Menu

This guide is designed to help you, whether you are planning to host a virtual screening or an in-person event. You can also download a printable version of this guide. If you have any additional questions or need further assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We are here to help.

THE RECALL: REFRAMED team
outreach@recallreframed.com

Contents

Tips For Planning a Successful Screening

A successful screening event can spark new discussions, energize people to take action on an issue, allow people with different perspectives to exchange ideas, and create opportunities for reflection.

 

We have prepared three documents to help you plan your screening, lead a meaningful discussion, and engage in advocacy following your event.

  • Discussion Guide: This guide contains discussion questions to pose to participants and background information to orient and contextualize the conversation.
  • Action Plan: We hope that this film inspires you not only to think about how we might respond to sexual violence without inflicting additional harm through the punishment system, but also to take action. This guide contains ideas and resources that participants can use to get involved in policy change.
  • Additional Resources: Here we have gathered additional sources – books, articles, podcasts, and films – to guide further research into the topics explored in the film.

In addition, it may be helpful to review:

Knowing your goals will guide you as you plan and advertise your screening. Do you want to:

  • Change the minds of your viewers on the subjects introduced in the film?
  • Facilitate a rich discussion so audience members feel comfortable bringing the film’s message to their own networks?
  • Provide your audience with the opportunity to engage in conversations with people from different backgrounds and perspectives?
  • Spark a desire in your audience to take action?

Of course you are not limited to these suggestions. They are simply starting points for you to generate your own ideas.

Once you have your goals in mind, you can narrow down your discussion topics accordingly. THE RECALL: REFRAMED film team has provided a discussion guide with numerous questions to engage your audience– far too many for an hour conversation. Once you’ve established your goals, you can work backwards and pick the discussion questions that are most relevant.

Planning a high-impact event also involves deciding who your target audience is:

  • Do you want to reach viewers who are new to issues like mass incarceration and sexual violence?
  • Will you instead target audience members who are familiar with those topics?
  • Or is your aim to reach as wide an audience as possible?

The answer to this question will help you both advertise your film, pick your discussion questions, and/or brainstorm potential panelists. Some questions are more complex or niche than others and require background knowledge, although we have attempted to provide that information in the discussion guide.

The film is likely to generate strong reactions in your audience. A post-screening discussion gives your audience the space to engage with these subjects and can take many forms. Taking your goals and target audience into consideration, decide which one is right for you. Two examples of discussion formats include:

  • Invite an expert (or panel of experts) who can answer questions from audience members after the viewing. We strongly recommend inviting survivors of sexual violence to share their perspectives as panelists. A well-rounded panel might also include restorative/transformative justice practitioners, advocates for racial equality, anti-carceral and anti-violence activists, and legal experts. Email us at outreach@recallreframed.com for panelist ideas or introductions.
  • Hold a facilitated discussion where the audience can have a more participatory experience and exchange ideas with each other.

The film addresses topics that may be sensitive for your audience, including sexual violence, racism, and state violence. During discussions, people may be reminded of and even share their own experiences of trauma. To prepare yourself and the audience for this, consider the following:

  • Create content warnings: The film begins with the warning: “This film contains disturbing content including sexual assault, racism, and state violence.” Consider including this or similar language in your own materials and at the start of your event.
  • Involve a trauma-informed expert: Consult with or invite a trauma-informed facilitator, counselor, or panelist to the event. You might also find a volunteer with such expertise to be available to participants who need support.
  • Design a supportive event space: Consider some of the ideas presented here and here.

The film is a great starting point for classroom discussions about our response to sexual violence and the harms of mass incarceration.

Our list of additional materials provides many great texts that can be assigned to students. Our favorites include the study showing an increase in sentence length after the recall, a chapter from Chanel Miller’s book, or her full Victim Impact Statement, and this article about progressive punitivism.

Please be especially mindful of the lived experiences of students in your class and provide a thorough warning about the content of the film. You may also wish to make the screening optional and provide an alternative assignment for students who do not wish to view this content. Finally, be sure to refer students to the resources available at your school for sexual assault survivors as well as other local and national resources such as the National Sexual Assault Hotline.

Checklist for Virtual Events

There are two ways that we recommend organizing a virtual screening. Our preferred method is to share the screening link and password to the film with all participants through the video conferencing platform chat function after opening remarks. Give participants 25 minutes to view the film on their own (20 minutes to watch the film and 5 minutes to take a break). Make sure that the video conference is muted. Once everyone has viewed the film, you can begin the discussion. We recommend that you designate a person from your team to monitor the chat and help people with the link and orient latecomers.

The second method is to send the screening link and password to all participants to watch within 48 hours of the scheduled videoconference. Under this model, the entire event is the discussion, but there is some risk that not all attendees will have watched the film in advance.

It’s important that you not try to ‘screen share’ the film through a video conferencing platform. This degrades the audio and video quality and subjects the screening to mild (or major) interruptions for all.

 

  • Secure your virtual screening license by filling out our online form. A screening license is free until the end of our 2023 grant funded outreach campaign, and will give you and your audience access to the film for 48 hours.
  • Schedule a meeting through Zoom or your preferred conferencing platform for the event.
  • Decide if you want to invite speakers. Reach out to speakers and get their availability for the event. If your speakers have not seen the film, email outreach@recallreframed.com to request a screening link for your panelists.
  • Send out an email invitation to all guests and start planning advertising and social media promotion.
  • Create an online sign-up sheet for participants to provide their name and email address so that you can contact them after the event.

  • If you invited speakers, reach out to them to confirm the date, time, and instructions for accessing the conferencing platform you are using to host the discussion. You may want to have a meeting with all of your speakers to plan the format of the event and prepare for the discussion.
  • Send a reminder email to your guests one week before the screening.
  • Continue to promote your event through social media, email newsletters, your website, and other channels.

  • Send another reminder email to your guests. Be sure to include any materials they will need for the event. If you are asking participants to view the film before the event, send out the Vimeo link and password with instructions.
  • Touch base with your panelists about the post-screening discussion and provide any information they need prior to logging in to the event.
  • Test the Vimeo link to ensure it is working and accessible to your viewers. We are a small team and cannot offer technical assistance during your event.

 

  • Send an email to thank your audience members and speakers for attending the Take this opportunity to talk about your organization’s work. After the audience views the film and engages in a post-screening discussion, they are likely to be eager to get involved or expand their involvement in your advocacy.
  • Spread the word. Encourage others to organize a screening of their own, share their experience of the film on social media, or watch the film again on Kanopy, MSNBC, or NBC Peacock (available spring 2023). We rely on word of mouth to get the film out to as many people as possible. Let us know if there are other groups we should reach out to about hosting a screening.

Checklist for In-Person Events

Consider ways that you can minimize the potential spread of Covid-19. This could include requiring guests to be vaccinated, boosted, and/or be able to present a recent, negative Covid-19 test result. It could include requiring guests to wear masks during the event, and/or spacing chairs in a manner that allows for adequate distancing. Pay attention to public health reports on the rate of Covid-19 infection in your area in the weeks leading up to the event, and be prepared to switch to a virtual format if necessary.

 

  • Secure your screening license by filling out our online form. A screening license is free until the end of our 2023 grant funded outreach campaign, and will give you access to the film for 48 hours.
  • Select a screening date and time for the film. Also decide how long you want the post-screening discussion to run – we recommend one hour.
  • Book a venue for your screening. Look for venues that regularly host film screenings such as schools, libraries, community centers, and houses of worship. The venue you choose must have a large screen, an adequate sound system, and sufficient seating. (An adequate sound system is absolutely necessary and often overlooked!) You may also need a stage, podium, and multiple microphones for your discussion.
  • Decide if you want to invite speakers. Reach out to speakers and get their availability for the event. If your speakers have not seen the film, email outreach@recallreframed.com to request a screening link for your panelists.
  • Create an online sign-up sheet for participants to provide their name and email address so that you can contact them after the event.
  • Send out an email invitation to all guests and start planning advertising and social media promotion.

  • If you invited speakers, reach out to them to confirm the date, time, and location of the event. You may want to have a meeting with all of your speakers to plan the format of the event and prepare for the discussion.
  • Send a reminder email to your guests one week before the screening.
  • Continue to promote your event through social media, email newsletters, your website, and other channels.

  • Send another reminder email to your guests. Be sure to include any materials they will need for the event.
  • Test the equipment at your venue location to ensure it is functioning correctly and confirm there is sufficient seating for your expected audience.
  • Test the Vimeo link to ensure it is working. We are a small team and cannot offer technical assistance during your event.
  • Touch base with your panelists about the post-screening discussion and provide any information they need prior to the event.

  • Set up your screening location, including seating and equipment, and any items you want to make available to your attendees. Also make sure there is a sign-in sheet so that you can send follow up information to audience members after the event.
  • Welcome your attendees and speakers when they arrive at the venue. Hand out any materials you want your viewers to have, including any discussion guides or comment cards they can fill out and provide to you after the event.

  • Send an email to thank your audience members and speakers for attending the event. Take this opportunity to talk about your organization’s work. After the audience views the film and engages in a post-screening discussion, they are likely to be eager to get involved or expand their involvement in your advocacy.
  • Spread the word. Encourage others to organize a screening of their own, share their experience of the film on social media, or watch the film again on Kanopy, MSNBC, or NBC Peacock (available spring 2023). We rely on word of mouth to get the film out to as many people as possible. Let us know if there are other groups we should reach out to about hosting a screening.

Resources For Promoting Your Event

Spreading the word about your event is critical to its success.  You want to ensure that your event is as well attended as possible. Here are some tips to garner interest and recruit audience members:

Stills and key art (use in your promotional material): https://recallreframed.com/press/#publicity

Template for fliers: https://docs.google.com/document/d/18–dUrrty2qRH7JYzGFyaXBCehZgtDZN

Reviews (you are welcome to quote reviews of the film): https://recallreframed.com/press/#reviews

Film website (you are welcome to quote our synopsis and/or director’s statement): https://recallreframed.com/about-the-film

Email Blasts: Send out an email to friends, family, colleagues, and any person who has expressed interest in seeing the film and provided you with their contact information. You can do this at regular intervals leading up to the 48-hour screening window.

Social Media: Promote your event on social media and be sure to include the time and date of the screening and any speakers who will be participating in the post-screening discussion. Also encourage your followers to re-post your materials.

Website:     www.recallreframed.com

Facebook    www.facebook.com/RacingHorseProductions

Twitter:       @RecallReframed

Hashtags     #recallreframed

Community Calendar: See if your city, town, or any organization you belong to has a calendar of events accessible to its residents or members. Posting your event on this calendar can provide you with a wider audience than solely promoting through your personal network.

 

 

______________________________________________

Additional Material:

  • Discussion Guide: This comprehensive discussion guide dives deep into all of the topics explored in the film. It offers questions to pose to viewers as well as sample answers and additional contextual information to enrich the conversation.
  • Action Plan:  The film can evoke powerful feelings in people and viewers may find themselves looking for a way to channel that energy. This guide provides concrete ideas for getting involved in changing policy around the topics explored in the film.
  • Additional Resources:  Use this guide as a starting point for further learning on the topics explored in the film. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but it contains articles, books, films, and podcasts that have been helpful and meaningful to our team.