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Power of One Trailer

Photo of Toon and Biw by Michael McCracken

Is it possible for one person to make a difference?

Imagine…stepping off a plane in Thailand with students from all over the world, to volunteer at an Elephant Sanctuary, learn about Thai Culture, and make lasting friendships. Visit Buddhist Temples, participate in a ceremony to save trees from deforestation, feed and bathe the elephants, and laugh with your new friends.

All this and much more is the experience of Power of One, a once-in-a-lifetime volunteer opportunity created by the non-profit Blue Star of Hope. This annual program has changed lives and truly made a difference in our world. Now is your chance to make a difference!

This (very) rough cut is just a taste of the upcoming feature documentary that explores the Power of One experience, interviewing its participants as their worlds are transformed. Stay tuned for more clips from the film, and the full version coming in 2011.

Rough cut edited by Michael McCracken of www.theastrarium.com/archives and filmed by Shane Ernest of www.thesacredstudio.com. Expect a more polished trailer coming soon.

Music by Tina Malia, used with permission. “Lilac Blooms” and “Heal This Land” are just two of the fantastic songs by Malia. If you like what you hear, look up “Shores of Avalon” and “The Silent Awakening“, or visit Tina’s website at www.amidarecords.com.

For more information about the Blue Star of Hope and its founders Juelle and Donovan Wilkins, visit their website at www.bluestarofhope.org. Juelle and Donovan are always seeking participants, mentors, and donors to help expand the program. Please support their vision by sharing this video and their website!

Thank you to Juelle, Donovan, and the nearly 50 other participants from the 2008 Power of One trip. We love you all!

Vanessa's Vision

Our red carpet premiere for our Documentary 1&2 videos was quite a success! Now it’s time to release both the director’s and extended cut of Vanessa’s Vision online!

Extended Cut

Vanessa is tired and stressed, and not even close to ready for graduation. Her friend Milena comes to her aid and suggests she take a walk on the trails to clear her mind. What started as a short walk on the trails turned into something quite surreal, and ends up changing Vanessa’s life forever.

Part 1

Part 2

Director’s Cut

When my teacher viewed my nearly finished film, he suggested I cut out the other characters, the classroom scene, and all the voiceovers to make a different version of the film. It really tells an entirely different story and leaves it up for interpretation.

Rotating University Poster

We created this Rotating University poster for a college, to advertise the four upcoming study-abroad programs that were being offered.

Copyright Michael McCracken

Cosmic Journey Book

My third book I’ve created, this one was handmade for a memoir class. The book has several layers of transparency and a poem throughout. It’s about the many ways to transcend reality in many cultures around the world. This was more of a fun project.

Copyright Michael McCracken

Cosmic Dawn

The light of one thousand red suns pierces the Void in an explosion of creative energy.
All of creation becomes manifest as we begin our long journey back to the Source.

Copyright Michael McCracken

Sunrise Drums

Rhythms travel across the sky, waking the sun and inviting all creatures to join in the dance.
Duality and separation are lost as we shake to this cosmic beat.

Copyright Michael McCracken

Whirling Dervish

The dervish moves to an unseen rhythm, delivering God’s mercy to the people.
Whirling in graceful circles, we become drunk with the divine.

Copyright Michael McCracken

Forest Maenads

The maenads dance in ecstasy, their bodies surging with the power of the Gods.
Reconnected to the divine, there is nothing we cannot do in this world.

Copyright Michael McCracken

Evening Meditation

In meditation, all sense of self, old thoughts, and limiting beliefs fall away.
We are surrounded by the Universe, surrounded by an infinite silence.

Copyright Michael McCracken

Mayan Sacrifice

The cosmic calendar races ever forward, leaving death and rebirth in its wake.
Realizing that our time is past, we prepare to be reborn once again.

Copyright Michael McCracken

Cosmic Dusk

Brahma closes His eyes as His cosmic day comes gently to a close.
Complete and infinite, we rest in the transcendent void for a thousand ages.

Hope for Bangladesh

I created this video for the Hope Foundation for Bangladesh. They were seeking to raise donations to continue their efforts to build hospitals and provide affordable healthcare across Bangladesh. This was made during one of my Video Production courses.

Vasudhaiva

This simple abstract video was an introductory project for one of my Video Production classes. We had to explore the theme “The World Is My Family” which in Sanskrit is Vasudhaiva Kuthumbhakam. I filmed myself meditating and overlayed those frames from the wide universe down to our small college campus.

Hindu Deities in the Body

I took a Sanskrit class while at MUM and created this short abstract film as a final project, illustrating the metaphorical locations of the Hindu Deities in the human body and introducing each deity.

Note that the images and music used in the video are not my own. Music is “Dawning” by Benjy Wertheimer and “Integration: The Beginning” by Sophia. I did the After Effects work and put the whole thing together, along with an oral presentation.