Professor Morris
Law, Technology, and Strategy
14 March 2022
Come Join Me!
Introduction
Hello, my fellow artists! I have come before you today to convince you to join my team in making a film. As you know, my name is C. Jewel Garcia, and I am an independent screenwriter, director, and filmmaker. However, you may not know my brand is Aguantar, which is the Spanish word that translates to endure, withstand, and persevere. You may also not know that my mission is: representing diverse and underprivileged voices with character-driven narratives through films that push the envelope of the cinematic arts.
Treatment
The film I want to make is a short independent animated piece. It is entitled Ruins. Ruins follows Isabella, a Latina teenager, as she tries to reconnect with her family after a suicide attempt, yet things may not be as they first appear.
The film starts with the ruins of a manor. Inside, Isabella is experiencing severe depression and attempting to take her own life by drinking poison. After this, everything goes hazy as Isabella is brought to a hospital and slips in and out of consciousness.
The next thing Isabella knows is that she is waking up in her room in the dilapidated manor. Her younger siblings scream for their mother when seeing Isabella walking throughout the house. She finds that her family hardly talks to her now and very rarely makes eye contact with her.
One night, she overhears her parents discussing repairing the manor. Isabella feels bad after hearing this because her family is actually squatting on the property, and she believes the only reason they would repair it is that they used all the funds that they were saving to relocate to save her life. She vows to help them fix up the manor in any way she can. As Isabella quietly pitches in on repairing the manor, her family starts to speak to her more but still struggles to look her in the eyes.
Then her family invites an old friend over to help with the repairs and Isabella is told not to bother him. She tries not to bother him but then hears he needs help. When she enters the room with him, he begins praying over vinegar he was using to clean and pours it in his eyes and drinks it. Isabella is so frightened by this she runs to her mother, but her mother seems not to be fazed by this reaction. Soon after this, the family friend stops helping and leaves town.
Isabella works hard with her family to finish fixing up the manor to the best of their ability. After the manor is fixed, Isabella’s two great aunts come over. Isabella is surprised and delighted to see them because she was very close to them as a young child, but when her family converted to Pentecostals, they cut ties with them because they are curanderas, or traditional medicine women.
They tell her father to follow them into the woods to see their work in action and ask Isabella if she would come along. Isabella agrees overjoyed. They walk far into the woods and the farther they go the more Isabella stumbles and trips. She is embarrassed but determined to keep going. Finally, they reach the ruins of an ancient temple.
They go in and see hundreds of people bustling about. Isabella walks into another girl. When Isabella tries to apologize, she sees the girl has statues of owls (the omens of death) in place of her eyes. Isabella panics and tries to leave, but as she does, she sees all the people there have these statues in place of their eyes, except her great aunts and father.
Her aunts try to calm her and show her to a puddle of water where she sees her reflection for the first time. She has the same owl statue eyes. Her aunts tell her this is where curanderas go who died by suicide. The film ends with Isabella's shocked face.
Make a Difference
I know this film is heavy. However, I know it can help make a social difference.
In Elizabeth L. Cohen and Cynthia A. Hoffner’s research, they looked at how the media coverage of Robin William's death affected the stigma, outreach, and interventions related to depression and suicide. They found that the media actually decreased stigma and increased medical outreach and interventions. They published their findings in “Mental Health-Related Outcomes of Robin Williams’ Death: The Role of Parasocial Relations and Media Exposure in Stigma, Help-Seeking, and Outreach, Health Communication.”
In addition, suicide rates are increasing in Latinx communities according to the scholarly article, “Conceptualizations of Suicide and Suicide-Related Stigma in Latino Communities in the United States.” However, a strong stigma still exists in Latinx communities. This stigma leads to less lifesaving outreach to medical support and less implementation of medical interventions.
Because we know the media can make a difference in the outreach to medical support and implementation of medical interventions and we know that Latinx communities are experiencing rising suicide rates, it only makes sense to try to combat this rise with media directed towards Latinx communities. This piece does just that. It aims to show an image of depression and suicide that is not glorified or glamorized but that is disturbing and realistic. It also aims to show how these actions affect the family of the person who committed suicide. I believe if viewed with other media that shows the harshness of suicide there will be an increase in outreach to medical professionals. In addition, Ruins depicts a caring, determined, empathetic young person who has depression and commits suicide. This depiction will help reduce stigma in Latinx communities around depression and suicide, allowing for better support for those struggling with mental illness and increased medical interventions.
In short working on this film can make a difference in people’s mental wellbeing and may even help lower suicide rates.
Non-Harassment and Non-Discrimination Policy
The topic this team will be working on is complex and often difficult to discuss. Difficult conversations are inevitable and encouraged. Diversity of opinions is welcome. Ostracization, persistent and or flagrant and or aggressive disturbances, and all forms of threatening and or violent speech and or actions will not be tolerated. Any and all forms of harassment are prohibited, including, but not limited to sexual harassment, physical harassment, verbal harassment, and stocking. Discrimination on account of race, ethnicity, country of origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender, religion, ability, work authorization status, or conviction status will not be tolerated (“Illinois Department of Human Rights”). All regulations are applicable for work activities as well as non-work activities (Morris).
Accidental breaches of these regulations will result in a warning of termination. Deliberate breaches of these regulations will result in termination.
These regulations will be taken very seriously by everyone in our team. Anyone who sees a breach of these regulations is highly encouraged to report it as soon as possible. Third parties allowing breaches in these regulations to go unreported will constitute as breaching the regulation and may also be held liable to be terminated.
Those experiencing harassment or discrimination are encouraged to come forward whenever they are ready and report it. There will be a simple form set up to report harassment and discrimination. This form will include the option to include your name and contacts or report anonymously. If a name and contact information is entered, there will be a follow-up to see how the individual is doing. If a name and contact information is not entered into the report, it will be taken with just as much gravity.
Partnership
Often production teams have two tiers of members, one set of leaders and one set of followers. That will not be the case with this film production. If you join my production team, you will be more than another member. You will be a partner.
This partnership will ensure that everyone treats everyone else with respect. All partners will work together with each other and are consulted with overall key choices in their specialty area. As you know, many independent films are started but never finished or finished poorly because the productions lack true symbiotic relationships. This partnership setup will help ensure everyone works together in a cohesive manner with less time loss and better chances of production completion.
All partners are encouraged to explore and innovate. Other productions do everything according to a set formula which often limits creativity. The production of Ruins will not have this sort of limitation. Because everyone will be consulted as partners, everyone will work together to make each other’s vision of the film come to life. This will be a unique chance for partners to really spread their wings and explore how they want to make a film.
Finally, all partners will receive credits on the film and an equal percentage of the earnings of the film. This will ensure that everyone will receive the credits, and incentives they deserve with the possibility of receiving monetary revenue!
Invite Others
My fellow artists, you are a wonderfully talented group of individuals. However, there is only a handful of you and many key production roles are left unfilled. In particular, we will need more actors, animators, editors, sound designers, producers, musicians, and accountants.
To fill these much-needed roles, I ask you to reach out to your network of connections. To be frank, this production will not happen without more partners. Please take the time and effort to think about anyone who may be interested and to reach out to them.
Please pass along this document and the slides from my presentation. Give potential partners my email (cjewelgarcia@gmail.com) and tell them to email me a brief summary of their experience and any roles they would like to fill on the production. After this, I will set up an interview time and will interview them for the position. Inform them that they would know within two weeks from their interview if they obtained a position.
Social Media Outreach
The use of hashtags can be extremely useful in gaining support for independent films (“Using Hashtags for Your Indie Film”). Hashtags make it easier for independent films to be found by those who would want to work on them and support them in general. As a result, social media will also be a big component in recruiting partners.
Share #RuinsShort with #supportindiefilm with this brief description of the film: Ruins is a short animated film about Isabella, a Latina teenager, as she tries to reconnect with her family after a suicide attempt, yet things may not be what they first appear to be (“Using Hashtags for Your Indie Film”). In addition, share this list of roles to fill: actors, animators, editors, sound designers, producers, musicians, and accountants. Finally, share my email address (cjewelgarcia@gmail.com). This will help our team connect with potential partners.
Monetary Support
For this film to become a reality, our production team will need funding. There are three ways our team will secure funding; through grants, through connections, and through crowdfunding.
I will apply to grants I think are relevant. I also ask all of you to inform me of any grants that may be applicable to apply to. In addition, there are some grants that only certain production positions can apply for. As a result, I ask that you inform me of these and take the time to apply to them.
Next, we will secure funding through connections. Connections to independent funding from nonprofits and companies and connections to individuals are invaluable. I ask you to please reach out again to secure funding for this production.
Finally, we will set up a crowdfunding page. We will again share #RuinsShort with #supportindiefilm with a message saying: Please support the production of our independent film. It will be followed with the same brief description of the film and a link to a crowdfunding site.
Through all the partners' contributions to obtaining funding, we should be able to support the creation of Ruins. I would like to thank all partners in advance for the hard work and dedication I know will go into the funding of this film.
Conclusion
In short, I am here to ask you to join me in the creation of a short, animated film called Ruins. Ruins follows Isabella, a Latina teenager, as she tries to reconnect with her family after a suicide attempt, yet things may not be what they first appear to be. This film will help facilitate difficult conversations about suicide and mental health. These conversations are lacking in Latinx communities and there is intense stigma and a rising suicide rate (Brewer, et al.). Media representation of depression and suicide can help facilitate mental health outreaches and interventions (Cohen and Hoffner).
Difficult conversations are encouraged but all forms of harassment will not be tolerated. All team members are encouraged to report any form of harassment or anything that makes them feel uncomfortable. They will have the option to report anonymously.
All team members are asked to do their part to spread the word to other creatives and help secure funding. All team members will be partners, will be credited, and will earn an equal percentage of the film’s revenue! I am extremely excited about this opportunity, and I am extremely excited to welcome you to our team. Please come join me in the production of Ruins.
Brewer, Kathryne B., et al. “Conceptualizations of Suicide and Suicide-Related Stigma in Latino Communities in the United States.” American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, Jan. 2022. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.turing.library.northwestern.edu/10.1037/ort0000596.
Cohen, Elizabeth L. and Hoffner, Cynthia A. “Mental Health-Related Outcomes of Robin Williams’ Death: The Role of Parasocial Relations and Media Exposure in Stigma, Help-Seeking, and Outreach, Health Communication.” 2018. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2017.1384348.
Detisch, “AJ. How to Write a Film Treatment (FREE Film Treatment Template).” Studio Binder. 26 September 2019. https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/how-to-write-a-film-treatment/.
“Illinois Department of Human Rights.” Illinois Department of Human Rights. 2022. https://www2.illinois.gov/dhr/Pages/default.aspx#:~:text=The%20Illinois%20Department%20of%20Human,as%20sexual%20harassment%20in%20education.
Morris, Rick G, “Media Moguls Risking It All: Contract Clauses in The Entertainment Business In The Age Of #Metoo.” Sports & Entertainment Law Journal Arizona State University. 2019. “Using Hashtags for Your Indie Film.” Smart House. https://www.smarthousecreative.com/blog/indie-film-hashtags.