What in God's Name Is Cinesthesia
A filmmaker playing a filmmaker disguised as another filmmaker
Introducing Me
Hey there, fellow writer, director, filmmaker, or cinema/TV lover. Chances are, we’ve never met. If we have, feel free to skip ahead. If not, let me introduce myself: my name is John-Michael Powell.
I grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas—a quaint little patch of land nestled somewhere between Texas and Tennessee. About 20 years ago, I left the Natural State and made my way to Los Angeles, California. Doing the math now, I suddenly realize I’ve lived in L.A. longer than I ever lived in Arkansas. That’s… wild. And honestly? It’s a strange feeling because even after all this time, I still don’t quite feel like an Angeleno, although I do survive on mostly street tacos and sushi.
Though I may have imposter syndrome as a transplant, where I no longer feel a fraud is in Hollywood. That’s because for the better part of the last 20 years of my life, I’ve spent nearly every waking moment putting in the work to make a career as a writer/director in Hollywood. And as we cruise at the speed of light toward the end of 2024, I finally find myself firmly in the driver’s seat of that career. This year, I finished up my second feature film, Violent Ends, as writer/director, got to screen that film at Skywalker Ranch (a childhood dream), took home my first Emmy win and opened offices for my production company, Midnight Road.
With a whole heaping shit-ton-and-a-half pile of knowledge that I’ve managed to snowball and put to practice, I find myself wanting to brain-vomit that knowledge onto paper (the digital kind). And so, here I am, and so and this is Cinesthesia.
What the Hell Does It Mean?
Cinesthesia is technically pronounced: ‘si-nes-‘THēzēə’
It’s a word-combo of the two words cinema and synesthesia.
SYNESTHESIA noun
syn· es· the· sia ˌ si-nəs-ˈthē-zh(ē-)ə
1: a concomitant sensation
especially : a subjective sensation or image of a sense (as of color) other than the one (as of sound) being stimulated
2: the condition marked by the experience of such sensations
The word comes from the Greek words synth (together) and ethesia (perception). In other words, it’s a feeling you get when you see colors and your cranium hears a song, or you smell a scent and see photographs in your mind. It’s a kind of sixth sense that forms an extraordinary understanding of the world around us, and only 5% of the population, at most, have it.
I believe that cinema and all that encompasses narrative has a similar power: to evoke emotions, spark ideas, and engage our senses in ways that feel subcutaneous. And similarly, I feel as though only 5% of the population have ever felt that sub-atomic jolt. Simply put, Cinesthesia is meant to give you that jolt and evoke thoughts and feelings about filmmaking that get you inspired about the craft in ways you had never considered.
What You’ll Find Here
I can’t say for sure. I do know that where we’re going, we won’t need roads. Also, I’ll try not to make promises I can’t keep. I will also likely change my mind as we go. So with that said — I would imagine you’ll see these types of writings:
• Rants: Reflections on lessons I’ve picked up over the years and anecdotes about life as a working writer/director in Hollywood. Plus, some topical musings about day-to-day happenings in my career that might actually be useful to you.
• Guides: Practical breakdowns of filmmaking strategies, like “How to Plan a No-Budget Shoot,” “Crafting Tension in Thrillers,” or “Working with Actors to Shape Performances.” All the fun, hands-on stuff you can use when making your own films.
• Reviews: Mostly classic films, because I tend to rewatch rather than seek out current films, but I’ll sprinkle in the occasional new release when it catches my eye.
• AMAs: Got questions? Anything I can’t answer in quick chats, I’ll flesh out into long-form responses in a Reddit-style “Ask Me Anything” format.
• Q&As: Short conversations with other filmmakers about craft, career-building, and the chaotic fun of working in this industry.
The frequency of my posts will likely fluctuate depending on my schedule. I’m a working writer/director, and when I go into prep for a movie, it’s like crossing the event horizon—production becomes a black hole. We’ll just have to see how it goes.
What You Won’t Find Here: The Prophetization of Craft
As someone who’s devoured an ungodly number of books and how-to guides on writing and filmmaking in my lifetime, I’ve developed a finely tuned gag reflex for what I call “false prophets.” You know exactly who I’m talking about. They’re the self-proclaimed creative messiahs who promise you the gospel of creative enlightenment—if you’ll just pay for it. They’ve got the “12 Steps to Becoming a Director” or the “New Testament to Modern Screenwriting” that will definitely (wink) get your foot in the Hollywood door. All you have to do is buy their book, sign up for their course, or drink their Kubrickian Kool-Aid.
Look, I don’t have a personal vendetta against these false prophets, and spoiler alert — I love Kubrick. And truthfully, like their biblical namesakes, they do have the occasional kernel of good advice to offer. But let me be real with you: I don’t buy that bullshit. From where I’m standing, making a life as a writer or director isn’t a matter of following some 12-step program to creative salvation. There’s no blueprint. No holy text. No amount of reading or studying is going to replace the hard, messy, glorious work of actually doing the thing. And that’s what my goal is, to get you to stop talking and start doing.*
Now, don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with asking people to pay for your hard work. Hell, at some point, I might monetize Cinesthesia if it makes sense. But that’s not what this is about. What I’m doing here is sharing knowledge, talking shop, and sparking conversations that we can engage in together. That back-and-forth with you, my fellow “lowly creatives,” is what fires me up. It’s the fuel that keeps me going and creating. For me, that’s the real payment.
So here’s my promise: you will never find me claiming to have “the way” to be a writer or director. Because, let’s face it, there is no “way.” I won’t preach it, teach it, or sell it to you. What I will do is talk out of my ass about the things I’ve learned, and if something I say helps you get your own work off the ground or helps make you a more informed filmmaker, then great!
If not? Well, there should be a good laugh here or there. So, at least, there’s that.
In Conclusion, but Inconclusive
For now, that’ll have to do. I’ll pin this post and perhaps reserve the right to update it as we go. (Still figuring out how Substack works) Thanks for joining me here. Let’s explore, discuss, and celebrate the art of making movies and television together.
Subscribe to Cinesthesia to get posts delivered straight to your inbox, and feel free to drop me a line anytime. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
*Apologies if I have inadvertently ripped off a hardware store slogan.
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Nice post my man. I’m also a Little Rock native so we have that in common. I like your Sub-stack so far. I’ll have to read it some more.