Happiness Is Director joins Huffington Post

Andrew Shapter Posted: December 9, 2009 11:34 AM

"Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" is perhaps the most important phrase in the ourDeclaration of Independence. Commonly referred to as the "unalienable rights" of Americans, it is ingrained in our collective psyche.

"Life?" Sure, we all have a right to live.

"Liberty?" Got it.

But, "the pursuit of happiness?"

Is happiness something that we can really pursue?

If so, how would we define what happiness is, and when would we know if or when we've got it?

These were the central questions I asked myself and random Americans as I traveled coast-to-coast. The result is the film "Happiness Is." 

First, looking specifically at the phrase "the pursuit of happiness," I asked philanthropists, scholars, the occasional celebrity (including John Mellencamp and Willie Nelson), spiritual leaders (including the Dalai Lama who was visiting the U.S. at the time), and a wide range of Americans rich and poor, what their definition of happiness was. Luckily, I didn't find too many pat answers. Instead, I found thoughtful insights and some surprisingly common ground. I found that the process was even helping to guide me through my own personal journey towards the elusive (but obtainable) goal of contentment.

I guess you could even say that "Happiness Is" serves as my own personal roadmap to happiness. Allow me to share just a few of the many things I discovered in making this film.

1. Money can buy happiness. That's right. The fact is, if you don't have all of your basic needs met, you can buy things that will make you happier... like all the things that serve our basic needs as humans: food, shelter, safety, clean water and so on. If all of those needs are not met, life can be miserable, and even dangerous. So a person can definitely find an underlying baseline of happiness (albeit, one that may be taken for granted) by meeting these basic requirements. However! For someone like me (and many of us) who has all of these basics needs met, nothing I can buy will make me truly happier. Nope, not even that new Canon 7D camera with high definition video.

2. Try downward comparison for a change. This one was introduced to me by one of our cast members, Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project. Gretchen suggested that I escape the habit of comparing my life to people that have more than I do. This might explain why so many happiness studies suggest that people in poorer countries report higher levels of happiness than Americans do. It's because they are comparing their lives to the people around them. So, their level of happiness is relative to the poor people around them. What we Americans often take for granted, such as air-conditioning or a basic grocery store visit, can bring great satisfaction to a poor family living in Somalia. Ok, so the next time I get jealous of the surround-sound home theater system at my friend Bob Fonseca's house, all I have to do is think of the millions of people who are too poor to own a TV and voila!, it no longer bothers me. I'm just lucky to have a TV (or two).

3) Giving brings contentment. Wrapping up the long journey of making this film, I returned home to Austin, Texas with 100+ hours of film footage, but there was still had no 'ending' in sight. It was frustrating not having a way to tie the many concepts of happiness together. Then one morning, I took the advice of our producer Tracy Marino and met up with Alan Graham. I had heard his name before but I wasn't sure where. All I knew about him was what that he was the founder of Mobile Loaves and Fishes, an organization that provides food, clothing, and "dignity" for the homeless in cities across the U.S.

Alan invited us to join him as he ventured out to feed some very hungry people. I wouldn't describe Alan as someone who appears happy on the outside, but I could see that he was very happy on the inside. He had a level of contentment that became more and more apparent to me as I spent time with him. And as the day came to an end, I realized that I learned more about happiness in that one day than I did in the two years of traveling the back-roads of America.

Now that we're releasing the film, we know exactly what we needed to do. We've decided to support nonprofit charities in need of help. By taking the film on a screening tour around the country, we can serve those in need by using the film as a tool to inspire more people to find their own personal contentment through the act of giving. Since our first public screening, "Happiness Is" has raised thousands of dollars for local charities nationwide. Now, more and more nonprofit organizations are turning to the film for help.

Today, we're working to get to as many places as possible, including our next stops in Iowa, Michigan and Chicago where the film will be hosting a benefit screening for The Chicago Coalition for the Homeless on December 10th.

To learn more about the film, the nonprofit screening tour and our team who made it all possible, visit us at HAPPINESS IS and to learn more about volunteering in your own community, visit the Huffington Post's own Impact Page Impact News and Opinion.

HAPPINESS IS Arrives in Michigan

Director looks for 'Happiness' in the world around him

Mike Hughes | TV America

 There are plenty of movies viewing tiny chunks of human existence.

Now there's one that asks the big questions: What is happiness? Where do we find it?

Andrew Shapter, who is bringing "Happiness Is" to East Lansing on Saturday, says he didn't have the answer when the project started. "I was generally happy, but I had a bad habit of upward comparison."

A successful fashion photographer, he compared himself to mega-successes. "I had to literally avoid looking at other people's careers."

So he made a documentary, "Before the Music Dies." He took it around the country, to any place (including the 2007 East Lansing Film Festival) that cared about music. "It was just exhausting," he said.

That's when a colleague asked what his second film would be. "I said, 'It had better make me happy.' "

He decided to tackle the subject of happiness itself. And he would do it as a random road trip.

Shapter talked to the man on the street (literally). He talked to survivors and heroes and victims. He ranged from little kids to Pinetop Perkins, the pianist who is now 96.

He also talked to rocker John Mellencamp ... which led to the Dalai Lama. Road trips are like that.

Shapter - a Texan who was born in Forth Worth and lives in Austin - was looking for a Heartland voice. Mellencamp, who still lives in Indiana, was ideal; he told him: "Do onto others as you would have people do unto you. ... I didn't just make that up, but I know it works."

In that Bloomington setting, Shapter says, there was a detour: "I had forgotten about his supermodel wife."

Elaine Mellencamp chatted with him about their links in the fashion world and about the Tibetan Culture Center in Bloomington. That led to Shapter filming a visit by the Dalai Lama.

Religion fits neatly into the subject, several studies have shown. "People with religious faith ... tend to be happier than people without," author Darrin McMahon told Shapter.

In part, author Gretchen Rubin told him, that's because they have a sense of community. That's rare these days: "Instead of living in your home town and having all your friends from grade school and high school and all the people you're close to, you move to a new city."

There are plenty of books and studies on happiness. Rubin even pointed to one that says children laugh 400 times a day, adults less than 50.

Shapter stayed clear of the subject of romantic love, but he tackled other subjects, including huge differences in expectations.

Dr. Lily Gonzales talked about being one of 10 children in a one-room home in Mexico while their father worked in the U.S. "so we could get tennis shoes every three years." He would die young, apparently from the effects of pesticide poisoning; she would be an illegal immigrant, then a citizen, now a doctor and radio personality.

Another strong figure is Alan Graham, a former businessman who in 1999 started a mobile food truck for the homeless of Austin. Now he has 13 trucks and 9,000 volunteers.

Shapter was curious about why the people are homeless; Graham avoids the question.

"He said, 'You don't ever ask why. ... Just do something about it.' I wish everyone could get in that car with Alan Graham. I got out of the car and I was a different man."

That influenced the way the movie is presented. In each town, Graham said, the majority of the ticket money goes to a local charity (in this case, the film festival); he gets by through DVD sales and through occasional photography work back home.

That's no match for Alan Graham filling stomachs or the Dalai Lama filling souls. It does, however, bring satisfaction to a fashion photographer. "Right now, I'm very, very happy."

HAPPINESS IS in Iowa

Andrew Shapter's Film Explores What Makes Americans Happy in the 21st Century

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Most every American knows these words, and knows these concepts were important enough for Thomas Jefferson to write them into the Declaration of Independence.

Two hundred some-odd years later, what exactly does the pursuit of happiness look like? Austin, Texas-based photographer and filmmaker Andrew Shapter (no relation) set about answering that question in a cross-country road trip dedicated to finding out exactly what makes Americans happy. The result is the critically acclaimed documentarian’s latest film, Happiness Is, showing for one night at the Sondheim Center in Fairfield on Tuesday, December 8. The screening is part of a nationwide tour and proceeds will benefit the Fairfield chapter of Habitat for Humanity.

Andrew Shapter knows a little himself about the pursuit of happiness. Born in Fort Worth, Texas, Shapter was given his first opportunity with a camera at age 12. But after majoring in political science at Texas State University, Shapter found himself in Washington, D.C., working in politics and not traveling far down the road towards his own happiness. He made his way back to Texas, where he returned to his love of photography, establishing himself as a fashion and music photographer and eventually expanding to filmmaking. His 2006 documentary, Before the Music Dies, is an unflinching look at the popular music industry.  

For his latest cinematic exploration, Shapter loaded up his van and crew, talking along the way to everyone from “happiness experts” and university professors to artists on the street, from iconic rock stars to the chief political strategist for the Bush campaign, from young children to octogenarians. Shapter starts by defining happiness, and moves to pursuing and eventually finding happiness, exploring the roles material goods, community, work, and faith play in the equation.

While many of the people interviewed for the film were chosen specifically for their research on happiness, a significant portion of the cast are folks Shapter and his crew stumbled upon along their coast-to-coast journey. A few segments of the film have been animated to protect the identity of folks who weren’t terribly thrilled about being interviewed. But the overwhelming majority were, forgive the redundancy, happy to share their views on happiness.

The results of these interviews are not particularly startling. As the film deconstructs happiness myths through the “arrival fallacy” and a concept called the “hedonic treadmill,” it comes as no surprise that rampant consumerism has not made Americans the happiest people in the world.  But the colorful conversations and rich thoughts shared by such a wide range of characters are well worth the journey the film makes. Shapter says that his goal was “to find common ground and a common voice throughout all of the different cultures that live in the U.S.” and he clearly finds this common voice in the film.

Happiness Is draws beautifully from the wisdom of such luminaries as the Dalai Lama and author Dan Millman (Way of the Peaceful Warrior), as well as musicians John Mellencamp and Willie Nelson. But it is in the conversations with lesser known people, people like a wood sculptor named Chuck and Joe the hops farmer, where the film really shines. The scene of 95-year old Pinetop Perkins playing and singing “How Long Blues” at the piano in his home, a cigarette burning in an ashtray at the edge of the bass end, sums up all the scholarly wisdom of the happiness experts in one moment of subtly joyful brilliance.

Ultimately, the film’s message lies in what we’ve all been taught over the years—that it truly is better to give than to receive. Whether it’s giving through music, as with Pinetop Perkins, or through food and clothing, as with Mobile Loaves and Fishes founder Alan Graham (a veritable reincarnation of Santa), it seems to be that happiness comes with connection and service to others, and contributing to the happiness of our fellow human beings. It is for this very reason that Shapter has made the national screening tour of Happiness Is one that will benefit local charities along the way. From arts organizations to charities that help the homeless, Shapter is looking to spread the message of true happiness by focusing on the need in individual communities, makingHappiness Is a crucial film for our times.

Happiness Is shows on Tuesday, December 8, 2009, at 7:30 p.m. at the Sondheim Center in Fairfield, Iowa. For tickets, call the box office at (641)472-2787 or purchase tickets at the door, $10 general, $6 children and students.

Visit the Index for a complete list of Movie Reviews.

HAPPINESS IS on HUFFINGTON POST

"Happiness Is" Film Says Giving Is The Way To Contentment

Huffington Post   |  Victoria Fine
First Posted: 11-11-09 10:37 PM   |   Updated: 11-12-09 12:09 AM

In 2006, documentary filmmaker Andrew Shapter was on a tour promoting his first film, "Before the Music Dies" when someone asked him what he planned to do next. Shapter laughed. He had quit his 20-year fashion photography career to look for more meaning in his life, and this film and subsequent tour had taken over all of his time.

"The next subject I do for a movie, I'll have to live with it the rest of my life, so it better make me happy," Shapter had joked.

But then Shapter got to thinking. Had anyone really done a documentary on what makes people happy? He knew there were movies that showed people overcoming obstacles or instructional videos on how to change your life to be happier. But had anyone investigated how Americans choose to find happiness in their own lives?

The Declaration of Independence has endowed us with "certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

But Shapter wanted to know what that last bit, "the pursuit of Happiness" really means in America today. How are people pursuing happiness in their own lives? Is happiness really something, as humans, we can actively pursue? So he and a small crew piled into an RV, and over the course of the next three years, drove across America to find out.

"I asked people, 'what is it that makes you happy, what is your pursuit of happiness and how do you achieve it?' I looked for people that are really satisfied with what they are doing in their lives," Shapter said.

"The more I went around and had these soul-searching conversations, I realized the people who were happiest were those who tried to make their community better. Those were the happiest people around."

Shapter's new movie "Happiness Is" documents his journey and the people he found along the way who believe they have found a way to pursue happiness. Shapter also interviews celebrities and leaders -- the Dalai Lama and Willie Nelson both make brief appearances in the movie.

But most of the documentary is dedicated to happenstance; recorded moments where the filmmaker and his crew stumble upon scenes where people are celebrating the act of giving back.

Making this movie, Shapter said, has affected his life in significant ways. "I don't have an agenda, there are no political issues. It's about a common bond to help people out -- there's no call to government action, just a call to stop what you're doing, get off your butt and help somebody. You'll have a better day. My life is a lot happier now that we're touring this film and motivating people to get up and help in their own neighborhood."

Like the film, the screening tour is a bit unconventional: Shapter plans screenings across the country at venues provided by nonprofits in need. Then, he donates all the ticket proceeds to benefit the charity that hosts the screening. Production and tour costs are paid for through the purchase of DVDs and downloads, available at the screenings and on the film's online store.

At the very first screening, "Happiness Is" raised $10,000 for CapCityKids in Austin, Texas.

"I plan on touring this film as long as people need it, as long as benefits need to happen," Shapter said. "I don't see an end to this. I hope that nonprofits that are hurting will get a venue and bring people together to raise awareness and money. It's a long journey."

"Happiness Is" has screenings scheduled all around the country. You can find one near you on their interactive map.

You can also visit the site to learn more about hosting a screening and the nonprofits the tour already supports.

Read More: Andrew Shapter, Capcitykids, Dalai Lama, Declaration Of Independence, Documentary, Happiness Is, Nonprofits, Pursuit Of Happiness, Road Trip, What Is Happiness, Willie Nelson, Impact News

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HAPPINESS IS Tour arrives in Colorado

From the Grand Junction Free Press ~

Film explores 'happiness' across America

By Sharon Sullivan
Free Press Staff Writer

Although the United States is a wealthy nation, its citizens are not known for being the happiest.

Seeking to understand the meaning of “the pursuit of happiness,” filmmaker Andrew Shapter and his small team traveled coast-to-coast, speaking to Americans they encountered along the way in an attempt to discover what it means to be happy.

The cast includes people such as the Dalai Lama spiritual leader, philanthropists, scholars, musicians Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp, as well as a “wide range of happiness ‘experts.'” Other cast members include Dan Millan, author of “Way of the Peaceful Warrior,” a Native American shaman, and Darrin McMahon, author of “Happiness: A History.”

Shapter also interviews “regular” people on his cross-country journey — people who make you smile just listening to them.

The film reveals that happiness is nothing more than a state of consciousness attainable by everyone, regardless of personal circumstance.

Shapter, however, explores why happiness is so elusive to some of us, said ReelTime co-producer Stacy Schoolfield.

One of the things the filmmaker discovers is “a lot of people find happiness through serving their community and connecting with people,” Schoolfield said.

“It's one of the reasons we invited nonprofits to come Thursday night and talk about their (organizations) afterwards. We always like to have discussions after the film.”

ReelTime at the Radio Room's screening of “Happiness Is” is part of a nationwide tour to call attention to nonprofit organizations and raise money for sponsoring venues. The film is scheduled to help launch KAFM's fall fund drive that runs from Sept. 26 through Oct. 3. KAFM is a community-run nonprofit radio station.

“Happiness Is...” was an official selection at 2008 film festivals in Austin, New Orleans, Paris and the Sun Valley Spiritual festival in Idaho.

Shapter also directed the documentary, “Before The Music Dies,” which was shown as part of the ReelTime film series in February.

“What I found then is that when people get over their egos, they generally stop doing whatever it is that is keeping them from being happy,” Shapter said in a news release. “They stop comparing themselves to people ‘above' them and start looking around at others.”

Before the film, there will be a screening of three 3-minute films from ReelTime's film camp for kids held last month.

“They're really great creations,” Schoolfield said.

ReelTime at the Radio Room shows an independent film the third Thursday of each month at 7 p.m.

KOOP Interview with Khotan

KOOP (91.7 fm, Austin, TX) radio interview for Idea Lounge, hosted by Khotan Shahbazi-Harmon. Broadcast originally on November 6, 2008. Khotan led a lively and insightful discussion of the concepts of Happiness Is with Director Andrew Shapter, Cast members Matthew Dowd and Alan Graham and Producer Tracy Marino.
Click HERE to listen