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Need Pro Camera: making a VapeFilm

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Why just a camera?  What type of camera?  What is this film? These are all the questions I'd ask, but it's honestly for a socially-significant cause.  Anyhow, the reason why I'm just raising money for a camera at this juncture is simply because I need to start shooting footage as soon as possible. I have interview participants ready to go and I can deal with raising funds for professional film editing software at another time. In regards to what type of camera I'm hoping to purchase  is one that surely meets all the requirements I was seeking: professional quality, reasonably priced and good for shooting footage for documentaries.  

Therefore, a BlackMagic Pocket Cinema Camera is the best option.  See link listed below: 

https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/blackmagicpocketcinemacamera  

Also, if time constraints become more of an issue, I could always purchase an iPad Pro since they have cinematic camera capabilities. The least expensive option would be most practical. This is just another idea since regulations by the FDA has made this film more necessary than ever now. Let's change things, this is the United States and I refuse to accept these restrictions ruining millions of lives. We are the people, not the greedy, corrupt bureaucrats!
Altogether, my campaign title is not as detailed as it should be but only had so many characters I could use. Since I am a true believer in this particular life-saving technology of Vaping and how it's made a positive impact in the lives of individual Vapers, these would be the primary factors for my motivation to make the documentary - which I plan to film & if provided with the proper tools, I will get the job done. If I could use more words, my title would most likely consist of something more like "Who Are The Vapers? A Glimpse inside the Vaping Community: A Social Research Study via Ethnographic Documentary Filmmaking Revealing the Vaper as an Individual within a Large Group " 

Why make this film?
For more than 15 years, I smoked tobacco cigarettes and dipped chewing tobacco. In addition, I played basketball my entire life, even in college, I would dip tobacco while playing in-season and smoke tobacco cigs throughout the off-season.

However,  I remember it was Memorial Day 2011 and my family was hosting a good ole' fashioned Italian-style cookout when my Father began to feel strange suddenly just after eating a sausage and smoking a "stogie. " So, after being rushed to the hospital, he had quintuple bypass surgery. My family was absolutely shook to their core. I was very despondent during those long hospital days. Thank God his surgery was successful and he has since that time quit smoking cigars and also improved his diet tremendously. I'm very proud of him, I was envious of his genuine strength.

During and a few years after this incident I myself continued smoking cigarettes, heavily. I had no ambition to quit but my family moved to the Denver area in 2013, in which I've experienced culture shock. I had heard about Vaping but my first impressions of it was judgmental and presumptuous. Sure enough though, I gave Vaping a chance and I've never even thought about attempting to have a cigarette and I don't even crave smoking. Now I'm enthused to claim my current state of involvement within the Vaping community is high and I strongly support the Vaping advocacy movements being created.

Besides my Father's past health issues, unfortunately this past November 4th, 2015 my sweet Mother suddenly had passed on at age 59. My parents were just about to celebrate their 40th wedding Anniversary, yet 2 weeks after my Grandmother suddenly passed on at 79, then my Mother was also gone. It was a horrible tragedy  for  my family. My Mother's Mother was the only Grandparent of mine who had yet to pass away before I was born. So the only true Grandparent I ever had was gone, then two weeks to the day, my Mother passed on from heart failure.  I had to reiterate this because these were the only 2 women left in the world who I knew genuinely believed in me and now they're gone. The last time I saw my dear Mother, as I held my Mom's freezing cold hand, I told her I'd always continue to do everything she ever taught me, which includes finishing whatever I start. She was so proud I quit smoking and admired how much I was dedicated to telling the truth about Vaping. So I dedicate this film to both my Mom & Grandma for they will always be in my heart & mind...

What are the primary goals?
Taking this all into consideration, I'm trying to raise social awareness about the beneficial effects of Vaping on Public Health and educate the general public - plainly, to realign public perception Yet, this project will be much less political or propaganda and more so academic & personal. Revealing the true identities of individual Vapers through in-depth interviewing & sociological research methodology, such as ethnography. In short, I'm combining ethnographic documentary filmmaking & the Sociology of Vaping as an educational project for others to reference.  Even though I have a master's degree in Sociology with numerous credits in filmmaking courses at the graduate level, I still need to raise all these funds.

In addition, another objective is to remind the general public that Vaping does not consist of tobacco-based products. Vaping community outsiders will learn that Vaping products only contain nicotine, often times e-Liquids are, in fact, 0mg nicotine content. So Vaping, in essence, is by no means a tobacco-product. 

Regardless,  the vaper is being misinterpreted and underrepresented in the sense that no one truly knows what Vaping is. Most of all Vapers have compelling stories to tell about how they embarked on their journey to a vape lifestyle. Trust me, I would love to buy this camera for myself but even though I write published articles on Vaping, I don't get paid a high enough salary. Although, I am extremely grateful for having the opportunities to be a Journalist for Vapouround Magazine (U.K.) as well as a Contributing Writer for VAPEmagazine. If you'd be interested in seeing any of my work, simply contact me and I'll send over at least 3 articles I've had published on this very film project I'm explaining now.

Overall, my thesis is that any non-vaper unfamiliar with Vaping will immediately feel more empathy for the individual vaper once they see this film.  Once  we have a chance to create more empathy, social acceptance will become a clear freeway to less restriction. By educating the general public and having them listen to a diverse collection of Vapers  no matter what their age, gender or ethnicity is, the public  will surely begin to approve of it more so than currently. Not to mention, after completion of this film, I am going to attempt to have it published in the peer-reviewed academic Journal of Video Ethnography, so this project can serve as a reference for Academia, ultimately legitimizing the art of Vaping even more by way of  creating an educational social-science academic  resource.

Tobacco kills a 1/2 million Americans per year. Let's finally take a step in the right  direction.

Read more about this documentary film project in VAPEmagazine:  www.vapemz.com Simply, search under the "FEATURES" section on this website and you'll find many of my articles.

Visit www.vapouround.co. uk in order to read more articles I wrote. Search the site's previous Vapouround Magazine Issues and you'll find a number of my articles relating to Vaping and Sociolgy as well as the film, "Who Are The Vapers?"

Also, check us out @WhoAreTheVapersFilm on:
Twitter, Facebook, & Instagram:
www.twitter. com/whoarethevapers
www.facebook.com/whoarethevapersfilm

SEE PUBLISHED ARTICLES LISTED BELOW:






Organizer

Tony Ottomanelli
Organizer
Littleton, CO

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