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Organize a Community Screening Decide on Venue, Date and Time
Possible Venues: Independent movie theater Church Library Community Center University lecture hall
Independent theaters: usually have a pretty steep fee but occasionally they will split the door 50/50 if they believe in the mission or believe they can make more with that arrangement. If you can get a large crowd it is usually the most comfortable seating and if they have digital projection/sound it is usually the easiest venue technically. Downsides are the cost and the difficulty bringing people into a circle for dialogue after.
Community venues: can be booked for small/no charge. Churches often have relatively comfortable seating. MOST is thirty minutes. We have had successful screenings on hard chairs. In community venues there is often need to borrow or rent and set up projection and sound systems. However, more and more churches and libraries are starting film series so that may not be an issue. Sometimes getting the room darkened is a challenge. Upsides of community venues are usually the lower cost and the ease to move into a circle for dialogue after.
Obtain a Screening License Promote the Event
Let us know the details! We will post your screening on our website and notify people through our email list.
Town/City and State, Date, Time, Name of Venue, Street address, Suggested donation, Sponsoring Organization (s), Contact person & contact email/phone #.
for promotional materials, posters, email samples, images, postcards, etc. Email invitations and reminders are easiest.
Sponsors: Enlist other groups to sponsor the event and forward them the email you’ve created. You can also offer to allow them to set up an information table at the screening. They might even be willing to help set up the event and share costs. But just having them do email promotion is worth listing them as sponsors.
Press: Get listed in upcoming events as far in advance as your local newspaper allows. Also try to get or write your own reviews or articles for local papers or newsletters. If you write an article about the screening it can tie into other re-localization efforts, CSA & farmers markets, co-ops, co-housing, intentional community, etc. Contact editors about doing a pre-screening news story.
Ask everyone you know to send announcements/ invites/ and reminders to their email lists
There are also Meet Up groups springing up everywhere: http://www.meetup.com They may have groups who would love to know about a screening.
Tech Stuff
Technical details: It is always wise to check technical details such as projection and sound at least a few days ahead of time so if there is a problem you have time to remedy it. Then again it is good to arrive at least an hour ahead to be sure everything is working.
* Screens: We’ve screened on a variety of screens. Big screens are nice, of course, if you can get one, but not required. In many settings a smaller screen works fine. (We used a wall in one venue, which worked well, but the room had a low ceiling, so there were limits as to how high the picture could be raised.) Getting the screen high enough that audience members aren’t looking through the head of the person in front of them is important. Some older projection screens have a tendency to slump and wrinkle, and that can be distracting to the eye, as it distorts the picture and creates bright spots.
* DVD Player: We’ve noticed some clarity issues when a laptop was used as the DVD player. Some laptop monitors display lots of artifacts when playing DVDs. You’ll notice lower clarity, weird movement, jerky fades, and sometimes the picture and sound don’t sync together well. Stand-alone DVD players HAVE NOT had any of these problems.
* Sound: The best speaker systems were independently powered stereo systems, such as a home stereo system in the 50 to 100 watt range. A single powered speaker, like a PA unit, is not enough. You need two speakers, to get the full sound. The best speaker placement has the speakers at the front of the room, up on chairs or tables or stands so the sound is not blocked by the front row of the audience, on either side of the screen, pointing back toward the audience. (Even better is a four-speaker system, with two speakers up front and two speakers half-way back.) * Small computer speaker systems almost never did the job. Bringing good sound to a room full of people is a very different task than simply bringing audible sound to an empty room. Being able to hear the soundtrack from the back of an empty room is not an adequate test. For the documentary to have its full effect, you need rich, full sound that is loud enough even with a room full of people.
* Audio Sync: In a couple of venues, there were picture-sound sync issues. Not exactly sure why that happened, as we used the same disc throughout the tour, and usually the sync was fine. Some systems may have just had the sound going through an extra step or two, slowing it enough relative to the picture that it was out of sync.
THE EVENT!
Introduction: Thank people for coming. Thank the people who helped and who sponsored the event. Tell people there will be a facilitated dialogue following the movie that they are welcome to stay for whether they choose to speak or not. Keep this intro short as people are here to see the movie.
Show the Movie! Post Screening Dialogue
We have found that dialogue after a screening of MOST can help people grasp the information and connect with others. This initial dialogue we’ve found is best NOT for plans of action but for beginning to create a galvanized group that may choose to continue to meet to figure out how to create the change they want, both as individuals and as a growing community.
We strongly suggest the use of a “talking stick” which gives some structure and supports everyone to feel they have time and space to speak without interruption. These dialogues often last an hour or two so it is wise to plan to have time available in the venue for that kind of heartfelt conversation after a screening.
Follow Up
You or your group may want to have a sign up list available and even pass it around the dialogue circle toward the end of the evening. Groups are coming together to support one another in staying “awake,” in supporting one another through despair and grief, in taking local actions, in seeking greater wisdom together. Let us know if an ongoing group forms in your community and we will, with your permission, post contact information so that others in your area can contact you.
Wrap Up
We’d love a short note about how the screening went. We would like comments to help other groups throw successful screenings. If an on-going group forms and you’d like us to let people know about that, let us know!
HOUSE PARTIES
All DVD’s are already licensed for house parties!
What are you waiting for? Throw one!
It’s a real, concrete, “thing you can do.” Bringing people together to view MOST and then connect in real conversation about the challenges we all face is one of the most meaningful steps one can take. You will, just by raising the issues, change the world for yourself and for the people who care to join you in this most important adventure.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
* Ask a friend to help. It’s always best to share the responsibility of an event with at least one other person. Set up a time to watch the movie together. You want them totally on board with you. And, you’ll find every time you watch the movie, you’ll get clearer why it is such a gift to help other people begin to step out
Set a date and make a list of people with whom you and/or your friend would like to build a closer sense of community. Pick people who are ready to question the dominant culture and to look at ways to step outside of it. The first time you do this don’t invite the most resistant people you know (like your parents)…that’s just a set-up for struggle.
So go for the smartest, most insightful, most caring people you know, at least for the first gathering you throw.
Send an email inviting people to come and have some food and then to stay for dialogue after. Ask them to email you back so you know how many people to prepare for. If you want to open this house party up to people you don’t know who might come from learning about it on our website, let us know about it, date, time, etc., and how you would like to have them contact you for details (you probably don’t want your address on the website but you could include an email address so people can contact you for details.)
Food and Drinks: Have some great food for people to share before the film. Good food and drink build community and connection like nothing else # If you want to build a supportive network the dialogue afterwards is as important as the film itself. Familiarize yourself with the dialogue. This really does create an atmosphere of respectful conversation. People are often surprised at how much more thoughtful and substantive the conversation is when they use this simple ritual to promote that.
Print up some copies of the study guide. Give the handout to people as they come in, both to inspire dialogue and to encourage action.
# Donations: If you want to ask for donations to help support the distribution of the film….Great!
* Let us know how it went. Email alexandra@eastwindfilms.net.au and tell us about the party. It’s great to hear how people are sharing the film with their friends.
