“The Power of Sing!” A Documentary Created by J_Thomas
“The Power of Sing!” A Documentary Created by J_Thomas
J_Thomas has been on Smule for nearly 5 years! His passion and talent shine clearly in his recordings. Over the years, he has made some of the best recordings we have ever seen, some of which still mystify us. Recently, he decided to create documentary dedicated to Smule and our community. He is truly an inspiration to all of us! We wanted to talk to him to get to know him better and learn more about his upcoming film.
Who are you?
Who am I? Hmmm…That’s something I think I’m still trying to figure out! But I guess, to summarize, I’m someone who has always sought an adventure versus living the “normal” life. From moving to Nashville to chase a dream, joining the Marine Corps on 9/11, getting to tour with some of the most awesome artists/bands on the planet, I’ve lived so many lives already and have not had a single regret.
A fun fact about me would be I really enjoy baking! While I was deployed in Iraq, me and a few buddies would come up with these outrageous dessert ideas, and when I got home I couldn’t wait to experiment, and it’s something I enjoy still, especially now around the holidays.
What is the project?
So the documentary that I’m shooting is called “The Power of Sing.” Over the summer I traveled to 30 states to interview more than 30 different Sing! users in just 30 days. It was the adventure of a lifetime. The premise of the documentary is to show just how powerful music is and how the Sing! app provides a platform for people all over the world to meet and share that experience. It features some incredible stories about how the Sing! app has changed lives.
What inspired you to create this documentary?
I had watched a documentary about the online game “Second Life” and was drawn to the storyline. I realized that Sing! is much more interesting than “Second Life” and I also knew there were so many incredible stories within our community that needed to be told. I was helping another Sing! user @_LindseyMarie_ move and told her my idea about the documentary, and, honestly, if it wasn’t for her motivation and persistence, it would’ve never happened! She was a great sidekick and road trip buddy!
But, to be honest, what really drove me was I really just wanted to get out there and meet as many people in the community as I could, and the documentary was a perfect excuse for that!
What aspects of the documentary are you most excited about?
I’m most excited about getting to give everyone an inside look at the people that they sing with every day and in some cases have known for years. We get to see people on social media outlets and now with Sing! video, but for me to actually get to tell these users’ stories in an intimate, up-close way is what I’m looking forward to most! (Unfortunately, my late night antics with Turner weren’t documented, or that would top the list 🙂 )
When can we expect to see the final product?
I’ve already shot more than 500 GB of footage and am still not completely content with what I have! Because Sing! is a global app, I would love to include some footage of Sing!ers from around the globe, so my hope is to try and go to Europe and to Indonesia to give a full overview of just how far this app stretches. But shooting documentaries and traveling gets pretty expensive! I’m going to have look at selling a kidney to get it finished! It has been a lot of work and I’ve directed, shot and edited this all on my own, so I’m hoping by spring it’ll be ready to share with the world!
