Timeline to Premieres
February 27, 2013 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
It is possible to make major advances toward revolution through the nationwide premieres that launch BA Speaks: REVOLUTION—NOTHING LESS! into society. "Yes, this is a film but that is not its essence. This is a daring, substantive, scientific, summoning to revolution. 6+ hours that can change how you see the world and what you do with the rest of your life. Is this hype? No."
To do that, everyone involved in this will need to continue to return to the film itself, and to the editorials that lay out its significance in the fight to make revolution. And people will need to return to this site, daily, for the articles, letters and pictures that give a sense of how we are transforming, and learning more deeply about, the world. That is fundamental, and if we lose our grip on that we will not do what we need to do, and what is possible, with this premiere.
Also critical: people are the most precious resource of all. The time spent with people watching the rough-cut of the film, or listening to the recent interviews BA has done with Cornel West and Michael Slate, or getting into the Revolution Talk DVD—this is time very well-spent. Indeed, it is essential. And if we are not involving people every step of the way, enabling them to contribute in ways large and small, then too—we will not do what we need to do, and what is possible, with this premiere.
And all this to serve and be part of making the premiere itself MAJOR and a turning point in building the movement FOR revolution. We need to turn people out to this—and we need to turn people out who are primed for it, ready to spend the day getting into the revolution, and what it’s all about. And people also need to be primed to come out of this experience with ways to engage with and contribute to this movement for revolution.
But we also need a plan to go very broadly. What follows is a framework that can guide everyone working on this in a unified way, every day for the next two weeks. We will be updating this as we go, based on new developments. So stay with it. At the same time, important as this plan is, people need to be tense toward political outbreaks, key conferences that you find out about, cultural events. Be on lookout for: poetry slam contests, happening in some cities...
Three key things right now, and through the premiere:
1) WE NEED A MAJOR VISUAL PRESENCE IN KEY NEIGHBORHOODS, AS WELL AS CITYWIDE. This poster must get up and out in a big way!! This creates broad awareness of the premiere; the beautiful art welded to the powerful message of the title [BA Speaks: REVOLUTION—NOTHING LESS!] sets very good terms and is truly a breath of fresh air in its own right—and a challenge—for those who hunger for a better world; it reinforces those who are thinking of coming and lets people know who might be interested but otherwise wouldn’t hear of it; and it is a truly excellent way for people to participate in building the premieres.
2) SELL TICKETS: Ticket sales are a major way that people seal their commitment, and in and of themselves they create momentum and reality for the premieres. And, very important: organize people in groups to come, and make sure that people have the necessary transportation.
Moreover, there are people who can be activated to themselves sell tickets, and who could take responsibility for blocks of tickets. Once they do, it becomes very important to do follow-up and work through with them.
3) MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE TALKING TO AND WORKING WITH PEOPLE WHO DID SEE BA IN THE FALL, AND WORK WITH THEM TO SPREAD THE WORD!!!
Calendar:
Thursday, February 28:
Follow-up off Day of Remembrance, Defiance and Determination for Trayvon Martin. Back to the neighborhoods, campuses and so on where this was done. Sum up with people; find ways to involve; SELL TICKETS. Distribute, post posters.
IMPORTANT: send pictures, videos, etc. of what people did to website/paper so that people can see what they did... solicit reports, thinking from people who participated...
If promotional radio announcements have not been distributed yet, absolutely important to distribute today!! If already distributed, think of wider outreach. If people at the radio station are friendly, interested, play them the Cornel West interview of BA. Begin pushing now, if not already, on media. Internet radio shows. If interviews can be set up with people like Sunsara Taylor, Carl Dix, and Raymond Lotta, then set them up and contact them.
If there are meetings tonight, use them to assemble teams for weekend [see below].
Friday, March 1:
Beginning today: periodic e-mail blasts on the premiere. These will be prepared and can be sent out in a unified way. [See here for updates on how to get, and use.] Who should send these? Bookstores to their e-lists; spokespeople and public figures who support this premiere; and definitely out to all the people whose names have been collected in the last few weeks and months, but whom we have not been able to take the time to personally get down with. These e-mail blasts will be a way to keep this in people’s minds, reinforcing message that they get in other ways.
Out to supermarkets in late afternoon, evening: major shopping day due to food stamps coming out.
Out to cultural venues in evening.
Assemble materials for major effort toward poster saturation in key areas this weekend.
Team should assemble to get testimonials on youtube, other ways...from all kinds of people on the theme of, "I’m going to be at the premiere, here’s why, you should too."
Assemble team to solicit major donations.
Saturday, March 2:
Major effort today and tomorrow with posters; as key part of this: return to people who have agreed to post posters and talk with them about response, and other ways they can be involved; leave materials and if possible listen to interview with them; continue to go back and replace any posters that are removed...
Involve people in this in many different ways...including fund-raising (both donating themselves and putting cans in their stores, community centers, etc.).
Use with everybody who posts poster: "Contended Question."
Major effort this weekend to sell tickets. Aim for 1/3 of house sold by Monday, March 4. Ask everyone you talk to to buy their tickets now.
Collect testimonials from people on the spot as we get out posters and sell tickets.
Major effort this weekend to contact and MEET WITH potential large and middle donors, with volunteer task force spearheading this [those who have thinking, plans – send to revcom.us]. Have available people who can talk with knowledge about revolution and the new synthesis of communism, but also people who are coming into this newer.
Sunday, March 3:
- see above
Monday, March 4:
Assess postering and fund-raising efforts, and the weekend overall.
Second day of e-mail blasts. There will be something new today to send.
Send youtube and other testimonials in to revcom.us.
Begin to systematically get posters up on key campuses and in and around key high schools, including in classrooms, nearby hangouts and transportation hubs; get profs to put on doors, department bulletin boards, residence halls, etc.... high school teachers to post in classrooms.
Set up announcements, speaking engagements for International Women's Day on campuses, high schools for later in week (if possible begin this work earlier).
Tuesday & Wednesday, March 5 and 6:
Get back to people who expressed interest, or got involved; and keep selling tickets.
Pull together people who want to work on BA Everywhere in meeting(s) during this period; plan activity.
Wednesday night: make sure people have materials for International Women’s Day. This includes materials around the premiere, as well as the Declaration.
Thursday, March 7:
Take International Women’s Day (IWD) on to the campuses... take Revolution newspaper out in big way, hold on-the-spot speakouts and rallies, refresh and renew postering on campus. Make connection: liberation of women and all-the-way revolution—if you want to know how revolution and a whole new world is possible, you MUST see BA Speaks: REVOLUTION—NOTHING LESS! See above. Play interview with Cornel West, utilize videos of the Revolution talk. SELL TICKETS!
Friday, March 8:
IWD on to the campuses again!
IWD out to the cultural venues; but also unite with any initiatives undertaken that night by Stoppatriarchy.org.
Saturday, March 9:
IWD in the neighborhoods of oppressed masses. Hold speak-outs, on the spot rallies; play parts of Revolution Talk DVD. At the same time, some people should go unite with any initiatives undertaken that day by Stoppatriarchy.org and other initiatives by other people sincerely concerned with the oppression of women). Get paper out in these areas massively, have on-the-spot rallies, marches.
Send reports and visuals from past three days to revcom.us by Saturday night.
Sunday March 10:
See March 9.
All through weekend, constant efforts to sell tickets, raise money.
All through the weekend, special squads whose mission is to refresh and spread the visual presence.
Monday, March 11:
Assess ticket sales (should be 2/3 sold at this point). Assess postering (posters should be up and spreading). Assess state of struggle over this (counterattacks from anti-revolutionary forces, how these are being handled and turned into good things). Find ways to draw new people into activity (meetings of BA Everywhere committee, bookstore volunteers, Revolution Clubs?).
All week: posters, mini-rallies, mass fund-raising and ticket sales, in areas where this is percolating... take nothing for granted.
All week: step up efforts on "I’m going, and you should too." Twitter, Facebook, etc.
Early in week: pull together larger crew to assist production staff for event.
Friday afternoon and evening: meetings of larger crew to assist core pulled together earlier in the week. Ushering, tables, security, welcoming, etc. – many much-needed things to do and ways for people to participate.
March 16 premiere:
Make sure venue, staffing and follow-up are commensurate and in fundamental harmony with the film itself!
If you like this article, subscribe, donate to and sustain Revolution newspaper.