Directors/Producers Bill Duke (Duke Media) and D. Channsin Berry (Urban Winter Entertainment) are casting a light on a deep-seated topic with the documentary currently in production, "Dark Girls"
http://www.officialdarkgirlsmovie.com. Several new media initiatives have been launched to engage the public's participation and help in completing the project: The IndieGoGo campaign http://www.indiegogo.com/Dark-Girls-Movie to raise funds and the YouTube channel 'Rise Women Rise' for women to share their stories. In just a month, the preview which was uploaded to Vimeo has impacted over 2.1 million people who have either downloaded it or read about it in over 150 countries. Directors Duke and Berry explain the importance of the new media push. Duke elaborates, "Support is urgently needed. With financial support from the public through IndieGoGo we will be able to improve the quality of the film." Berry adds, "This movie has struck a cord with just about every race: men and women. We have been overwhelmed by the response. Our new media platforms make it possible for them to participate in the process with their stories and financial support." Co-Producer/Editor Bradinn French initially uploaded the excerpt for the benefit of friends and colleagues. He comments, "They watched it but shared it with their friends who in turn shared it with their friends and so on. The number of people who have been impacted by this clip shows the power of new media."
The IndieGoGo campaign http://www.indiegogo.com/Dark-Girls-Movie has raised $3,000 since it was launched June 1st. The goal is to raise $250,000 by July 31, 2011. The tremendous public dialogue about the subject matter sparked Line Producer Cheryl L. Bedford's idea for the YouTube campaign http://www.youtube.com/user/DarkGirlsMovie "Rise Women Rise". She explains, "I was reading all the comments from our Facebook fans and comments on blogs that have generated discussion. They kept asking if the filmmakers were coming to their towns or countries. These women wanted to tell their stories. This is an independent project and we don't have the money to travel. Through 'Rise Women Rise' women can relate their stories in video or written form." The overwhelming response to the film has kept the New Media Manager Tatiana EL-Khouri, in high-gear. "When you are working with an issue that goes viral it's important to make sure the public can find you and easily identify the official profile online on every platform. These initiatives take the interaction of the Twitter and Facebook profiles to the next level and allow the public to give back in a real and meaningful way," she expounds.
For more information about the film and the new media platforms visit the website, http://www.officialdarkgirlsmovie.com.
