AFFECTED

strings attached

introduction

Affected is a series of film portraits about young people and young adults who have ended up in a certain living situation due to the choices of parents or caregivers. In the series we meet the young people, follow them and translate their story into a short documentary.
Central to the series are the questions: ‘where and when do you feel at home’ and ‘what influence have your parents had on the life you live now and the decisions you make’? By collecting, recording and sharing these stories, the foundation aims to achieve broader understanding, recognition and empathy for this vulnerable group.
Do parents or caregivers realize how much their choices can have? How much influence can they have on (young) children? How do the same children deal with this later as young adults? Central to the series are the questions: ‘where and when do you feel at home’ and ‘what influence have your parents had on the life you live now and the decisions you make?’ ? By collecting, recording and sharing these stories, the foundation aims to achieve broader understanding, recognition and empathy for this vulnerable group.
In ‘affected’ we look for answers to these questions and give the subjects the control to tell their story.

the stories

In this series of portraits, making choices is paramount. What choices do we actually have in an apparently feasible world? For some, ‘everything is accessible if you want’, for others it is just a matter of closing the door and seeing how things go.
We look for talent, ambition, influence and autonomy. Always with that central theme: to what extent do you influence your own decisions and what influence do your parents’ decisions have or have had on the way you now approach life.
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We find the main characters ‘on the street’. No preparation, casting or selection: just go out and see who you meet. This creates spontaneous narratives translated into raw, unfiltered portraits.

trailer

Watch the trailer of the ‘pilot’ we made of Billy-Jay here. Purely for the ‘look & feel’, to see what Affected is about and to discover in what form this concept can be visualized…

goal

purpose

The aim of the project is to gain an idea of how young people can be influenced by their parents’ choices and how this has shaped them. By sharing the stories with a large group, the foundation hopes to initiate a discussion about how (other) young people and young adults arrive at the choices they make, or avoid them. It touches on a subject that most of us will recognize, but not always recognize in others.

target audience

The intended target group is very broad, but mainly aimed at young adults. It is essential for the foundation that both spectators and participants in the project are a direct reflection of society, regardless of ethnic origin, sexual orientation or gender identity.

work area

The Affected project takes place in North Holland. The stories are ‘collected’ at various locations, including a student flat and a college. The locations are located in both the city and the countryside.

the need

The world has become an aspirational place where we have to constantly push our luck. The grass always seems greener somewhere else, social media gives us a dream image of how people live and apparently confidently come up with the most wonderful solutions and then widely display their happiness.

the problem

Are we able to honestly record all this information and give it a place, or do something (meaningful) with it? A large part of the answer to these questions lies hidden in our upbringing. To know how far you can fly you need to know which nest you came from.

the solution

By collecting and sharing honest stories in a beautiful way, a network of knowledge and experiences is created from which the viewer can draw strength and inspiration to give her or his life more shine. To share experiences and not have the feeling of being the ‘only one’.

production

film style

All films are shot in color. The screen format is 2.4:1 (widescreen format).

planning and duration

Affected is an extensive project that requires time in terms of both preparation and implementation. We will start the implementation in the spring of 2024 and will complete it in the summer of 2025 with an exhibition and at least one festival screening and/or (television) broadcast.
  • preparation
    January - april 2024
    Applying for funds, recruiting sponsors and donors, finding partners, presentation
  • production
    may 2024 - may 2025
    (Pre)production and project management for recording the stories
  • screening
    june 2025 >
    Screening at a (documentary) film festival, (television) broadcast and exhibition
After completion of the project, all images created will remain available on the Collecting Stories Foundation website. The foundation will also continue to offer the material to festivals, broadcasters, online streaming services, art cinemas and museums.

team

direction and coordination

The project is managed by the Collecting Stories Foundation, divided between the board (advisor) and director (direction and implementation). The film portraits are commissioned by the foundation by Grapefruit Moon.

volunteers

The foundation is supported in its activities by volunteers. The volunteers are members of a working group that is managed by a board member of the foundation. The working groups are concept (monitoring), (pre) production, marketing, display and distribution, administration.

internships

Grapefruit Moon, commissioned by the foundation to implement the project, is a recognized training company and has 1 to 2 internships available during the production period. These internship positions are filled by students from the Media College in Amsterdam.

partners

The partners within the Affected project are active partners who want to share and use their specific specialization to make the project successful. Collecting Stories is always looking for new partnerships with which we can realize (even) better projects.

communication

Communication for the creation and promotion of the Affected project can be found both online and offline. The marketing necessary to ensure the project goals and the foundation’s objective is in line with the project plan and the statutes: presenting honest information in an unfiltered manner.

online

The foundation has its own online website (www.collectingstories.com). The website is completely bilingual (Dutch and English). Affected’s project plan as well as all information about the foundation, the board, working methods and all data are described in detail here.
The foundation will use Facebook, Instagram and YouTube as its main social media channels. Facebook and Instagram will be posted weekly and when a notable news item or event occurs. The teasers of the films will appear on YouTube. Vimeo will mainly be used to host the films.

offline

The foundation has designed a booklet with all possible information, background stories and additional documents for funds, sponsors and donors. This beautifully designed booklet can be supplemented with updates that are sent during the project. This creates a special reference work of the entire project.
During the shooting period, ‘stills’ from the films made will be printed as postcards which can be distributed at events or sent by post, both individually and in a batch to a specific group of people such as the owners of the booklet.

evaluation

It is of great importance to the foundation that the project takes the form and content as it was conceived. The board of the foundation therefore closely monitors that the detailed plan will be implemented as such. The foundation believes it can provide the right structure for this through interim discussions, reporting from the makers and budget control. An external accounting firm will manage and report on the finances.

information

For further information about the project or other questions, please contact project director Menno van Wees on +31(0)6-81476828 or via menno@collectingstories.com

donations and sponsorship

Donations, in whatever form, are very important to optimally implement the project. If you are already convinced that your money will be well spent, it is possible to transfer a donation via our website. Click here if you would like to make a donation…
Sponsors enrich the project and offer new opportunities for collaboration. If you would like to sponsor the Affected project or the foundation as a whole, please contact Menno van Wees on +31(0)6-81476828 or menno@collectingstories.com