ASK & DISCUSS INDEX

12 years, 6 months ago - James Dann

Thank you all for your input - keep it coming!

Great advice Marlom, I've been contacting the Universities over there, hopefully will hear something back soon. Also thanks Dom for sending of my info, looking forward to hearing from your friend. Bill what sort of name would you suggest I say to people when proposing the film? So far I've just been calling my film '2nd Amendment' so it's clear what it's about but doesn't have any connotations either way. Yeah I'm going to leave the Sandyhook discussions, I realised it's an impossible task

12 years, 6 months ago - Marlom Tander

To get spokesmen - local papers, police press office, prisions, NRA, the list is endless. But make initial contact by phone, not an out of the blue email that got spam trapped or ignored.

You might find it worthwhile contacting film schools out there and getting a student researcher on the case. It will certainly big you up - "hi, I'm working for a UK documentary maker who's coming over in March, I wonder....", and might even be free if it can get them course credits and a CV line :-)

What does concern me is the wanting to talk to parents of the Sandy Hook slaughter. (Incident, INCIDENT! WTF. Call it what it is).

IF they have some king of press rep (contact the Mayors office) then you can ask.

But no way can you approach the parents direct. Even asking will be sticking a knife in their gut. Not for all, but for some, and you won't know which they are.

What you could do, getting away from Sandy Hook, is try and make contact with parents of people who died in other attacks. Their grief will be more settled and some of them will be in the "like to talk about it, to try and stop it" category.

Good luck

12 years, 6 months ago - Bill Hayes

To Start with, if you want Americans to co-operate with your documentary, you need to stop calling it a "Gun Control" film. Because straight off you have decied what the outcome of the film is, makimng it a propogander piece rather than an investigative project - and 50 per cent of Americans will not be interested in helping you.

I agree with Marlom, forget the People of Sandy, Ct - they have had satelite trucks, in their hundreds, parked there since before Christmas and they have had enough. You will not get any access to people there that matter for a couple of years at the very least. You will also have to stand in line behind some the giants of broadcasting who wan't to ask many of the questions you want to put.

Instead, you should talk with people in Columbine, or even Dunblaine here in rthe UK. Places where the wounds have healed to an extent.

As for gang warefare - you are going to need someone in the "hood" to get you any meaningful access.

Good luck.

12 years, 6 months ago - Dom Bouffard

I James, I just forwarded your contact details to a NY based texan friend, who is very passionate on this subject (and interestingly for a texan, totally anti gun). hopefully he might get in touch. cheers Dom

12 years, 6 months ago - Yen Rickeard

Hi James, how about searching on line for places where you could buy a gun in America? There are gun shops all over especially where there is good hunting. That should get you plenty of contacts on the sales side. without directly saying that you are going to buy any guns, ask them what sort of gun you should use for hunting, and maybe home protection for your wife? Then tell them you're a Brit and coming over soon- will there be any problems with licenses etc? That should get you some info about people connected with the law and licenses. From there on in you can play it by ear, probing deeper and asking for contacts. But I guess you know all about that.
Good luck with it,
Yen Rickear