With Glowing Hearts is an inspiring documentary about a group of citizen journalists reshaping their worlds through social media. Tour the site, meet the people, and watch the videos. The film is available for purchase. We made this film without direct funding and continue to support the community that helped us make something amazing from their stories.
Irwin is the Executive Director of W2, a Dutch/Canadian artist and administrator doing cultural planning, cultural infrastructure development, and support for a media arts cluster in Vancouver’s inner-city…
To mark the one year anniversary of the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, we’ll be celebrating the official release of our film with a special screening celebration at W2 on February 12, 2011. We’re two years into the project already, so to be able to see the end so close at hand now is very exciting. We’re hoping to have picture lock on the film by mid-December and then hand everything over to our audio genius Kenton Gilchrist to put his stamp on the final product. The first festivals we’re looking at applying to right now include SXSW, DOXA and HotDocs. More details will follow in this space, but in the meantime we’re giving people one last chance to become a part of the WGH producing family with our special commemorative Producer’s Package. This handsome package includes:
An official Producer’s certificate and name in the film’s credits
A certificate confirming your $5 contribution to the construction of a wireless mesh network in the Downtown Eastside
A ticket to the February12th, 2011 screening and afterparty at W2
One copy of the completed film on DVD or USB
You can get all this for the great price of $30 and enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that you’ve given your loved one a gift that is affordable, unique and contributes to a great cause. We’ve also begun taking pre-orders for the film on DVD or USB for $20, with exisiting producers getting 10% off any order. Click here to get yours.
How many producers does your film have?
We are proud to annouce the first screening for locals and the community around the film will be FREE! Register for your tickets below. Max 2 per person. Location TBA. Downtown Vancouver.
Are you disappointed that you couldn’t make it for our first Unfest? Well of course you are, that’s totally natural, but now there’s something you can do about it! Life sometimes does give you second chances! November 18th, 7pm at the wonderful Rhizome Cafe . We’ll be doing the silent auction again and the Rhizome kitchen will be open to feed you and keep you nicely buzzed (they are fully licensed after all). Look forward to seeing everyone there!
All of these great businesses have thrown their weight behind WGH
It feels like we’ve been picking up some momentum in the past few weeks and the finish line is getting closer and closer. A huge step to the good occurred recently with the addition of our 120th producer and the heartwarming story of her participation in our project. An anonymous contributor approached us last week with the story of his 93 year old aunt, who recently passed away, and the small inheritance she had left for the contributor and their siblings. While mulling over how to best memorialize their beloved aunt and her left-leaning politics (and deciding that dedicating a bench to her was just too boring), Mr(s). X hit on the idea of contributing the money to the production of our film. We were really bowled over by this unexpected generosity and the profound impact that this school teacher in rural England we had never previously known, was now going to have on completing our film. Our community of producers – individuals and businesses – now spans three continents and we feel honored that you have all chosen to involve yourselves in our saga.
Our new production goal is to have the film done for the first week of December so we can submit it to the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas. DVD presales are just around the corner, watch this space for more info.
The swell kids from @ThinkSM get the ball rolling for us. #warm #fuzzy
It’s been an exciting couple of weeks here at Camp WGH and we really appreciate all the positive energy (and money) that have come our way. It started off with SMCYVR’s inaugural Meet the Geek night at Salt Tasting Room, featuring ourselves as the guests of honor, and recipients of the proceeds of the evening. Thanks to the indomitable Melody Fury, we sold out the entire lower level of the restaurant and attracted a new crowd of foodies that we may have not otherwise reached. In between the wine and cheese we showed everyone the trailer for the film, answered questions and undoubtedly made some new allies. The following morning, when we went to check what the Twitterati had posted about MtG, we were very pleasantly surprised to find the picture above posted by our new friends at Think Engagement. (blush)
Our new credit wordle – we’re up to 117 producers – but there’s still plenty of room for you
But with precious little time left to prepare for the big Unfest on October 4th, the next morning we were back at it. Getting the film ready for presentation that night involved battling through a whole host of technical issues that cost us about a week’s worth of editing, as well as the unique challenges involved with having so many different editors coming to offer some time. Our real deadline to get the DVD burned was actually September 30, because that’s when KK was getting on a plane to head to Manchester, England to attend the Abandon Normal Devices festival, where a discussion about the impact of social media on the 2012 London Games was going to feature the same preview version of the film which we were showing here in Vancouver. On the event side of the preparations we managed to raise about $2500 worth of items for the silent auction and were wowed again by the generosity of small businesses in our city who have wanted to contribute to our efforts.
Andrew (r) and Dave Olson introducing the film in Manchester via Skype
On the morning of October 4th, Andrew and Dave Olson did a live setup for the AND audience in Manchester, while setup for the Unfestival was beginning at W2 Storyeum. With two screenings of the film, we had a steady flow of people through the space, and probably had a combined total of about 115 people for both screenings. With music before and after the evening screening provided by the Cream Team and some exciting duels happening at the silent auction table, it was an evening that held something for everyone. Congrats to everyone who one something in the auction, some of you got some pretty awesome deals, and thanks very much to everyone who made the $2000 we’ve raised at these two events possible.
What’s next? Well, more work of course! Although we’re really happy with how the film is coming together, it’s still a little bit overweight, and probably needs a few more weeks work editing before we can start to work on the sound. Current goal is to finish mid-December, stay tuned to see how we’re coming.
Attention World!! You are invited to join us at the With Glowing Hearts Unfestival 2010 presented by W2 Storyeum!
What’s an Unfestival? Well, it’s what you do when you don’t get into the big film festival in town (September 30th – October 15th) but you’re still pretty sure that there are a bunch of people out there who want to see what you’re making. So we’re giving you a chance to see a ”work-in-progress” cut of the film, as well as getting involved in some fundraising to help us complete it. We’ll have an exciting variety of silent auction items for you to bid on, as well as an opportunity to become a ’producer’ on the film and have input into the final version! We’re also excited because the screening has been scheduled to coincide with a similar preview taking place at Abandon Normal Devices, a festival of new cinema and digital culture in London, England.
Got a great prize you’d love to donate to the auction? Email us.
Unfestival Schedule:
4 pm free community screening, all are welcome
The evening fundraising screening starts at 7pm, which includes silent auction and the opportunity to become a ‘producer’. The price of your admission will also get you listed the film’s credits as a producer, but the more you contribute the larger your name will appear.
There will be a producer/director Q & A after the screening, which will give you the chance to ask questions of the filmmakers, and provide feedback as we move forward to the film’s final cut!
A cash bar will be open to satisfy your thirst and delicious appys to keep your stomach happy too
Music from DJs Kid Knowledge and Haze, and special guests TBA
September 13th, 2010 by Andrew Lavigne | No Comments »
hello everybody,
As the search continues for Tyler Wright, please join us and our friend @craigjkharris in praying for his safe return. For updates and how you can help please follow this link.
Here @WGHthemovie we have a few things in the works including an upcoming ‘work in progress’ screening of our film both in Vancouver & in London. An announcement is coming this week, so stay tuned!
The excitement of the day is a SMCYVR ‘Meet the Geek’ dinner @salttastingroom! We are honored that they have chosen to donate a portion of the proceeds from this dinner to complete our film. With the cuts to arts funding in BC and Canada we have found it most difficult to get any funding from traditional methods. Our current challenge is being able to compensate our editors for their enormous time commitment, the hours/days they are putting into finishing our film. So we are really excited that SMCYVR & Vancouver Food Tour are putting on this dinner. Jon, Kemp and I will all be there so come and meet the GEEKS!
In keeping with the food theme, here is an embedded tweet using blackberry pie.
We would like to take a moment to ask for your help.
Our editor @craigjkharris is very worried about his friend Tyler Wright. Tyler set out on a hiking trip August 10th and has not yet returned. He was expected back on August 16th. He is believed to be missing in the Boise Creek Trial area north of Vancouver, B.C.
Tyler Wright
Family and friends have set up a search and rescue social media campaign and that’s where you come in. There is a website for updates. There are aerial HD videos uploaded to Youtube and people are being asked to review the footage and leave comments if they spot anything. There is also a Flickr Pool where people can scan photos again for perhaps a clue that may have gone unnoticed by searchers. North Shore Rescue also has a blog where rescuers are leaving updates. This is a link to the CTV News Story-Tyler Wright.
If you have a few moments we encourage you to check out these links, scan some photos & videos and help with the search so the rescuers can bring Tyler home.
As a child of the Internet age who started getting access to computers in school as early as the 2nd or 3rd grade, I can say without a doubt that this access to technology has had a profound effect on my life. While I don’t subscribe to the school of thought that says that technology can solve all of our problems, the Internet in particular has given us some tantalizing glimpses into a better future.
The ability that anyone with Internet access now has to reach out and connect with any other person on the planet is unprecedented, and for the more hopeful amongst us, that can only lead to a future of better understanding between people. But this is where the “Digital Divide” comes into play, what if you can’t afford that access? As more and more of our lives get digitized and move online, two thirds of the planet still can’t get online consistently and that puts all of these people at a decided disadvantage in a world where information is king.
From the beginning, our goals with the film were to document the efforts of people who were creating this kind of access to information – be it the DTES-centered objectives of W2 or the Olympic aggregator that was the True North Media House – and to make positive contributions to these communities. One of the founding principles of W2 is that the access to information should be protected as a fundamental human right, and by getting involved in helping us complete WGH, this is an ideal which you will be directly supporting. Our hope is to use the film to galvanize our audience in to action on these issues, but we won’t be able to build that audience until we finish the film, and that’s where you come in again. Despite what Michael Moore might have you believe, no one gets into the world of documentary production to get rich. While Andrew and I certainly hope the film is successful enough to recoup our investments and allow us to continue to making films, the measure of success for WGH will not be measured on the bottom line.
So, why should you get involved and become a producer on WGH?
- support alternative media and viewpoints
- strengthen the social media community globally with a film that demonstrates its impact
- promote social media efforts in the DTES that are making real differences to real people
- add momentum to the decorporatization of the media
- help put Vancouver on the map as a global leader in information technologies
- bragging rights, be the first on your block to be a producer!
Whether the reasons are your own or one of the ones listed here, investing in this project will pay great returns in ways that don’t involve your bank account.
We were out on the streets of Vancouver on July 30th for ‘Human Curling OH CANADA’.Teaming up with Improv Anywhere to have a little fun and raise a few funds towards completing our film. Here’s a taste of what ‘Human Curling’ is all about!
Thanks to all who participated and to those who made a contribution. This is what our word cloud credits look like so far!
When I first met Andrew Lavigne and Jon Ornoy they were two guys with a dream to tell a story. At first it wasn’t clear what or who that story would be about. That was almost two years ago and now that I have had an opportunity to see some of what they documented in the quest to make this film. I know they have succeeded in telling a story that is full of hope, possibility and change. A true story about an amazing time in the history of humanity and Vancouver.
The shooting of the 30+ hours of film is complete but post-production is a very expensive process to get done right so it’s time that we turn this project inside out and that’s exactly what we intend to do with a social media campaign unlike any other.
The campaign turns to community at-large to support the completion of these amazing stories. In a Tweet and Toonie ($2) Torch Relay we hope to raise the $10,000 necessary to complete post-production of the film. Some stories need to be heard and this is one of them. This is a story about communities, for communities and now with our efforts, toonies or tweets made by communities.
For just $2 you can become a producer: your name will appear in a word cloud much like this. A $2 donation will show your name in size one font while a $200 donation will show your name in size 100 font. All fonts are proportional to the largest contribution. An image will be posted of the cloud and made available as a poster.
Enter to win a producer credit and copy of the film with a tweet: You can also enter to win a weekly prize of a DVD or digital copy of the film and a $20 producer credit (size 10 font). Each tweet represents an entry. winner will be chosen at random. All you have to do to enter the weekly draw is tweet one of these messages:
I am a proud supporter and hopefully winner of a copy of the film #withglowinghearts and a producers credit! http://wghthemovie.ca
Only $2 makes me a movie producer #withglowinghearts http://wghthemovie.ca
I am entering to win a film credit and a copy of the film #withglowinghearts http://wghthemovie.ca
Support local documentaries. Become a producer #withglowinghearts http://wghthemovie.ca
The film follows four different people who all work and live in Vancouver’s downtown eastside (one of the poorest postal codes in Canada) and how social media acts a beacon for social change for each person in different ways.
This vivacious and energetic 23 year old April Smith originally hails from Chicago, but after coming to Canada to attend UBC, she decided to stay and make Vancouver, specifically the DTES her home. Creating media and inspiring her neighbors is not only April’s way of healing her community but of healing herself as well. Using her favorite Social Media tool, Twitter @aprilfilms, she can reach out to her followers and give them information or encourage them to rise up.
If I can turn out more empowered, more knowledgeable, happy, positive people in this area, I’d like to be able to say that it’s a showcase, on my résumé, that I helped the community grow. Working with W2 and Fearless, if we can help bring together all communities to work and learn and grow from each other, that would be a wonderful, beautiful thing….
from Georgia Straight interview, April 10, 2009
One of three members of ahamedia.ca, a website birthed from a Fearless City workshop. She calls herself “a hyperlocal citizen journalist”, reporting from the DTES capturing events and profiling her neighbors, she shares the heart of her city with the world, cell phone in one hand and rallying her community with the other. Her story is at the heart of the message in With Glowing Hearts.
Garvin is a social justice advocate who lives in the DTES. He’s two-time winner of the ‘Hope in Shadows’ calendar photography contest, a unique project that gives a glimpse of the hope, spirit and courage of people living in the margins of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Typical of his generous nature, Garvin now gives training workshops to other residents wanting to participate and learn about photography. He is closely involved with important grassroots initiatives - Megaphone Mag and Hope in the Shadows Calendar and photo contest – to create positive change in his own life and lead those around him to see the power of real life social media.
The True North Media House is a virtual space for media creators to join together during the 2010 Winter Olympics. It began like this campaign and this film as an idea and a dream shared by a group of passionate individuals. Dave Olson and Kris Krug spearheaded the project and are featured prominently in With Glowing Hearts.
Irwin is the Executive Director of W2, a Dutch/Canadian artist and administrator doing cultural planning, cultural infrastructure development, and support for a media arts cluster in Vancouver’s inner-city. A long time DTES resident he has led such diverse ventures as the Under the Volcano Festival and Gallery Gachet.
