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.

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."

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.

Film explores 'happiness' across America

By Sharon Sullivan
Free Press Staff Writer

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.

I saw this fascinating, thought provoking documentary Aug. 9 I had previously arranged to interview the director, Andrew Shapter

The following is the result of that interview.

 Scott: What was your goal with this film and did that goal evolve over time?

Andrew Shapter: My goal was to find common ground and a common voice throughout all of the different cultures that live in the U.S. We all share the common goal of achieving happiness, but we define it in so many different ways. I think I discovered only the tip of the iceberg in making this film, but I hope that what it does illustrate causes audiences to think in a new way about what their happiness means to them, as well as how they can contribute to the happiness of others.

It's such an important thing that ultimately, I discovered that what I truly wanted--and needed--to do was to use the film as a tool to try and achieve that happiness goal by turning each screening into a fundraiser for a charitable cause.

What are the logistics for this project? When did you actually travel and shoot the film and what has happened since then?

AS:I began filming while I was on the road promoting Before the Music Dies (2006). Shooting started in Summer 2006 and ended Summer 2008. From there we took the film to festivals while building our grassroots organization to distribute the film. We're at the point now where we're ready to start a screening tour. The plan is to keep it on the road for years to come...

It’s hard to write a thoughtful reaction to a film that left me so emotional. And I wasn’t the only one. There were quite a few beefy guys walking out of the theater with puffy, watery eyes last night, too.

But “Happiness Is” by Austin’s Andrew Shapter will do that to you. It’s not that it’s a sad film by any means. In fact, it’s pretty hilarious. Shapter interviewed some characters, for sure. The woman who admitted to thinking that happiness could be found in a solid-surface countertop sticks in my mind. (HINT: It can’t.)

What it is is hopeful because the message is this: Happiness is within your reach. It’s not something to strive for, it’s something you find within yourself. For proof, Shapter talks to happiness historians (they exist), scientists, and anthropologists. They’ve done the research and can pinpoint exactly when most Americans stopped being happy. (HINT: Rampant materialism, duh!)

Then, to further prove his point, he interviewed an incredible mix of people from all over the country – men, children, immigrants, scholars, artists, musicians, comedians, old people…. Though they all get there differently, eventually they all come to the same conclusion.

There are a couple of things you should know about the film:

1. It’s going on a screening tour around the country, and they’re paying for that tour with the support of generous sponsors. If a quarter of the population in America saw this film, it could change this country for the better. Seriously. So if you can swing the DVD, buy it here: http://www.happinessisthemovie.com/blog/shop/

2. The film is being used to raise money for the sponsoring nonprofit. In the case of last night’s screening, the nonprofit beneficiary is Mobile Loave & Fishes, the organization that takes food out to the homeless and is run by the incredible Alan Graham. (He’s featured in the film.) You can support that organization here.: http://www.mlfnow.org/site/PageServer

There were hundreds of people at this screening last night. I wonder what they’re thinking today.

More from GivingCity -

Giving City Magazine has written an article on Happiness Is. Below is the full article and you can also download the entire article here.

THE SECRET TO HAPPINESS IS…
A new film asks one of mankind’s most profound questions – and gets the answer.
by Monica M. Williams

After Andrew Shapter finished the film, “Before the Music Dies,” a critical look at the popular music industry, he wondered aloud about the focus of his next project. “Before the Music Dies” had taught him everything there was to know about the music industry, he says, “So I told people my next film had to be about happiness. It was kind of a joke at first.”

But the idea took on its own life, and soon Shapter found himself once again traveling to the far corners of the country to talk – to anyone who was willing – about happiness. “I’d just walk up to them and ask them what their ‘pursuit of happiness’ is. Some people knew right away. Others didn’t know what to say.”

Shapter didn’t have the answers either, but an introduction to Alan Graham, he says, “triggered a dramatic twist that would lead to a definitive ending” for the film.

Graham is a founding member and president of Mobile Loaves & Fishes, an Austin-based nonprofit that takes meals out to the homeless and working poor. On that particular trip, Graham took him on a lunchtime truck run to the downtown library. “It was a real cold, wet, miserable day, I remember,” says Graham. “Usually the homeless move in there to stay warm and dry. They shot all the footage of us in that single truck run. I think (Shapter) got a lot out of it.”

In the video clip, Shapter shows Graham and volunteers making plans in the food pantry area, loading the truck, driving to the Austin downtown library, and handing out food to homeless men. Graham talks about his journey– how he was a successful real estate broker who started asking the tough questions in life and found himself investing everything he had to create MLF. The nonprofit is now in four states and enlists 12 catering trucks and almost 10,000 volunteers a year.

It can be said that Graham is not exactly an ordinary person. “If there were a Fortune 500 for the world’s happiest people,” he says, “I’d be at the top of that list.” His decision to relinquish his wealth in favor of service to the homeless is what led to that happiness, he says. “I run into people all the time that say, ‘I wish I could do what you did,’” says Graham. “When people witness someone like me who has made such a radical change in their life – and now happiness is such an intrinsic part of my life – that impresses people.”

What Shapter found, after interviewing dozens of people from children to accomplished and wealthy businessmen, was proof that achievement, wealth, and fame don’t lead to happiness. Giving to and supporting a cause you believe in, he says, does.

He refers to a statement made by Mother Teresa, sainted for sacrificing her own well being for the sake of the extreme poor of that city. “People need to find their own Calcutta. The people who are happy in this film all have their own causes,” says Shapter. “The message is that you need to find your own cause, and give.”

For Shapter that cause is Capital City Kids, a nonprofit that helps homeless kids in Central Texas obtain the resources they need to succeed in school. (In Austin, more than 4,000 students pre-K through high school are homeless.) “When I saw the reaction from people after the initial screenings, I thought maybe people were being touched by the film. So I made a request at the end of one screening here in Austin for donations to Cap City Kids, thinking I’d raise about $1,000. Turns out we raised more than $10,000 that night.”

That same night, a person affiliated with the Obama campaign was in the audience, and is now working with Shapter and C3 (producers of the Austin City Limits Music Festival) to build a model for the film’s distribution. This summer, the team will enlist sponsors to take the film on a 40-city tour that will engage local charities and turn screenings into fundraisers, with Shapter selling DVDs of the film at those events.

“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,” says Shapter. “They stop comparing themselves to people ‘above’ them and start looking around at others. Then they start to help.”

Shapter on Happy, Texas

“I was shocked to see the the small towns deteriorating. We have these mass migrations to the big cities – like Houston, Miami, and Phoenix – because people are leaving these tight-knit communities where everybody knows your name. And it’s sad.

“There was this woman in Happy, Texas, whose husband died, and that caused the whole town to come together and take care of her, support her through that time. But then that widow moved to Dallas and joined a support group for widows; there she met another widow who lived in Dallas when her husband died but said none of her neighbors even knew her. That broke her heart.

“You know, our country is a nation of immigrants; we are people that believe success and wealth lie somewhere else. So it’s in our DNA. It’s why young people move away from home. “What’s remarkable is that new immigrants are the ones re-making these small communities and keeping them alive. I think young people will continue to move away and take that journey, but what’s going to happen is that they will always get called back.”

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