Tips Host a Viewing Party
WHERE and WHEN will you hold the party?
This film was made to be viewed with others. It intends to open a dialogue about loss. Hosting a viewing party can take many forms. Here are a few questions and suggestions to help you decide what tone you would like that party to take.
It has been our experience that the most intimate conversations occur in someone’s home with a group of six to ten people. We advise that individuals watch the film before attending and that the host plays the film, once again for the group. It is an emotional film about a subject matter that is painful for many people. Having some time to think about the material before seeing the film for the first time may help people share in a more meaningful way. Also let people know that the discussion questions are available ahead of time at www.TheHouseIKeep.com/questions.html. Keep in mind that the questions can be a spoiler so your guests may want to wait until after viewing the film to read them.
Keep in mind that there are several venues for hosting a party. All you need is a place to screen the film and an area to discuss afterwards.
The Internet
Reaching across the world through the internet is a great way to open a dialogue about The House I Keep. Tools like Skype and ichat can be easily used to share your thoughts on the film with friends and family who live in different, cities and countries.
WHO will you invite?
1. Who will you invite? Will it be a specific group? (E.g. women who you know have had a miscarriage, women or couples who have experienced the loss of a young child…) Or will you simply invite a group of people who you think will enjoy the film and will contribute to a hearty discussion.
2. Will you include their partners?
3. What made you decide to host a viewing?
4. What do you hope to accomplish by holding a viewing?
5. Will you or someone else lead the discussion?
6. How many people do you intend to invite?
WHAT will You Serve?
Will you serve refreshments? If so, what will you serve? Will you ask others to contribute a dish? What has worked the best in our experience is serving appetizers before the film and a light desert after viewing the film. In the side bar of this page you will find some suggestions that have proven successful at our gatherings. The discussion can be intense and serving refreshments has helped people feel more comfortable. For desert something playful and sweet can lighten the tone of the evening.
HOW will You Schedule The Evening?
By dividing the evening into five segments we found a simple formula to keep the evening, welcoming, comforting and fun. Here is what we do.
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1. When guests arrive have drinks, yummy appetizers and snacks ready and waiting. Let guests mingle and chat. Allowing people to catch up or get to know each other for a half an hour or so leads to a more focused conversation about the film.
2. When you feel the group is comfortable, it is time to screen the film.
3. After viewing the film, open the floor to comments and if you would like, use the questions for viewing The House I Keep (a link can be found at the bottom of the page,) as a guideline for discussion. You may find that people have plenty they wish to talk about with or without the questions. Also, feel free to open the floor to questions or comments that your guests would like to share.
4. We found that either during or after the discussion offering a desert, chocolate was a favorite was the perfect way to keep people feeling comfortable. What you serve can add a sense of fun and festivity to the evening.
5. It is a good idea to allow for some time after the discussion for people again to just chat amongst themselves. This is a period of decompression that will help your guests prepare to depart.
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It has been our experience that although the evening can be intense there is a sense of levity that occurs after people have opened their hearts and connected with others. For us we have found the evenings to be ultimately uplifting, healing and deeply meaningful. We hope that these suggestions result in this being your experience as
well.
The House I Keep
questions for viewing (spoiler alert!)
Click Here
