How to let your words carry your truth

“We live in a society where hearing an automated message on repeat before someone finally picks up is the norm. Products, when they arrive, look nothing like the picture displayed on the company’s website. It’s a society where, the packaging for a good sell is far more important than what is actually being sold.

With us filmmakers, it’s become the norm for distributors to rip us off (albeit not all distributors). When filmmakers start asking questions about the crazy terms presented in the contract, most distributors get offended! Without getting into the technicalities, my point is that — there’s a general lack of integrity these days.

I think a lot of us get shocked when someone does what they say they’re going to do. Today’s society has made it the norm to not be true to our word. Shortly after moving to LA, I found myself getting caught up in the whole, ‘Hey, nice to see you! Sure, let’s do lunch or coffee!’ And then, I never followed up… everyone does it, so who cares? It never felt right, though.

Integrity is actually one of my favorite words and I love the quality that it represents. Stand by your word in everything that you do. So as a result, integrity is woven into just about every one of our screenplays.

Hana, our leading lady in our upcoming feature film, sacrifices herself for her family. She stands by the promise she made to herself and the most important people in her life for almost two decades. The moment she betrays herself and her word, she pays a big price.

It doesn’t mean that we can always deliver, much like Hana. We are only human and designed to make mistakes. But I’ve learned to be honest, to speak my thoughts to the best of my ability and to never use my words to mask the truth. I have learned that there is nothing more powerful than words, and I do my very best to use them wisely! People with integrity are badass!” ~Beta