Short Summary
My name is Monica Zinn and I started this project in March of 2012. I am a college student, and filmmaker in the Washington DC area. My last project, "Perfection" a documentary about eating disorders, was selected in a number of different film festivals across the country and won "Best Documentary" for the Virginia Student Film Festival.
"Self-Inflicted" is a project to get people to start talking AND listening OPENLY AND HONESTLY about self-harm.
The mission of Self–Inflicted is to educate, raise awareness, and let self-harmers know they are not alone.
What I Need & What You Get With Your Support
I made my last project on virtually no funding at all because I was in a high school program that gave me unlimited access to camera equipment and editing. Also, I only interviewed people within a 10 mile radius. Now, I am in college, and this project is much larger. (I am extremely excited about it!)
For this project, I am seeking your support for funding camera equipment, and travel related expenses so I can personally conduct face-to-face interviews (including the Janis Whitlock, PHD, the Head of Research for Self-Injurious Behavior at Cornell University) and website maintenance.
Camera Equipment - $3,800
Camera and tripod– $3,000
Lighting – $500
Audio- $300
Travel to the Following Locations for Interviews and Filming; includes flight, rental car, and hotel expenses. – $2,500
Cornell University in Ithaca, NY
UNC Chapel Hill, NC
Denver, CO
Los Angeles, CA
Website and E-commerce Related Expenses - $700
Total Campaign Funding Request – $7,000
The deadline to donate is March 1, 2013. I would like to begin filming during my Spring Break, and hopefully complete filming by the end of Summer-2013.
Your Impact
If you contribute to this project you are funding a film based on the basic human need to give and receive love, and have a sense of belonging. So many individuals have been cast out and made isolated for an issue that we don't know anything about.
I have already been so affected by those who have chosen to speak with me about their experiences with self-harm. So many people are willing to be a part of this project and be interviewed; I just need the means to get to them.
Any donation matters. Any donation is money towards people speaking up about their issues they have previously been told to keep quiet about.
Other Ways You Can Help
Some of you may not be able to contribute MONEY (that's okay, obviously I don't have any or I wouldn't need a campaign to raise money!) There are still other ways you can help the project.
1) SHARE THIS CAMPAIGN ANYWHERE YOU CAN means showing that you care about the project and believe in it and want to be a part of it. By sharing this campaign, we are already spreading awareness on self-harm, and that is beautiful.
2) Send me ORIGINAL MUSIC if you are a MUSICIAN/COMPOSER – I need music that I have permission to use!
2) Make sure ANYONE you know who self-harms or who is an expert on self-harm/mental health sees this campaign and sends me a message through my website at www.monicazinn.com
5) Use any of your skills to help out the project! A perfect example is my graphic designer Connor Gillete who helped me figure out what kind of feel I wanted for the design of the poster. There aren't any recognizable signs or symbols associated with self-injury. We worked to make a design that would make people feel safe, and calm. The poster is a light sky blue, with a moon-like image where you see a face that is introverted. This is a PERFECT example of a way you can contribute to the project without spending any money!
