Wednesday, October 22, 2008

SECOND TEST SCREENING SET FOR CAMBRIDGE, MASS.

We will show ON THE LAKE for the second time publicly at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 13, in Harvard Hall 201 at Harvard College. The hall, one of the college's finest old buildings, is right in Harvard Yard, near the Main Gate. The showing, part of Harvard's Global Health Week awareness program, is free and open to the public.

See earlier blogs for reports from the first test screening, in Pittsburgh on Oct. 16.

-- Wayne

Friday, October 17, 2008

Successful test screening

Dave and I just touched down from Pittsburgh, where yesterday we staged out first screening of OTL. Almost 100 people came, a nice crowd, and after the film, we took questions for almost an hour. The reaction was overwhelmingly positive. The audience -- mostly people in their 20s and 30s, but several older -- connected to the emotions, the stories, the images and the music. This was primarily a medical crowd, and some of these people wanted more on the TB epidemic today; Dave and I told them that this is the last unfinished part of the movie and we are addressing that (in negotiations, for example, to use some of the most powerful photographs of TB victims today that we have ever seen). But overall, we could not be more pleased. Dozens of people filled out our questionnaires. Here's a sampling:

"Great insight into the TB experience. When you hear about a disease, you naturally think of cases as statistics & not people. This really made me re-think that concept." A woman, in the 18 - 24 year-old group.

"I like that you bring TB to the personal level." A man, in the 25 - 36 year-old group.

"I enjoyed the film! Great job!" Woman, 25 - 36.

"The people recording their memories were very powerful -- the woman who had her ears pierced was very poignant."
Woman, 51 - 65.

Our next test screening is at Harvard College, at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 13. If you'd like to attend, stay tuned for final details.

-- Wayne

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Ready for Pittsburgh!

It's 2:18 in the morning and Harry and I have just finished editing. This, of course, is a good thing, considering the fact that our first test screening is Thursday afternoon at the Graduate School of Public Health in Pittsburgh.

More to come...

---David

Friday, October 10, 2008

First Nationwide Radio Publicity!

Although the main topic was my book KING OF HEARTS, I discussed ON THE LAKE this morning during the hour-long appearance I made on Heart Health, a Sirius Satellite program that airs from New York City. The hosts, Dr. Greg Ribakove and Dr. Charles Schwartz, two of the world's top heart surgeons, liked the description so much that they invited us to screen the film down there. We're arranging it, probably for March. Thanks to Charlie and to Greg, who I met five years ago during a talk I gave in New York. See you in Manhattan...

-- Wayne

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Publicity Already for our Outreach

In advance of our first big-screen showing of the movie next week in Pittsburgh, the city's major newspaper, The Post Gazette, today published notice. Further evidence that our outreach program will indeed raise public awareness of the global TB epidemic.

Here's the blurb:
• The Student Public Health Epidemic Response Effort at the Graduate School of Public Health of the University of Pittsburgh is sponsoring a viewing of "On the Lake: Life and Love in a Distant Place," a documentary on the 1900 tuberculosis epidemic, from 4 to 6 p.m. Oct. 16 in room G-24 in the Cathedral of Learning on Pitt's main campus, Fifth Avenue and Bigelow Boulevard, Oakland. A panel discussion moderated by GSPH professor Samuel Stebbins follows. Call 412-491-2062.

Here's the link to the Post-Gazette story.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Last-minute recording

With just days to go until the film is complete, we brought Alex McDougall back into the studio to record a few passages. She was great. Here's the video:

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

First two wide-screen showings

We are almost done the film. Lots of final editing and sound work, but we are almost there -- just in time for our first wide-screen showing, on October 16th at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. Dave and I will present the film. The next showing will be on November 13th at Harvard College, in Cambridge, Mass., as part of Global Health Week. These showings are for students and faculty of the two schools. The official world premiere will be February 13th at the Stadium Theatre in Woonsocket, Rhode Island.

-- Wayne