SOUND OF COURAGE
A Spencer Proffer Production of a John Scheinfeld Film
In a world in which fear runs rampant...
When people often stand on the sidelines rather than speak out against injustice...
When go along with convention rather than bet on themselves...
When people turn a blind eye to the ugly realities of daily life...
We now need courage more than ever.
SOUND OF COURAGE is a captivating, entertaining and profoundly hopeful feature documentary celebrating and inspiring personal courage.
The story-telling is rich, textured and multi-layered with four primary elements:
Powerful songs of Idealism, Conscience and Protest
Compelling and emotional stories of personal courage
Vibrant Animation
Interviews with Charismatic A-Listers
MUSIC:
Music is the one language every human being speaks. We fight over politics, faith, and history, but play the right song and a roomful of strangers comes together. SOUND OF COURAGE advances the radical notion that a song can move the world, effect change, inspire people to chase dreams, overcome obstacles, and ultimately to do the right thing.
Each story in the film will feature 2-3 songs – originals, cover versions by current hitmakers or a blend, cross fade with both or – that will enhance the narrative. These songs are timeless anthems, having transcended mere entertainment to question, provoke, and inspire people on issues ranging from civil rights, speaking truth to power, the human cost of war, as well as political unrest, gender equality and so much more. Here are but a few examples of songs that might be considered as the sound of courage:
AMERICA (Simon & Garfunkel)
AMERICAN IDIOT (Green Day)
BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND (Peter, Paul and Mary)
BRAVE (Sara Bareilles)
CHIMES OF FREEDOM (The Byrds)
COURAGE TO CHANGE (Sia)
FIGHT SONG (Rachel Platten)
FORMATION (Beyoncé)
GIRL ON FIRE (Alicia Keys)
I WON’T BACK DOWN (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers)
I’LL FIGHT (Jennifer Hudson)
IMAGINE (John Lennon)
MAN IN THE MIRROR (Michael Jackson)
MARCH MARCH (The Chicks)
RISE UP (Andra Day)
STAND (Sly & The Family Stone)
STRANGE FRUIT (Billie Holiday)
SURVIVOR (Destiny’s Child)
TIME HAS COME TODAY (The Chambers Brothers)
THE TIMES, THEY ARE A-CHANGIN’ (Bob Dylan)
WARRIOR (Demi Lovato)
WE SHALL OVERCOME (Joan Baez)
In an era when many of the freedoms these songs speak to are being challenged if not outright taken away, the stories will let the lyrics do the talking. Lyrics will be used to advance the story…provide insight into what characters on-screen are thinking or feeling at a given moment in time… and to comment on the unfolding events.
Between the stories, some of today’s most culturally resonant voices and producers will be seen in rehearsal spaces, warehouses, and studios piecing together something ambitious. At first, we won’t know what they’re up to, but gradually the purpose is revealed – they are reimagining some of these iconic songs. Along the way, they will speak about these songs, not as history, but inheritance: What they owe; What challenges or scares them; What they learned from the stellar histories of these compositions.
STORIES:
At the emotional heart of this film are 5 inspirational stories of real people who disregarded potentially harmful consequences and displayed acts of courage, both big and/or seemingly small, when confronted by significant obstacles.
These stories explore the meaning of COURAGE and how it is expressed in everyday life. They are a moving, powerful, and resonant testament to the indomitable human spirit, examining why some men and women make difficult decisions and do the right thing when easier and far less dangerous alternatives are available to them.
These are stories of the COURAGE to change when change is needed...the COURAGE to stand up for truth, even against the strong opinions of others...and the COURAGE to embrace the unknown in spite of fear in relationships, in careers...COURAGE as a force for change...or in the ongoing journey of understanding who we are and why we are here.
One example of such a story is a photograph that went viral in 2016 called “Taking a Stand in Baton Rouge.” The picture is of a woman named Ieshia Evans, a nurse from Pennsylvania, who was being arrested by police officers dressed in riot gear during a protest in front of the Baton Rouge Police Department in the aftermath of a police shooting of two innocent people.
Songs for this sequence might be STAND (Sly & The Family Stone), I WON’T BACK DOWN (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers), or I’LL FIGHT (Jennifer Hudson).
Each story in the film will have a different tone – dramatic, poignant, humorous, grief, anger, warmth, real joy – and will be brought to life with first-person narratives, family home movies and photos, animation and, perhaps, with limited use of stylized impressionistic recreations that suggest incidents and participants rather than being literal or using actors. Within each compelling narrative will be strong character arcs, personal highs and lows, and a visually dynamic style that accurately reflects the content and tone of the story.
ANIMATION:
Each story will be decorated with its own animation palette based on the emotional content and context of the narrative. For example, if a story is about grief, the animation moves like memory -- flickering, incomplete. If it’s about anger, it’s graphic, confrontational. Animation gets us inside the stories and the music, past the facts and into the emotion, making the storytelling immediate and alive.
INTERVIEWS:
There will be no talking heads. Instead, we hear charismatic, articulate and entertaining A-listers speak about the nature of COURAGE, about standing up for one’s beliefs, about chasing dreams, speaking truth to power and not settling, all of which is designed to uplift audiences and inspire them to exhibit similar courage in their lives.