August 24th, 2012
For over a year now, Mark Allan Kaplan has been producing a groundbreaking monthly Integral Post series: the much-acclaimed Integral Cinema Studio. In this remarkable exploration, Mark walks us through all of the main elements of Integral theory—using some of our favorite movies to illustrate the basics of the Integral approach, while noting how each of these elements has shaped the cinema experience since the invention of film itself. Not only does this series offer a wealth of perspective and insight to film, filmmakers, and audiences alike, but it also brings more color, more sound, and more awesome explosions to Integral thought and practice! Listen as Mark and Ken Wilber take an in-depth look at one of Integral Life's longest-running series, Integral Cinema Studio.
Written by Corey W. deVos
This dialogue serves as a wonderful introduction to the major elements of integral theory. For those already familiar with the Integral model, this is a nice opportunity to both revisit your understanding of integral theory and to see how it can be applied to just about any interest, activity, or pursuit that you may have.
Either way, Integral Cinema Studio is a terrific way to deepen and enrich your own experience of film, simply by recognizing some of the deeper patterns and perspectives running through your favorite movies that you may not have recognized before. All of the elements of the Integral model are present in our awareness right now; Integral theory simply points to all the various aspects and dimensions that shape our experience of this present moment. It's therefore no surprise that we can see all of these elements reflected in various characters, conflicts, and stories throughout the history of film. Of course, whether the film-makers themselves actually intended this, or just intuited it, is another question—and to some degree inconsequential to the beauty and profundity we experience when these ideas and perspectives come to life on the big screen.
What's more, this discussion and blog series promises to inspire a whole new generation of writers and filmmakers. It's not just how you express these perspectives, ideas, and insights—Integral Art does not require you to represent all quadrants, all levels, all lines, all states, etc. in your work (though all of these elements are implicitly present in every piece of art). Rather, it's about whether you are able to account for all of these in your own awareness, thereby allowing you to draw from a far richer, more colorful, and more comprehensive pallet of human experience.
So grab a snack from the concession stand, turn off your phone, and enjoy this groundbreaking discussion between Mark Allan Kaplan and Ken Wilber!
Here are some links to Mark's Integral Cinema Studio series on Integral Post:
Scene 1: The Holonic Lens
Scene 2: The Quadratic Lens
Scene 3: The Developmental Lens
Scene 4: The States Lens
Scene 5: The Typology Lens
Scene 6: The Zonal Lens
Scene 7: The Zonal Lens II
Scene 8: The Altitudinal Lens
Scene 9: The Altitudinal Lens II
Scene 10: The Energetic Lens
Scene 11: The Energetic Lens II
Scene 12: The Energetic Lens III
Scene 13: The Methodology Lens
For another perspective on the Integral cinematic experience from the perspective of the actor, be sure to check out this extraordinary dialogue with Julia Ormond: The Integral Actors Studio.
