I spent 20 years writing short stories and making short films. Good films. Passionate films. But I was unconsciously telling the same story over and over without realizing it.
Same themes. Same character types. Same emotional beats. I thought I was being original because the surface details changed, but the pattern underneath stayed identical. I couldn’t see it.
When I finally recognized the pattern, I still couldn’t break free from it. That awareness without capability kept me stuck for years despite my technical skills.
This experience drove me to spend the next 10 years studying consciousness development and analyzing 200+ films to understand why some break through while others fail, even with perfect execution.
What I Discovered
The problem isn’t skill. It isn’t tools. It’s the consciousness level you create from.
Films that consistently succeed come from a different awareness than the ones that flop. Lower-level films lean on clichés and surface formulas. Higher-level films show originality, self-awareness, and integration. They’re conscious about what they’re building.
This led me to develop the LUCID Framework (Levels of Unconscious and Consciously Integrated Differentiation). It maps five levels of storytelling consciousness and explains why films at Levels 3 to 5 consistently succeed while those at 1 to 2 struggle to connect with audiences.
The Five LUCID Levels
Level 1: Unconscious Fixation
The filmmaker’s creative persona is completely mistaken for their authentic voice. They repeat patterns without awareness. Think of franchise films that glorify the very things they claim to critique. Films that lean entirely on genre conventions without the self-awareness to examine them.
Examples: Most of the Fast & Furious franchise operates here. Surface spectacle without consciousness of the patterns being repeated.
Level 2: Fixation Exposed
The cracks appear. The filmmaker sees their pattern but can’t escape it. The costs become visible but remain compelling.
Examples: Joker (2019) sees the incel violence pattern but can’t quite transcend glorifying it. Cinema Paradiso recognizes its nostalgia trap but stays caught in romanticizing the past. Return of the Jedi knows it’s repeating the Death Star formula yet again, but does it anyway.
Level 3: Wrestling With Shadow
Genuine struggle. The filmmaker oscillates between consciousness and fixation. Awareness battles for dominance.
Examples: Fight Club is aware of toxic masculinity while still being complicit in it. Top Gun: Maverick wrestles with its own propaganda. The Fabelmans shows Spielberg consciously struggling with his own mythology.
Level 4: Integration Beginning (The Realm of Genius)
One foot outside the dream. Every creative choice is deliberate. Nothing accidental. This is where most of the world’s best films live.
Examples: Parasite. The Social Network. Only Lovers Left Alive. Some Like It Hot. Every frame serves conscious intent. The filmmaker can depict unconsciousness with consciousness. Pure architectural precision.
Level 5: Differentiated Awareness
Rare. Generates genuinely new cinematic language. Not just conscious mastery but innovation that opens doors for future filmmaking.
Examples: 2001: A Space Odyssey invented new visual grammar. The Matrix created bullet time and new mythology. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind generated fresh narrative structure for depicting memory. Chinatown created the template for neo-noir endings where evil persists.
Level 5 doesn’t necessarily improve commercial performance, which is why I don’t push for it. Level 4 is where genius lives and where sustainable success happens.
Why This Matters for AI Filmmakers
AI amplifies whatever consciousness level you bring to it. Mechanical prompting from Level 1 to 2 produces beautiful but hollow content. Conscious creation from Level 4 to 5 produces transformation.
Your AI images might look stunning, but if you’re creating from unconscious patterns, the work will feel empty. The problem isn’t your prompts. It’s your consciousness level.
The industry is splitting. Those making mechanical content versus those creating transformational work. The difference isn’t technical skill. It’s awareness.
The Resistance You’ll Face
Here’s what makes this difficult: seeing your own pattern creates resistance.
When you first glimpse your unconscious storytelling style, it can feel destabilizing. You might notice you’ve been making variations of the same film for years. You might see that what you thought was your “voice” is actually a fixation you inherited or developed as a coping mechanism.
That resistance? That discomfort? Making that conscious is what moves you to the next level.
I’ve been helping people work through exactly this kind of resistance for over a decade. I’m certified in facilitating this internal process through an 8-year training I completed specifically for this work. This isn’t about making you feel inferior. It’s about making the invisible visible so you can choose consciously instead of repeating unconsciously.
Your Habitual Storytelling Style
Everyone has one. This is based on your Enneagram Type, an ancient system that identifies the fixed pattern you established early in life. It shapes every creative decision you make.
Some filmmakers (such as myself) are Type 4, what I call Origin-Illuminating Storytellers. In unconsciousness they gravitate toward wounds of being outsiders and create narratives from this identity. Type 5s are Transparency-Creating Storytellers who depersonalize emotion and create from intellectual distance. There are nine distinct storytelling styles, each with its own unconscious patterns and potential for conscious development.
Knowing your Type doesn’t change it. You can’t escape your creative DNA. But you can develop consciousness within your Type. A Type 1 perfectionist will always make films about perfection, but the conclusion they come to becomes more expansive. At Level 2, the Type 1 exhausts everyone with endless takes that don’t improve the work. At Level 4, they make The Departed.
The Work Behind Authentic Creation
Here’s something most courses won’t tell you: I can easily apply these 5 levels to relationships as well. If you can’t understand the 5 levels of relating in your own life, you certainly can’t write characters who are learning a greater version of relating.
This is the hard human work we have to do behind the scenes to be capable of creating authentically. You can’t write Level 4 relationship dynamics if you’re operating at Level 2 in your actual relationships. The consciousness gap shows up on the page.
What I’m Offering
Right now I’m offering LUCID diagnostic sessions for filmmakers. These include a 30-minute intro session where we assess exactly where and why you’re creating at your current level and what needs to shift internally to move up.
The goal isn’t to judge your work. If you’re showing up, you’ve got genuine passion. This business isn’t easy. My skill is making your pattern visible so you can work with it consciously instead of being run by it. The work happens in the body. The mental habits are a reflection of the body’s holding patterns.
LUCID Diagnostic Package includes:
- 30-minute focused session where we identify your exact creative block
- Assessment of your current LUCID level
- Clear next steps for development
Pricing: $97 for the first 5 people, then $197.
This is an internal development process I facilitate. I’ll ask for a writing sample in advance, but we’re not fixing scripts or teaching technique. We’re developing the consciousness that allows you to create at higher levels naturally. My goal is to get you to a place where you don’t need guidance.
What’s Next
If you’re a filmmaker who’s felt stuck repeating patterns, or you sense there’s a breakthrough waiting but can’t quite reach it, the LUCID diagnostic might be exactly what you need.
Most of my work helps people move from Level 2 (seeing the pattern but unable to change) to Level 3 (conscious wrestling) at minimum. Through private training I can help clients reach Level 4 (genius-level conscious creation) once they understand their Type and develop awareness of their patterns.
This work isn’t easy. It requires looking at what you’ve been unconsciously creating and why. That’s precisely what makes it transformative.
Want to discover your storytelling style? I’ve created a free quiz that identifies your Type and shows where you might be operating unconsciously. DM me for access.
Ready for a diagnostic session? DM me to discuss. I’m keeping the $97 introductory rate available for the first 5 people who commit.
The question isn’t whether you have the skills. It’s whether you’re ready to see what’s been invisible.
Joshua Edjida
