Use Film As Your Guide — To Manifest Your Creative Potential

The great many of us have positive experiences with film, going all the way back to childhood. We come into contact with our first ideas about romance, life, and death — through the art of moving pictures.

We fall in love with certain aspects of our own minds & hearts, in reaction to what we see of ourselves, reflected on the screen. Experiences with truly great films can distinctly shift our perspectives, on anything from the broadest of topics, right down to the most subtle of matters.

ONE great film can truly alter our lives permanently. Hard to believe, but it is true !!

For example, take the founder of STORY BUNKER — Max Schwartz. He saw an aviation oriented movie, as a young teenager, that lit a spark, and forever changed his life. The film was called “Fly Away Home.” It was about a young girl, 13 or so, who loses her mother in a tragic car accident.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, she (the surviving victim) is taken home, by her estranger father, who lives on a farm in Canada. Her dad happens to be an eccentric inventor, with a fascination for flight.

While recovering, she find some geese eggs in the barn. She hatches them, and raises them as her own. Caring for them becomes her path to healing / mending her tattered spirit.

Eventually, the department of fish & game tries to confiscate them, for legal reasons. No wild animals as pets around these parts !! Not in my town !!

The young girl’s father drums up a wild plan, to build two home-built (ultralight) aircraft, teach his daughter how to fly one, and train the geese to follow them both south for the winter — while simultaneously outsmarting the wildlife feds.

How do you think it turns out ? Of course the good guys win.. The point is the founder of STORY BUNKER (Max Schwartz) saw that movie as a 14 year old boy, and as a direct result, ending up becoming an airline pilot — over an aviation journey that took 15 years.

Movies are unbelievably powerful !!! The minimum legal age an AIRMAN applicant has to be, in order to be issued their “private pilot’s license,” is 17 years old. Max’s birthday is September 15th, 1987. He earned his private pilot’s license on November 4th, 2004 — less than 2 months after his 17th birthday. The picture to the immediate right is of Max, at 17 years old, piloting an aerobatic aircraft (N335AC) known as a “Citabria.” Just after the photo was taken, he went up with the pictured woman (named Pam,) on an impromptu airplane ride, after spontaneously meeting her at “Pleasant Valley airport” (P48.)

The USA is home to 400 million people. Really let that number sink it. That’s just shy of half-a-billion.

According to google, the total population of the American public who have a private pilot’s license is between 0.05% — 0.14% of the population. That is not even ¼ of 1% — Now imagine doing it at 17 year old, all in reaction to having seen a movie !!

Max created the company STORY BUNKER to show his gratitude, for what movies did for his life. He wanted to make a company that would produce films of high enough quality, to inspire others, in the way his youthful / creative heart was once inspired.

Max eventually became many things, all of it rooted in having seen various movies. Strange, but true. Screenwriter & novelist. Director & producer. Above all — A human being determined to live a full life, beyond the standard boundaries of fear, and commonly accepted possibility.

In the world of flying, he became a more accomplished aviator that most airline pilots. He became both a single, and multi-engine flight instructor in airplanes. Then he went onto becoming a commercial pilot / instructor in helicopters. One step further he earned his single, and multi-engine SeaPlane ratings.

Just for kicks he then earned his “A” and “B” licenses, in the skydiving world. Then went onto becoming a “Dive Master” with PADI (the most respected international diving organization.)

—ALL because of movies. It all begins and ends with movies for him. He considers his greatest accomplishment to have become a writer & filmmaker, despite having been a working airline pilot.

STORY BUNKER’S true goal is — inspire others, with great movies, in ways that move them deeply enough to propel their lives in massively positive, empowering, and adventurous directions !!

Elderly Francis Ford Coppola winking. He's responsible for some of the movie industry's all time best movies. "Apocalypse Now," based on "Heart Of Darkness," is one of his most well known films. Father to Sophia Coppola.
Max Schwartz posing for a photo beside a single-engine aerobatic airplane, called a "Citabria" -- with a white, blue, and red design parked on a gravel area under a clear blue sky. N33AC was a 7GCBC model, with flaps / aileron spades.
Young man (Max Schwartz) standing near next to a small private airplane, on a tarmac with mountains in the background. Shot in palm Springs. Aircraft was a Cessna 172M. Same model from Bond film "Goldeneye." Tail number was N12749.
Man standing at the entrance of a twin-engine, turbo-propeller airplane, on a tarmac, against a clear blue sky. This was the first airline position worked by Max Schwartz, as a first officer, at a company called "Berry Aviation." Aircraft was SA-227.
Man Schwartz standing on the float of a Single-Engine seaplane, a piper Tri-Pacer. This was taken in northern California, near Calaveras Seaplane Base. This was roughly taken in 2015. This was where Max earned his Single-Engine Seaplane rating.
Man wearing Rayban Aviator sunglasses and a US NAVY cap (with a military patch.) He took this selfie sitting on the steps of the aircraft, under a partly cloudy sky. The aircraft in reference is the "FairChild Metro-Liner" (SA-227)
A man -- Max Schwartz -- with dark curly hair, sunglasses, a blue button-up shirt, and shorts. He's doing a pre-flight inspection on a Robinson 22 (R-22) helicopter, smiling and making a peace sign at the camera. The R-22 is an economical trainer.
Max Schwartz proudly wearing his 3 -tripe pilot epaulets, on his shoulders, while dressed in freshly pressed white's. He's driving to work at one of his first jobs as a flight instructor, in the aftermath of having graduated ATP Flight School.
Max Schwartz in his pilot's uniform, posing excitedly in front of a red and white amphibious airplane on the tarmac. This was a "Grumman Widgeon," the same make and model which he later earned his Multi-Engine Seaplane rating in.
Yet another photo of Max Schwartz sitting on the door-steps of the reliable "Metro-Liner" (SA-227.) Picture taken at sunset. These aircraft were / are known as work-horses in the aviation industry.
Cockpit of a light twin aircraft, a Piper "Seminole" (PA-44.) Photo shows various gauges, and switches, including two black control yokes, one with a sticker that reads 'AERO'. Interestingly, Piper gives Native American names to their aircraft.
Max Schwartz wearing a cap that says "Eat Local." Taking a self-portrait in front of an F-18 Super Hornet fighter jet. Some trivia for you. Max's boss forced him to stop wearing the hat, because it conflicted with Navy / company policies.

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