All About It - Part Three: Getting Hooked

How can you hook your audience? 

I have boldly declared that I intend this film to attract people who don't know that sex slavery exists, don't believe sex slavery exists, or don't think their lives have anything to do with sex slavery. The harder question is how to hook them? How to pique their interest enough to watch the film? And once they start watching, it needs to be intriguing enough to keep their attention through the whole thing.  

This question is the reason why I do not want this film to focus too much on the atrocity of sex slavery.  People can only endure so much second-hand heartbreak.  Raise your hand if you change the channel when a "Save the Children" commercial comes on. Or the one about abused animals with Sarah McLachlan singing in the background. My hand is raised HIGH!  

So when the question- "How can you hook your audience? " - was originally posed to me, I was like a deer in headlights! Thankfully, the person who posed the question had some ideas that aligned with the my vision. And we worked from there.

There is an intention that allows for story structure. With that in mind, the discussion continued with ideas to spark the interest of the audience.  


Here are just a few ideas:
~What if your daughter was collateral for a loan?
~Do you ever think about the slave that you own?
~Have you ever realized you are a shareholder in the sex slavery business?


I'm also considering borrowing my friend Jamie's blog post "Seven Years" as a structure point. Jamie's blog post is very powerful!


Please share your thoughts in the comments!  Thanks! 

All About It - Part Two: Who will buy?

Who will buy? This question might be one of the most difficult for me to answer.  Ultimately, writing out my answer took courage and tremendous faith.  I intend to create a film that attracts the following audience:

-People who don’t know slavery exists.

-People who don’t believe slavery exists.

-People who don’t realize how slavery is intertwined in their lives.

-People who don’t think anything they do effects slavery.

-People who don’t think there is anything they CAN do to reverse it.

-People who are skeptical but intrigued.

I expect people who are aware of this issue, already have a heart for ending the atrocity of sex slavery. I am most interested in reaching those other people, who, through critical mass efforts on every level, will immobilize sex trafficking and transform the lives of millions of victims. 

All About It - Part One: Distinctions

When people ask me what my documentary will be about, I struggle to be succinct, because I do not know how much they already know about sex slavery. Even if they are very knowledgeable, describing the distinctions of this project and its vision often gets lost in translation. I try not to overwhelm the person with an onslaught of information, but to say this documentary is about sex slavery is not sufficient.


In an effort to break it down into digestible pieces, I will be post portions of my notes to clarify this vision. The next few days will feature different questions and their answers.


Today's question:
How is this documentary about sex slavery different from others?

• This documentary will feature people and stories from several countries and organizations rather than focusing on one country or one organization
• This documentary will feature current methods used to stop sex slavery and what programs and solutions are available for victims, post rescue. Facts about the existence and atrocity of sex slavery will encompass a small portion of the film.
• The people and organizations featured will be anonymous in the body of the film, with a resource and acknowledgement list posted in the end credits and also online.
• This documentary will inspire and encourage the viewer to take action in whatever way they can or choose. It will not promote a specific organization or avenue of action. 

There are an infinite number of ways to make a difference towards ending sex slavery. There are hundreds of non-profit organizations or non-government organizations (NGOs) already fighting this fight. This film intends to empower the audience to take responsibility for their own actions regarding human trafficking. 


Whenever people hear about the atrocities of sex slavery, they are clearly moved and heart-broken by the facts. They want to help but don't know how. This film will let the audience choose how to act to be of service in a way that is available through their own life. 


Feel free to post a follow up question about this post in the comments.  I will do my best to address your questions either in a direct reply, or in a future post. Thanks!