Screening Guide

Intro

Our goal is to help you have a successful screening of Hearing Everett.  Always feel free to call or email us with any questions.

Step1: Purchase your screening license

The first step in hosting a screening is to purchase a screening license. Once you have purchased a license download the film from our website. 

If your church or ministry is limited on funds please don’t let this stop you.  Hearing Everett offers reduced pricing and scholarship licenses for those that qualify.

Step 2: Pick a Venue

Pick a venue and date for your screening.  It’s important to allow 4-6 weeks before the event for sufficient promotion and advertising.  If a church in your community is not available, consider your local library, community center or your local theater. Churches have shown Hearing Everett along with worship at local theaters on Sunday morning!  Contact your local theater manager for details.

Step 3: Create Your Screening Team

Designate one person as the movie Event Coordinator.  This person is your “go-to” for questions and running the event. Next, host a planning meeting with volunteers.

Find key people who will be involved and assign responsibilities (marketing/promotion, facility planning, audio/visual, hospitality, event staffing, and DVD sales table, if you plan to sell the movie).

Make a commitment to pray for a successful movie event based on your vision.

Step 4: Marketing and Promotions

A successful turnout is the result of a well-planned and well-executed promotion. Once you have purchased your screening license our team will send you a dropbox folder full of marketing materials which will include photos, the trailer, and brief write ups you can use in your bulletins, website and social media.

Key ways to promote your screening in your community include:
Promote the event on Sunday morning. Announce it in the Sunday bulletin. Include it in pulpit announcements.  Show the trailer during services.
Send emails to your database and coordinate with your webmaster to promote via your website.
Social Media: Facebook is a great way to promote your screening and our marketing materials are designed for easy posting to your community. Remember to put the date, time and location of the event. If you plan to sell tickets make sure to add the website link.
Encourage church members to invite friends and family. This is a great way to reach your non-churched friends.

Step 5: AV Team

The AV Team is responsible for the most crucial aspect of the Movie Event...
showing the actual movie!

The AV Team should:
Test the DVD, projector and sound system before the event, prior to people arriving.
Play the trailer during the weeks prior to the event to promote the event.
Play the movie the night of the event.

Step 6: Greeters, Hospitality & Follow-Up Team

The role of the Greeters, Hospitality & Follow-Up Team is to minister to both visitors and
church/organization members.

The Greeters, Hospitality & Follow-Up Teams should:
Prepare any handout materials for the day of the event. 

Inform attendees where all activities will take place.  Give directions to the restrooms and any food services provided.
The Hospitality Team can serve food and refreshments at the event. Another option would be to sell food and drinks as a fundraiser.
Inform the audience where they can purchase the film and series.
Another option would be to take an offering for a church supported missionary.
Provide visitors with information about your church.
Create a team that can help reset anything that was moved and also to clean up.

Step 7: Planning Intro and Q&A After The Screening

Have someone introduce the film and thank people for coming. Don’t forget to thank your volunteers! Let the audience know that after the film you will be having a 20 minute question and answer and to please stay seated.

Hearing Everett is designed to create a dialog with the audience. After the film give the audience a chance to respond to the film. Give them a moment to process, the first question is always the hardest.  Below are a few examples of questions you can ask and inside facts to share with the audience.

What did you think of the film?
How were you inspired by the Everett’s journey?
What did you learn about Jesus in the film?
What ideas did the film create about your personal journey?

About the film: Fun Facts!

How did the house burn down? Luke lit a GI Joe figurine on fire to watch it melt. He thought it had stopped burning and ran outside to play leaving the burning figurine behind which caused the the house to burn down. He kept it a secret for over 25 years. He admitted it to his parents only a few years before they passed away at Thanksgiving.

How was the film funded? The film was 100% donor funded.  Hearing Everett was produced by 300 volunteers giving over 12,500 hours of service.

Where are Luke and Eddy today? Luke and Eddy still run the ranch. Currently they are training missionaries to start deaf ministries around the world. During the summer they rent the vacant school to a youth ministry, Young Life, that hosts weekly discipleship camps for kids.

Who are the actors in the movie? All of the actors in the movie are volunteers. The actor who played Ed Everett, Greg Summerville, is a professional contractor and was laying tile at the ranch on a weekend mission trip when the director T.C. Johnstone asked him to dye his hair black and play the lead. After the production of the film the Summerville's decided to sell everything and have become full time missionaries in Guatemala for the deaf.

The stunt driver: The professional stunt driver in the film, Jeremy Fry, has done stunts on over 30 Hollywood movies including Batman v Superman, Jason Bourne, Indiana Jones, National Treasure and many others.

The host of the small group series: Tony Plana is our host for the small group series. He is best know for his roles on 24 and Ugly Betty.

Step 8: Encourage your community to take the next step

Our hope is that your community will take the next step in their journey of faith. We encourage you to invite the audience to consider one of the following steps.

Begin volunteering in some way at your local church or a local ministry.
Take the next step, host a Hearing Everett small group series.
Take a weekend or week long serving trip to Rancho Sordo Mudo or to another supporting ministry with Strong Tower Ministries.