Welcome to the Mind of Ethan Smith

I took on the role of writer because writing has always been one of my strong creative interests, and everyone in the group agreed that it made sense for me to handle the script.

The assignment was to adapt a chapter from Douglas Rushkoff’s Program Or Be Programmed textbook, and our group was assigned the chapter on identity. After reading the chapter, I started trying to figure out the way we could translate those ideas into a narrative that people would actually emotionally connect with. Personally, I feel like that was the hardest part at first. The chapter discussed anonymity, social systems and the way technology can reward efficiency over empathy, so my focus was going to be on those themes. One of the major concepts was the “civilizing effect,” which is basically the idea that when people are less anonymous and more connected to each other as human beings, they tend to behave with more empathy and understanding.

Eric suggested the idea of using a cyborg character to explore identity, and I thought that was a really good direction to go because it gave us a way to examine humanity from the outside looking in. From there, I created a really big mind map where I started planning possible characters, backstories, themes, and plot points. Honestly, although that process was difficult, it was one of my favorite parts of the project because it felt like I was slowly discovering the story. Once I had enough ideas mapped out, I wrote the first draft of the script.

After that, we had a meeting at Yellow Dog Coffee with Emma and Lauren where we went through both the script and the mind map together. They gave feedback and notes on certain scenes and story elements, and I went back and revised the script again. I think this stage taught me a lot about the collaborative nature of filmmaking. Writing for film is different from writing something completely personal because you have to leave room for other people’s ideas and interpretations. At first that was difficult for me because when you spend so much time writing something, you naturally become attached to it. Over time though, I realized that the feedback was helping the project become stronger and more focused.

When filming began, my role expanded beyond writing. Officially, I acted as a script supervisor, but I also helped with directing actors and worked as second AC during production. Since I had written the script, I felt like I had a strong understanding of the emotional intentions behind scenes and dialogue. During filming, I would help actors with questions they had about their characters or the emotions in a scene. I was not trying to fully direct performances, but more so just to help make sure the emotions matched the tone and meaning of the script.

Technically, the production days were also a really valuable experience for me. We were fortunate enough to have access to a larger crew through connections at Gaylord College, and that made the set feel much more real and professional. One of the most memorable things I got to do was operate a dolly zoom shot. I honestly thought that was very cool because it was one of those film techniques I had always seen in movies, but never executed myself. Being able to physically contribute to the cinematography gave me a greater appreciation for the way visual storytelling works alongside writing and acting.

The entire film was shot at Lauren’s house across two filming days. During production, there were also practical limitations we had to deal with, especially regarding time. Emma eventually revised parts of the script in order to reduce the number of scenes and make production more manageable. At first, I think part of me struggled with seeing changes made to something I originally wrote. However, filmmaking is such a collaborative medium, and what this experience taught me is that flexibility is extremely necessary. A screenplay on paper is one thing, but the realities of production can end up requiring adjustments and you have to be prepared for that. The thing that mattered most was preserving the emotional and thematic message that was at the core of the story.

Looking back on the project now, I think the biggest thing I learned was the importance of collaboration and trust within a creative team. Every person involved contributed something valuable, and the final product became stronger because of that. Personally, I also gained confidence in my ability to write stories that communicate larger ideas through character and emotion. I feel like The Civilizing Effect came out pretty good in the end, and now when I look at it, I am genuinely proud of the work we created together.