The Screening: Plan and Prepare for Success

While the actual screening of The Freedom Files is the heart of your event, it’s not the only component necessary for success. A key step is planning a well-organized event that runs smoothly and educates and inspire attendees to take action.

Regarding location and timing, you might also hold your event during a regularly scheduled meeting or event. For example, you might set aside 45 minutes of a regular book club or student council meeting for the screening followed by a brief 15-minute discussion. Or you can watch the episode on DVD during your political science class, over your lunch hour with co-workers, or at a meeting of your political club or neighborhood association.

Each of the nine episodes of The Freedom Files is 30 minutes long. In addition to the screening, you should allow time for introductions and greetings, group discussion, and any action you may choose to take. A typical event featuring a screening and group discussion might last between one and two hours.

Here are some planning tips to help make your event a success:

Location
The possibilities for where to host your Community Premiere are virtually endless. You might:

• Invite your family, friends and neighbors right into your living room;
• Reserve a room in your local library or community center;
• Incorporate the screening into the regularly scheduled meeting of a local club or organization;
• Use space available at your church, mosque, synagogue or temple;
• Hold the event on campus in your dorm lobby, a classroom or the student center;
• Ask a local coffee shop, pub or other business to allow you to use their space;
• Find out if your local independent movie theater would be willing to host a screening.

If you are promoting the event to the wider public, think about a place where most people, regardless of race, religion, or sexual identity, would feel comfortable. If you want to encourage your local public officials or other community leaders to attend, select a location that would be appropriate for them.

Other factors to consider when selecting a space include ease of parking, access to public transportation, and the distance your guests must travel to get there. Also remember that the central component of the evening is the TV screening, so find a location with access to one of the screening formats described below.

Get a Screening Copy
Free Single Episode DVDs – for screening purposes only. The ACLU has produced individual DVD copies of the nine episodes of The Freedom Files Season Two. These individual episode DVDs are available for free and are limited to one per episode per person or organization. To request a free screening copy, please email info@aclu.tv and specify which episode you’d like sent to you and your name and mailing address.

The Freedom Files Season Two is also available in its entirety as a DVD Set. We’ve created two editions of the DVD Set: one for the public and another for educators that includes a comprehensive full-color teacher’s guide. DVD Sets are available for $29.95. Purchase the 2 DVD set of Season Two.

Technical Set-up
Plan to test your TV, DVD player, and any other technical devices before your guests arrive. It is also wise to have someone who can troubleshoot any technical difficulties before or during the screening.

Sign-In
Be sure to keep track of who attends your event, especially so that you can contact them again for future screenings or other activities. The simplest way to do this is to have a sign-up sheet with space for the most important information: names, phone numbers, and email addresses (have a couple of pens or pencils on hand). To facilitate this, you can print out the sign-in sheet template available here. Remember, some people want to be contacted only for events related to a specific episode, so don’t be concerned if some decline to provide their personal information.

Name Tags
If your guests won’t know each other, encourage them to wear nametags. Make them beforehand if you know who will attend, or put out blank name badges or stickers along with a few markers and ask guests to create their own. Nametags will make it easier for guests to learn each other’s names and will allow you to call on people during the group discussion.

Refreshments
While not necessary, guests always appreciate refreshments. Keep it as simple as coffee with store-bought cookies or turn it into a pot-luck by asking friends to bring their favorite dishes to share. If you hold your event at a local coffee shop or restaurant, ask if the owners will donate some drinks and snacks.

Introductions
As your guests get settled before the screening begins, take the opportunity to welcome them. Introduce yourself — who you are and why you’ve chosen to host a event. If the group is small enough, you might go around the room and invite each person to say their name and what brings them to the event.

Background Info on the ACLU (or your organization)
You can also provide your guests with background on the ACLU and The Freedom Files. Visit the “About Us” section of the ACLU Web site for basic information about the history of the organization, its mission, and latest news.

Photographs
Take pictures over the course of the evening. You might decide to assign this task to a friend or volunteer so that you can stay focused on other details of the event.

Educational Materials
Have fact sheets and handouts about the ACLU and civil liberties available for your guests to take home. You can pass them out after the screening or place them on a table near the exit. (You can also have them available before the screening, on the same table as your sign-in sheet.) The ACLU has a wealth of materials available for download on a variety of civil liberties issues on the main ACLU Web site at www.aclu.org.

The ACLU Web site, at www.aclu.org, has detailed information about protecting civil liberties to prepare you to lead the discussion. You can share key pieces of information and breaking news and be better prepared to answer questions. But don’t worry — if someone asks a question and you don’t know the answer, it’s okay to say you don’t know. You can either refer them to the ACLU Web site or offer to look up the information and get back to them later. No one expects you to be an expert.

Group Discussion
An important part of the evening will be the time when individuals can share their ideas on actions such as writing letters, sending emails, making phone calls and organizing for continuing activities. Leave ample time for group discussion and suggestions for individual action to follow the screening.

You might have a roomful of people talking over one another or you might find it challenging to get people to participate. You can handle either scenario with a little preparation:

• Have a few pre-planned topics or questions. If everyone in the room seems to have something to contribute, you can scale back their ambitions to focus on a few central points and one or two urgent actions. On the other hand, you can use a question or idea as a way to elicit a response.
• Call on people. Keep things fair by giving each person (if possible) a chance to speak and limiting the length of their comments.
• Stick to a time limit. If the group discussion is scheduled to last for a half hour, try to keep it that way. If you hit your time limit and the group is still talking, ask for one last question. If people wish to continue the discussion, they can do so outside or after other people have the chance to leave.

Setting Plans for Future Action

Your event is just the first step for civil liberties action in your community. Now that you have a roomful of people interested in protecting the Bill of Rights, take the opportunity to swap ideas and share plans for action.

Ultimately, the reason for organizing a event is to generate energy for ongoing interest and activism. Write plans down, let leaders emerge, push people along, and let the enthusiasm build.

Be sure to read the toolkit section on event follow-up and activism to make the most of your efforts!

NOTE:
From a community or grassroots organization?
If you represent an organization (community- or faith-based, library or grassroots group) and plan to draw more than 25 people to your screening, please contact info@aclu.tv. We have reserved some DVD’s for organizational screenings, and can help you have a successful event.