the other side of the phone begins her job as a guide for the new members through their first level of self actualization. “Is Earth the only Luxury?” echoes out of the headset in an overly enthusiastic and robotic tone, as all four Earthlings begin to contemplate the essence of what is seemingly an extremely existential question. Seeing what the earthings see in their mind, portrays a world with such beautiful and painful chaos, each member’s unique intention for joining the movement helps form a moment of reconciliation that will lead them to their next assignment if they each choose to remain an Earthling.

THEME

Tone: Observational, confrontational, playful, and absurd.
Comparable to: How To With John Wilson and Maniac.

VISION & CULTURAL APPEAL

The project reflects a moment in which belief and belonging are increasingly mediated through branding, wellness programs, and algorithmic media. Consumer platforms now present themselves as a source of guidance, connection, and purpose. The story is set within this contemporary experience and observes its mechanics, allowing the audience to find their own solutions or judgments.