Good Works Tour

Our Proposal

This is a proposal for a feature length documentary that would take a look at three recent college graduates with one mission, to help anyone and everyone they can. The three men have known one another since elementary school and grew up in the same small suburban South Jersey town of Collingswood, NJ. All of graduated college as of June 2008. They plan a trip across America that will take them to various volunteer service sites and plan to help people whenever possible and within their own power.

Background

The idea comes from a want to spread kindness all over America. Psychological data shows that a person’s chance of receiving help in an emergency go down as the number of bystanders increases. Since elementary school the three men have received awards for service and kindness. Their goal after leaving college as a film major, a journalism major, and an interactive multimedia major, is to show the world that a little kindness can go a long way and that everyone is capable of practicing kindness regularly. It is our belief that not only do those less fortunate need help from us, but those more fortunate as well. Rich, poor, White, Black, Asian, Latin, Islamic, Christian, Atheists, men, women, homosexuals, bisexuals, straight people, Republicans, Democrats, and anyone else is eligible for help from the party of friends.

As they travel the country the will go on a two month tour of the United States starting and ending in their hometown of Collingswood, NJ. They will first travel south down the east coast stopping at major cities. Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Richmond, Raleigh, Atlanta, Montgomery, and finally New Orleans will make up the first leg of the trip. Significant time will be spent in New Orleans participating in projects to help clean up the area which is still in devastation from Hurricane Katrina.

From there the trip will continue a sort of figure eight shape through the United States. From New Orleans we go from Jackson to Tulsa to Wichita to Denver to Salt Lake City to Boise to Seattle to Portland to San Francisco to Los Angeles to Phoenix to Albuquerque to San Antonio to Huston to Memphis to St. Louis to Indianapolis to Columbus to Pittsburg and back through Philadelphia to Collingswood.

The purpose is to show that people all over the United States are going to need help no matter what their situation or background. Not only that we’d like to show that it’s not so hard to help a neighbor or two out and that anyone can do it. So we’ve decided to show through this group of young men that people can make a difference and a little kindness is worth a lot.

Therefore the group of young men will stop at these cities and help at various volunteer sites (such as soup kitchens, Habitat for Humanity sites, working with the Salvation Army, nursing homes, ect.). More importantly however these men will stop at these cities and various towns, roads, pastures, farms, and settlements along the way and help out anyone in need. If an old lady needs a fence built, they’ll stop and help her. If a young man is running for school board and needs volunteers for his campaign, they’ll help him. If someone is broken down on the road, here comes the emergency repair kit on wheels. The goal is to help anyone and everyone they can with any situation.

There are a few rules set out for this journey to make it more feasible and make sure that kindness is only given in ways that it should be given.

• Help will only be given to those who do not refuse the help.
• Help will be given even if the people refuse to be filmed, but do not refuse help, since kindness is the primary goal of the mission.No member of the group shall ever provide help to someone alone and the group will stick together as often as possible.
• In the case of people asking for money, the request will unfortunately have to be denied. While we wish we had the funds to help all those in need of money, we understand that this is just impossible.
• We will help raise money for causes.

Hopefully this team of graduates will create a kindness trend that cannot be stopped. They are looking to help out their fellow humans in any and every way possible.

Approach, Structure, and Style

The documentary will take a sort of diary format approach. The young men in this party will talk directly to the camera and the film will be cut together in chronological order. We intended to show the scenes of the young men helping as many people as possible and will try to get several in-depth acts of kindness.

The film will focus on major events (such as helping out in New Orleans) and these events will be linked together by any smaller random acts of kindness. A map will appear at points on the screen to help give reference points so that the audience may follow the journey. Hopefully the journeys will not only move the audience, but we will also see a change and a new maturity in these recent college graduates.

Hopefully the film will introduce some other major players such as volunteer site leaders and those who are helped as characters as well. It is important to take the time to get to know these people beyond their problems so that the audience may become connected to them and see that no one person is really so different from another and that all people need a little support sometimes.

The journey will end where it started for our heroes, in their hometown of Collingswood after they have figure eighted the Continental United States. There will be a closing as the men unload their car with voice overs as they speak about their experiences spreading humanity across America.

Distribution

Upon completion this documentary will be sent to film festivals and other services organizations. We hope to also send it to schools to use for educational purposes and get some of the footage played on public television channels.

We’d like to get it into the hands of someone powerful enough to show the entire world so that everyone can see how people so different all have the same basic desires, struggles, and needs. An ultimate goal would be for this documentary to have theatrical release or some play time on a cable or network television channel. The more people that see it, the better.

We’re also hoping to influence the younger crowd (as well as the rest of the human race). We’re looking to target young adult men and women age 18 to 24. This group of people will be starting their own jobs, lives, careers, and families so the change in the world begins with them and we believe that they can identify most with the heroes in our film.

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