film pitch

Here is the film pitch, description, and approach we submitted to WGBH for Competing Thoughts. Description This is the first in a series of video essays drawing from my research on competition. I'll use pickup soccer, a game I've enjoyed for 25 years, as a microcosm of competition in our increasingly global culture. A rare hub of race, class, and sometimes gender, pickup soccer is arguably one of the most diverse gatherings in Boston. And it strikes a rare balance between competition and cooperation. This sort of balance doesn't exist in other forms of competing I've experienced: in my family, school, workplace, and just about everywhere else. In this film I'll discuss the pros and cons of competition, and alternatives to it. Style or Approach My reflections on soccer and mixed feelings about competition will be the thematic center of the film. I'll weave in quotes, interviews, and audio from people on all sides of the debate: educators, economists, psychologists, athletes, and others. I'll include original and archival footage of the many contests we engage in, and look at ways competition both helps and hurts us. I'll examine alternatives such as collaborative learning, cooperative workplaces, and non-competitive games, and incorporate shared footage from the public domain and licensed through Creative Commons.