Is Sparkwise the future of visual data to tell a new story of impact?

Last week, BAVC was a part of launching the new platform Sparkwise to help collect and compare the data on an entirely new visual platform. As they state, “Sparkwise was created by a team of world-class technologists, data visualization experts and social impact strategists. It is free, open source and available to anybody with a story to tell.” So, is it really time to dust off those monthly analytic reports sitting on your hard-drives to build a data driving story of your film’s impact? Maybe not quite yet!

This new platform seems more like a great tool to assess a crisis than assess impact. From the first platform launched, by the documentary The Revolutionary Optimists, they seem to best use the impact of data through the visualization of the hard statistics of the color and odor of drinking water, immunization percentages, along with splashes of photos and videos. But, what is the impact? What is the moving story to show social impact?

At Quiet Little Place, we believe a film’s impact is more than just hard statistics to show the void a story can fill. It’s about tangible impact! Impact our your film being shared from community to community and those golden nuggets that rise to the surface. For example, with the Sin by Silence postcards that are still making an impact since we incorporated them as part of the first year of outreach. Since then the women in the film have been receiving countless letters and postcards. But, one story of impact is from a women in a shelter who we found out has her postcard of Rosemary Dyer framed on her nightstand. Every day she wakes up and sees Rosemary’s smile it is another reminder of why she must not return to her abusive boyfriend! Incredible that just a printed postcard can turn into a life altering decision for a woman to make sure she continues down a path to ensure a safer future for herself. That is data that cannot be given a number. Cannot be given a statistic. Cannot be lumped in with random facts. It is a life changing moment that proves how documentaries can become more than just a film – it represents what great storytelling can do when we act with creativity and strategy to make an impact!

With Sin by Silence, we knew from the very beginning that we wanted to create enough of an impact to free the women of Convicted Women Against Abuse. To create more than just a film, but an impact that went straight to the California Capitol to directly help the women who are featured in the film. Our dream finally is coming true with The Sin by Silence Bill (AB 593).

“I’ve worked on a wide variety of issues, but there is none
that is more dear to my heart than the issue of incarcerated victims.
After watching the moving film Sin By Silence,
I decided that action needed to be taken.”
- Assemblymember Fiona Ma

There are many cases featured in Sin by Silence that have yet to be heard or were overlooked due to the inclusion of expert testimony. Judges simply did not have an understanding of what was admissible. AB 593 seeks to address this issue by doing two things: it will allow victims of domestic violence whose expert testimony was limited at their trial court proceedings to re-file for a writ of habeas corpus to allow this expert testimony to weigh in on their defense and it will also give victims more time to receive legal representation by deleting the sunset date currently in statute.  

The Sin by Silence Bill is currently awaiting a Senate hearing for a vote which is yet to be scheduled.  Click here to find out more about how the Sin by Silence Bill came to life.

What’s it take to tell the story behind the story? As documentary filmmakers, we are in the trenches working tirelessly to get the world to care about our cause. Yet, sometimes we have the rare opportunity to share those moments that we cherish as filmmakers. Those glimpses that let our audience know what keep the flame burning to champion our causes.

Hear from Olivia Klaus (Director & Producer):

Hear from Ann-Caryn Cleveland (Co-Producer & Editor):

Spreading the word about the upcoming Sin by Silence broadcast with Discovery ID to millions of watchers as we finish up the press tour. From coast to coast, radio, television and print the nation definitely has heard to news to tune in Monday, October 17th to watch the incredible stories of the Convicted Women Against Abuse.

We are thrilled to announce the world television premiere of Sin by Silence on Discovery’s Investigation Discovery channel starting on Monday, October 17th, 2011! This is a dream come true for the Quiet Little Place team as 78 million homes have the opportunity to tune in for the powerful stories of incarcerated battered women.

“We are proud to bring this powerful documentary to television, to share with television audiences the harrowing stories of these women behind bars,” said Henry Schleiff, president and general manager of Investigation Discovery. “Instead of fighting a system that does not fully comprehend the complexities of abuse, the women of CWAA instead choose to fight to change laws for battered women nationwide. Through the premiere of this documentary, we hope to extend their message and champion their crusade to stop the cycle of violence.”

Click here to read the press release and click here to find your local channel for Investigation Discovery.