Project Summary
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Trouble
in the Water is a short, family-oriented drama that brings an
important and positive message to the African-American community. The film explores
the issue of racial alienation WITHIN the African-American community by
portraying some of the pain & confusion of a young African-American boy coming to
grips with his own parents referring to members of their community with the
“N-word.”
DVD Trailer Clip:
A child’s primary identity comes
from the parent. It’s only at ages 3, 4 and 5 that kids even begin to think
about color… Too often, [we] unknowingly translate negative messages to [our]
children.
(Dr. Alvin Poussaint—esteemed author, psychiatrist, and educator)
Trouble in the Water sheds light on one of the more insidious threats to the well-being
of the African-American community. By exploring how negative racial messages
are gradually internalized and
passed from generation to generation, the DVD illuminates the profound impact of
these messages on a child’s self-image and how they can lead to self-mockery
and racial alienation—which can eventually erode self-esteem and sabotage
economic potential.
More broadly, the DVD raises awareness and prompts parents to (1) consider the enormous impact of demeaning/racist language, (2) be more responsible with the messages they give their children, and (3) recognize how this language can easily lead to harassment, discrimination and hate violence.
We’re
committed to getting this program into the capable hands of as many professionals teaching/mentoring youth as possible.
We want to:
-
Package the DVD with a Resource/Discussion Guide and
-
Make it available (at no cost) to educators, early childhood
development professionals, counselors, and community organizations—to support their work and efforts
to help youth transcend racial negativity.
What We Need
Headlines like the following (from USA Today) are growing far too common:
“Teachers battle budget crunch
with their own money”
With
school budgets across the country being slashed, and a growing number of educators
having to come out-of-pocket for "essential" school supplies, finding the resources to
purchase an "unconventional" tool like ours can clearly be a hardship for teachers. So, we want to remove
the hardship and make our media tool freely available to those educators that
deem it helpful and are open to new, creative approaches. To do this, we need your
help.
$9,535.00
will enable us to prepare up to 1000 copies of the inspirational DVD/Discussion Guide package for free distribution.
How We'll Use Funds
Funds will be used to offset the order fulfillment costs (e.g., discussion guide development, DVD
replication, DVD cases/inserts, etc.).
Distribution
Expense |
Amount |
|
Resource/Discussion Guide Development
(Retain Course Developer - 2 weeks @ $50/hr.)
|
$4,000.00 |
DVD Stock / Replication |
$1,550.00 |
DVD Cases & Shrink Wrapping |
$830.00 |
DVD Case Inserts |
$150.00 |
DVD Bubble Mailers |
$380.00 |
Postage |
$2,625.00 |
|
|
TOTAL |
$9,535.00 |
If We Don't Meet Our Goal
In the unfortunate
event that we fall short of our funding goal, our plan is to simply donate the
funds to support the work of organizations/initiatives that share
our mission and are doing similar work in the field—including, but not limited to:
-
Strengthening
The Black Family, Inc. (coalition of more than 40 member organizations
whose vision is to ensure the survival and strengthening of black
families).
-
NAACP “STOP” Campaign (seeks to
stop the support and portrayal of demeaning and hurtful stereotypes of the
African-American community).
-
African-American Parents Project
(seeks to inform, empower, and provide parents with the information and
resources they need to ensure the emotional, psychological development
& well-being of their children.).
About Our Campaign
A Little Background
A few years ago, my good friend Jim McQuaid—an independent filmmaker—approached me. He’d already written and directed several successful shorts. What’s funny is that we’d originally met back in 1990, in our high-tech day jobs, with no knowledge of the other’s interest in film. Anyway, he urged me to write a script with a subject and setting that we could actually produce together.
So, as I searched for ideas, one of my favorite poems, My People (by African-American poet Langston Hughes), came to mind:
The night is beautiful,
So the faces of my people.
The stars are beautiful,
So the eyes of my people.
Beautiful, also is the sun.
Beautiful, also,
are the souls of my people
And a few weeks later, I'd written Trouble in the Water .
The film is a personal reaction to the hope and strength of this poem as well as reflections on some of the racial negativity observed in various aspects of African-American life.
Encouraging Success
After starting off as a finalist in the ABC Entertainment/Walt Disney Studios Talent Development Program, Trouble in the Water went on to debut at the San Diego Black Film Festival.
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It continued to resonate with audiences as the official selection of eight other festivals, where it enjoyed warm receptions and sparked engaging dialogue:
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Texas Black Film Festival
-
Cine Noir Festival of Black Film
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Bayou City Inspirational Film Festival
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Charlotte Film Festival
-
Eugene International Film Festival
-
Beloit International Film Festival
-
Hayti Heritage Film Festival, and
-
Washougal International Film Festival
Without a doubt, the highlight was when our film was selected to air on PBS as part of the 13th season of NC Visions—an independent film showcase of the UNC-TV Center for Public Television.
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What a blessing!
The Aha! Moment
From the very beginning, my team and I had a sense that our film would be an ideal media tool to promote meaningful discussions about moving beyond racial negativity.
However, what convinced us was the growing interest
expressed by educators and other community leaders (at festivals and community
screenings) in using the film to help facilitate these discussions—as they work
with youth.
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This was
when it became clear that our film could—and should—be part of a broader
community-outreach.
Broader Outreach
Ever since, our
project staff has been reaching out to educators and community
organizations to gauge interest in using this media tool. Now, we’re ready to launch!
What Impact Can You Make?
Disrupt the Cycle
Unfortunately, the use of demeaning and derogatory language is pervasive. The impact of this language is powerful and destructive.
It seems like every week there’s news of someone—celebrities
and ordinary folk alike—spewing slurs based on race, ethnicity, culture,
gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability, economic status, or immigration
status.
Prejudice,
harassment, and violence don’t just pop up in a vacuum and can be traced back
to demeaning language. According to Stephen Wessler (director of the Center for
the Study and Prevention of Hate Violence, at University of Southern Maine),
there is a pattern of escalation from demeaning language “to more focused
harassment, to threats and, finally, to violence.”
We must disrupt this pattern.
Naturally, attitudes and behaviors are harder to change once
they’re "fixed" in adult minds. So, any hope for meaningful social change requires
earlier intervention . . . with our children. Our hope rests with them.
Light a Candle
I agree with Stephen Wessler when he says, “No magic
solution exists. There is no one project that will eliminate hate and prejudice
or end violence.” Our media tool alone certainly won’t. What
we can do however is try to change
the culture by helping educators, parents and community members interrupt the
language … one youth at a time.
It is better to light one candle than curse the darkness.
(Chinese Proverb)
Our DVD/Discussion Guide project is but a single candle. If this campaign succeeds, we’ll end up with 1000 candles. And even
more if we enjoy success beyond that!
But, if we inspire others to light their own candles, there’s hope of chasing away the darkness.
More About the Film
Issues Explored
Trouble in the Water is a thought-provoking, inspirational short drama that tackles the issue of racial alienation WITHIN the African-American community. It explores a young man’s struggle to reconcile conflicting messages of black pride and black mockery within the African-American community.
Production Still:
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Gary saw the other black man and predicted another “arctic blast of brotherhood.” What actually transpires, marks them both forever.
Synopsis
Gary—a young African-American—is troubled by the growing emotional distance between him and his African-American kinsmen. Over the years, he’s allowed negative cultural images and messages (from both within and outside his race) to gradually drag him down. Now, he struggles between the love he’s supposed to feel for his people and the alienating effect of their negative—and sometimes embarrassing—behavior and attitudes. Ironically, it’s during a chance meeting with another African-American that he’s inspired to transcend the negativity.
Film Website
For more information on the film, cast, crew, production details, etc. check out our film’s website: "Trouble in the Water" Film Website
About Me
Roger Edwards, Jr.
I’m Roger... a
full-time technical writer/electrical engineer as well as a part-time screenwriter—which is my passion.
After winning
a few screenwriting competitions and other successes, I decided to take my
passion to the next level and enroll in the University of Southern California’s
MBA program to pursue a Business of Entertainment concentration (School of
Cinema-Television). Unfortunately,
a sudden family financial crisis prevented me from taking my seat in the USC program.
Although,
putting family first meant missing that door of opportunity, I haven’t
abandoned my entertainment aspirations. Surely another door will open. In the
meantime, I continue channeling my energies toward creating projects that can
inspire and transform lives so that I’m ready when it happens!
My Team
Jim McQuaid
(Dir. of Photography/Editor/Co-Producer)
With a Social science degree and an MFA in Photography, Jim taught photography at Denison University, Western Michigan University and at UMass/Boston. Since 1999, his cooperative, Turnip Video, has completed several short films. All share a high regard for the important moments of connection and insight in ordinary everyday life.
Trouble in the Water is one of the more ambitious stories Turnip has undertaken. Its production stemmed from Jim’s friendship with Roger.
Eric Johnson
(Composer/Sound Designer)
As executive producer at Trailblazer Studios/ Blazing Music+Sound, Johnson leads an award-winning and multi-faceted team that provides complete services for cable TV network series programming, commercials, integrated content, as well as music and sound production.
With more than two decades of industry experience, Johnson has worked on a wide range of projects including audio post-production for TLC’s hit series “Jon & Kate Plus 8;” commercials for GM, Sony, Travelocity, Audi and LitterMaid; film and television documentaries; and he has worked on shows for Animal Planet, Discovery, FLN and other networks.
