For those who don't know, I have had a lot of personal experience when it comes to school bullying. During the earlier part of my schooling I actually was a bully, taking pleasure in getting a good laugh at someone else's expense. As I moved to a new town by middle school, I became a victim of bullying myself. So much so, that I fell into a deep depression that I battled for a number of years. Seeing the Columbine tragedy unfold on TV at 15 was a very emotional experience for me. Ever since then, I have had the desire to help those that are dealing with bullying like I once did and prevent future violence. I never really knew how I would go about helping since I've been a bit shy and reluctant about the darkness of the whole matter in my own life. I first tackled the subject in my short film 'Lavorsia', so I figured maybe narrative film may be my best route for reaching out and helping others.
Then I started working with experienced "documentarian" Zac Adams. During the production of our upcoming documentary about the 2010 Nashville flood 'Nashville Rises', Zac suggested to me the prospect of making a documentary about bullying. The light bulb immediately went off! I don't know why I hadn't thought of that before! I guess sometimes the right path can be right under your nose, you just need someone to point it out. So that's what is happening now. I'm heading up a documentary about the harsh realities of bullying and what can be done to help curb it, along with producing assistance from Mr. Adams. I want to make the quintessential bullying documentary that is done candidly and truthfully. This isn't being made by child counselors, professors of behavior or psychology, or any institution. It's being made by the people who were there, dealt with it first hand, and survived to talk about it! The personal experiences of me and others will hopefully inject this project with an unmistakable passion and truthfulness. We want to effectively raise awareness and inspire with this production. We want to save lives! The points we hope to cover are as follows:
-- What is bullying? (examples, etc...)
-- What are the possible effects of bullying? (depression, suicide, school shootings, etc...)
-- What are the motives of the bullies? (attention, domestic problems, insecurity, etc...)
-- What is being done about bullying?
-- Pro-active ideas on how to combat bullying and help students who are bullied.
All of these things will be addressed through testimonials from former bullied people/bullies, teachers, counselors, parents, celebrities, etc... All will be inner-cut with raw and visceral reenactments that display the real and harsh reality of what goes on. In contrast to the darkness that will be depicted, we will also share stories of triumph over the odds and a clear message that there is in fact a light at the end of the tunnel and that there are positive things being done! The doc will be made with the target audience in-mind, that being young people as well as school administrators and parents. Most importantly young people. This film is ultimately for them. The documentary will be released nationwide and hopefully be viewed in schools and homes everywhere!
We want to get this project off of the ground as soon as possible, but we need help. There is no budget currently attached to the project. Crew will be on a volunteer basis, knowing that they will be assisting with a noteworthy cause. The only budget we would need would be travel expenses. This is a national issue, not just local. We have to travel to get all of the stories we can. We're also looking for people that can speak on-camera (ie. former bullies/bullied, counselors, teachers, parents, celebs, etc...). If you would like to help in any way with this documentary please contact me at: bcornelius@lavorsia.com
I hope we can help a lot of people! We may not stop bullying altogether, but we may at least succeed in saving some of the victims of bullying before they potentially hurt themselves or someone else and give them hope for the future and the notion that they are loved whether they believe it or not. THANKS!
--Bill
UPDATE: As of March 3, 2011, this documentary has a title. "HEAR ME NOW"!
