As NFT adoption continues to grow exponentially, the inevitably of many events become apparent. Among these events is the first film to have a red carpet debut in the metaverse, a historic first pioneered by David Bianchi and Chris Wood this past week. The film “Break the Bars,” innovates further by defining a category labelled “Spinema,” cementing storytelling into NFTs while prioritizing charitable causes. Armed with a poetic narrative and an unshakeable dynamic, the duo deliver incredible stories with their latest collaboration, Break the Bars.
Photo Credit: David Bianchi and Chris Wood
Break the Bars is the first ever red carpet premiere in the metaverse. The lovely folks at Decentraland re-architected the official Makersplace gallery to facilitate an incredible red carpet experience and screening room. The project’s launch event was attended by over 250 people and the film remains available for viewing at the DCL coordinates (57, 98). The red carpet was laid out for a warm virtual reception, the first occasion of its kind, surely to be repeated. Bianchi and Wood pioneered this debut as a proof-of-concept, paving the way for future films to follow.
“Her ten-year-old eyes base their reality
On the view of the neighbourhood
Through the bars on her window
Where fields flow far and dandy lions meet the horizon
In a matrimony made in heaven
Where the only steel that exists isn’t a tool or a gat
Or any form of a weapon!”
– Excerpt from Break the Bars by David Bianchi and Chris Wood
Photo Credit: David Bianchi and Chris Wood
Spinema is a genre created by David Bianchi, in his words, “spinning cinema through spoken word.” An art form often underappreciated, Bianchi and Wood employ poetry through cinema masterfully to tell stories of children kept sheltered behind window-bars for their own safety in their latest collaboration, Break the Bars. In so doing, they powerfully highlight children’s unnecessarily limited freedom with hopes that awareness will help to alleviate the problem. Their poetry speaks to the harsh realities in urban areas that many don’t stop to consider while offering a way for people to contribute towards a solution.
Master storytellers Bianchi and Wood have collaborated previously using both Spinema and superb storytelling to spotlight societal issues. Each of their projects use the form to discuss the problem while also focusing on contributing to the solution. Proceeds from this project go towards supporting a nonprofit that tackles the various problems Break the Bars presents. It’s refreshing to learn about a problem and be presented with an opportunity to make it better. Bianchi calls it “art as activism.”
Bianchi’s first foray into NFTs came with a project titled “I Can’t Breathe,” a soliloquy to the murder of George Floyd. It was written after Flloyd’s death, after alternating between “shock, rage, frustration, and finally exhaustion” for some time. It speaks to what it’s like to be a man of colour in the United States. It sold for 5 ETH when ETH was over $4000, and 100% of the proceeds were donated to a nonprofit called the George Floyd Memorial Foundation. His second endeavour, “You Can’t Hear Me,” was made in collaboration with grammy-winning Poet Malcolm Jamal Warner and speaks profoundly about racial injustices across America. The current highest bid is 7 ETH.
Photo Credit: David Bianchi and Chris Wood
An important consideration for every collaboration by Bianchi and Wood is the impact the funds they allocate can have. They prioritize small nonprofits that can better benefit from the financial support and can use it to better employ. Nonprofits they have previously supported include the George Floyd Memorial Foundation, New Earth Foundation, and most recently with Break the Bars, NFTs for the Culture, just to name a few. Enabling everyone to have a genuinely impactful experience by appreciating novel art with meaningful storytelling adds depth to the film industry and the NFT space.
Employing a clever NFT strategy, Break the Bars successfully launched with a set of NFTs at various price points, highlighting a focus on both accessibility and value. All NFTs offer full non-commercial rights to the films they represent. Three bespoke limited editions were released at 0.4 ETH, one of which is already sold out. The opportunity to purchase the film posters for 0.08 ETH ended on September 25th with 29 total sales.
The 1/1 film auction ends on October 1st, and the highest bid at the time of writing is 3.5 ETH. The auction started with a bid from iconic NFT collector Pranksy. People that appreciate provenance and pioneers are who Bianchi believes will recognize the value of his art. Bianchi is still merely at the beginning of his NFT journey, one that will be remarkable to witness as his creative contributions grow alongside his positive social impact.
Photo Credit: David Bianchi
David Bianchi is a familiar face on TV, having acted in high-end productions, including Queen of the South and Seal Team on CBS, among a long list of over 75 other credits. A recipient of multiple prestigious film awards, Bianchi brings a wealth of experience to the projects he undertakes. His current focus is using the power of art and the potential of blockchain to fight real problems and has contributed a grand total of over $40,000 to charities using his NFTs thus far.
Sharing acting and poetry as crafts of choice, Chris Wood collaborates with Bianchi as another profound creative and speaker. Beyond his art, Wood supports charitable endeavours personally, including Charitas Fund. Wood and Bianchi met back in 2004 at a slam poetry event and have worked together on many occasions with a deep appreciation for one another’s kind hearts and great talents.
As Wood and Bianchi continue to generate impactful collaborations in the NFT space, they help establish NFTs and the metaverse as mediums that can advance social causes. Their art speaks for itself with boundless eloquence and helps increase accessibility to the NFT space. Each project they envision raises awareness and contributes positively to real-world problems, facilitating participation in making the world a better place.
Featured Image Photo Credit: David Bianchi and Chris Wood
