Fork Films
On October 30th, The Armor of Light, a documentary from newcomer Abigail Disney (granddaughter of the late Roy Disney), will arrive in theaters with the intention of bridging the gap between the two sides of the gun debate, which continues to boil especially with the looming Presidential election. The film revolves around evangelical minister Rob Schenck and his mission to address the issue from a faith-based perspective, asking pro- and anti-gun supporters whether the current gun culture reflects their belief system and the teachings of Jesus.
Armor of Light is being distributed by Disney’s own Fork Films, which hopes to foster a productive dialogue between gun enthusiasts, religious figures and strong supporters of gun control. Efforts are underway to offer card-carrying NRA members free tickets to screenings during the doc’s opening weekend. The company isn’t trying to poke and prod the organization by plying them with freebies; they simply seem to understand that it sometimes takes drastic measures to convince groups so fervently on opposing sides of an issue to come together neutrally.
Jeff Reichert, distribution executive of Fork Films, told Deadline, “The broad themes of the marketing campaign have always been to elevate the conversation away from the anti- or pro-gun issue. This is really about dialogue and conversation between people with different backgrounds who may come from opposite views.”
As for targeting the people on the anti-gun side of the issue, as well as religious groups, Fork Films is using a more intimate tactic of reaching out. The company has traveled from town-to-town, screening the film for pastors in cities like Chicago, Houston, Orlando and Philadelphia and hosting Q&A discussions afterwards. They’ve used the same strategy with public safety and gun violence victim groups.
Schenck himself doesn’t present any opposing views in the film; he simply urges viewers to look at the issue from a new perspective. Thus, neither side should feel threatened or reluctant to participate. But the way Fork Films is going about approaching the two camps shows the company is aware each side is different, and that a certain amount of tact and cleverness needs to be applied. The company isn’t walking on egg shells, just being calculated. What works with one group may not work with the other, and the approach could make all the difference in gathering an audience. It’s unclear if the disparity between the two methods used is a testament to the disparity Fork Films believes exists between each side’s willingness to listen.
The fact that Fork Films considered taking a more grass-roots approach to marketing is commendable. That they are following through with it, however, speaks volumes. It’s clear the company stands behind their film as an important inquiry into gun culture. While offering NRA members free tickets may seem like half-bait, half-invitation, and setting up screenings and Q&As for those willing on the opposing side may seem desperate, the methods are well-intentioned. And it’s by these methods that Fork Films isn’t really seeing this as “marketing” so much as a necessary attempt to just get people talking outside of the confines of a political or “group” perspective.
Whether the strategy will work is yet to be seen. Both sides can be an intense bunch, unwavering in their convictions about the 2nd Amendment and gun violence, sometimes to a fault, which will possibly manifest itself in this situation. The toughest and most fervent of both sides seldom like to knowingly position themselves to be vulnerable to the opinions of others.
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