Alumnus Charlie Marks: Filmic Storytelling as Activism
As citizens of an abundant world with complex issues, it is our responsibility to use activism to preserve not only the societal well-being of the world, but the planet itself. When one first thinks of activism, they may picture street protests, sit-ins, or even violent uprisings. However, one of the most compelling methods of activism is storytelling.
Charlie Marks, a Galloway alum from the class of 2022, harnesses creativity to make change by using film to educate about the threat of climate change. Charlie is currently a senior attending Colorado College, majoring in Film and Media Studies and minoring in Environmental Studies. He has directed, written, photographed, and edited numerous short films around America and even in the Czech Republic, which have been featured in prominent film festivals like Pikes Peak, Winter Park, Seattle, and Durango. Not only does he love the art of cinema, but he is passionate about “using the power of filmic storytelling to imagine and inspire a better planet for all living beings.”
To Charlie, cinema is a meaningful way to connect with an audience because it “creates an affectual experience” by taking a topic that could be scientifically explained and implementing the emotional aspect. The best way to get people to connect with the environment is to tell human stories that make the audience “feel the stakes at hand, whether through literature or narrative film,” he says.
One way to alter how the audience interprets the media is with camera work. Charlie uses the camera to emphasize the relationship between humans and the land: he stated, “you can do many magical things with the camera in the way you document landscapes and certain environments.” For example, putting a camera on a stabilizer and moving it smoothly through the forest creates an ethereal quality, in contrast to a shaky hand-held camera or a static tripod.
However, one of his favorite aspects of filmmaking is connecting with the diverse communities that are affected by the issues in his films, and using their stories to engage the audience. When he was shooting RootBound, a sci-fi film that focuses on climate change and resource control, he met a midwife named Zuki at a backyard rasta concert who lives in Crestone, Colorado. She lives in an “Earth Ship,” which is essentially a structure she built out of recycled materials and stucco with sustainable methods of regulating temperature. Charlie and other students had the opportunity to use her home to film, and, in exchange, they helped her build a garden. He said this experience was impactful for him because “she was just a friend.” She made the students pancakes and let them play with her pets; they helped her, and she helped them. There was no money involved, and therefore she and the students built an emotional connection without the materialistic motivations of income.
While developing an upcoming film about the threat of titanium mining in the Okefenokee swamp, Charlie spent a week in Folkston, Georgia connecting with local communities that are directly affected by the swamp. This story was special to him because he feels that being from Georgia, he has an “obligation” to learn about the struggles these communities face. Through this process, he has realized that there is a common danger that both the West and the South confront: industries violently extracting resources from land without consideration for its inhabitants' well-being and economic situation.
His recent documentary film Stillwater focuses on the Ute Mountain Ute tribe, an indigenous group in Colorado who relies on farming as their main source of income for economic and community development. However, the community needs water to cultivate the land, and according to the Stillwater film description, “historical water laws, rooted in a colonial and genocidal American history” have exacerbated water scarcity in the area. Charlie says that learning about the vital role native communities have played in America even after facing centuries of subjugation has been immensely influential, and he urges younger generations to learn from the people who have lived in North America for centuries before European colonization. For example, native communities are stewards of the earth; they only take what they can give back, leading to a much more sustainable lifestyle. He said that learning about indigenous groups around the world has given him a broader perspective and allowed him to become “a citizen of the world, not just America.”
Charlie has embraced his passion for film to make the world a better place, and he believes it is time for younger students to start thinking deeply about what they care about. He stated, “Naturally, advocacy comes from passion, and there are plenty of pressing issues and beautiful places in the world that need our protection.”