"Than and Now"
A short Documentary about C.M.C. road to rehabilitation and cinematography & filmmaking

In his early years C.M.C. had a bad drug addiction. There was no hope of him quitting, until reality finally caught up with him. He got involved with the wrong crowd and it landed him in the federal court of Phoenix Arizona. C.M.C. was looking at 3 to 10 years in prison for Conspiracy of Smuggling Firearms over the Mexican Boarder. He pleaded his case, admitted fault to everything that he did and expressed his drug addiction problem. Being that C.M.C. was young with no charges, the Judge decided to give him a 2nd chance instead of sending him to a cell until trial. C.M.C. agreed and did everything in his power to convince the judge that he is a good person and can be a function person in society. 

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C.M.C. was sent to a halfway house rehab facility to get sober and his life back on track. While he lived there he started to work with autistic teens and adults, he started going to film school, and doing anything that the courts told him to do until his trial. His public defender told him to make a documentary of what he was doing and his progress with work and film school.

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C.M.C. purchased a Canon GL2 and carried it with him for 3 months wherever he went. He shot and edited everyday with the hope that it will convince the courts to give him a second chance. After hours of footage and days of editing he was finally ready to go to trial to present his case along with his documentary "Than and Now".

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This video got C.M.C. out of 10 years in prison. It shows that anyone can do anything at anytime if he or she puts their mind to it. It is never too late to change and improve one's life. Despite any obstacles, internal or external, one can still proval and succeed. Sometimes we just need a little push or inspiration. 

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All the best.

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Charles Michael Cartwright Jr. IV

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