TWO GATES OF SLEEP

SNOW
THE
JONES
A FILM BY
ALISTAIR BANKS GRIFFFIN
All materials copyright Influence Machine
Productions © 2013. The contents of this
brief and accompanying materials is
confidential intended solely for the use of
the individual or entity to whom it is
addressed. Any use dissemination, forwarding, or copying of this document is strictly
prohibited.
IMP
2013 SFFS/HEARST GRANT
SNOW THE JONES
When teenage vagabond, LEXI joins a traveling door-to-door sales
crew, she discovers a world much darker than the one from which
she was trying to escape.
SNOW THE JONES - INFLUENCE MACHINE PRODUCTIONS - 2013
SYNOPSIS
On her first day, Lexi awakes in a filthy hotel room filled
with teens and tossed a bag of doughnuts for breakfast.
She is given a runaway lesson on sales and thrown into a
van to sell magazine subscriptions door to door in an
American suburb. Terrified, but determined, Lexi dives
head first into a realm of uncertainty and danger. Enter
the very real world of door-to-door sales crews, where
kids are taught to lie cheat and steal to make sales while
sleeping six to a room every night, where ex-military
washout managers force kids with the lowest sales to fist
fight until unconsciousness, where owners cook the
books on kids sales and hook them on drugs and “road
life”.
The lifestyle is thrilling at first-- promises of riches, exciting new friends, adventure, and nightly hedonistic romps
in road side motels, but soon Lexi learns that she must
adapt to a new way of thinking in order to survive. She
begins to make compromises with her own morals and
becomes ruthless at sales. But everything is not what it
seems: glimpses of psychological abuse, manipulation,
drugs and violence begin to peak around corners and
Lexi soon learns that she has entered into a battle for
nothing less than her own soul.
Built upon the true stories of former sales crew survivors,
SNOW THE JONES is an fascinating and terrifying experiential trip into a dark side of the American dream and
a lost young girl looking for a place to belong.
SNOW THE JONES - INFLUENCE MACHINE PRODUCTIONS - 2013
SNOW THE JONES - INFLUENCE MACHINE PRODUCTIONS - 2013
SALES CREWS
It is currently estimated that 30,000 kids between the age of 17 and 26 in America are involved in the human trafficking racket of door-to-door sales crews.
“As Seen On TV” products, cleaning supplies and all other manner of direct marketing junk are authorized to be
sold by third party clearing houses who then hire traveling management companies to recruit and train these
young men and women in manipulation tactics to sell them door to door. ’ sales are recorded by their managers
who’s job is verbally and physically discipline them for low sales and ensure that they constantly stay in debt to
the company for the cost of the room, gas, food, and even drugs. These kids rarely ever get paid and are often
beaten and left penniless on the side of the interstate when they finally insist on getting the money owed them.
Because of the nomadic quality of this business, most of its movement and behavior is impossible to track but
appears to be present in all fifty states.
The U.S. Department of Labor now lists it in the top most dangerous jobs in America. Congressional hearings and
FBI investigations have provided some incredible insights in to the workings of these operations but multiple bills
created in order to protect these kids have repeatedly failed to pass.
SNOW THE JONES - INFLUENCE MACHINE PRODUCTIONS - 2013
SNOW THE JONES - INFLUENCE MACHINE PRODUCTIONS - 2013
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
I was startled when I first learned about the existence of door-to-door sales practice and
that something so close to resembling indentured servitude could exist currently in the
US on such a scale in this day and age and I began to dive into the tragic stories of
these kids that always ended the same way: violence, extortion, rape and death. What is
so fascinating about this sub-culture is how connected it is to roots of the American
Dream: travel, adventure, friendship, leadership and how it perverts and subverts it so
elegantly and systematically. Most importantly, I was interested in the individual's experience. Lexi is an amalgamation of so many of these kids and though we don't ever learn
her story, the superimposition of those she interacts with helps us to fill in the blanks.
Runaways, washouts, and the mentally disturbed tend to find their ways onto these
crews and once there are hooked by the promises of lavish vacations and serious
money or in Lexi's case the prospect of being a part of a family.
I want to make a quintessentially American film that uncovers the darker nature of our
culture but shows the beauty and resilience of the human spirit.
SNOW THE JONES - INFLUENCE MACHINE PRODUCTIONS - 2013
STYLE + TONE
Although Snow The Jones revolves around a good deal of hedonism, youth
culture aspects and something resembling a road movie, the story will be
told in a drifting, lyrical style interspersed with an immediate hand-held feel,
eventually opening up into dramatic wide landscape tableaus. Though the
themes and style of writing is greatly different than my last feature, TWO
GATES OF SLEEP there will be similar handling of graceful moments and
striking framing. The score will weave between contemporary tracks (metal,
punk and synth-pop) and deeply cut orchestral score. The acting style will
be austere and stripped down focusing intensely on character nuance. The
film will shoot largely with available light to have a grittier and realistic atmosphere.
Though we learn very little about Lexi's own story, the countless tales that
she is subjected to by others help super impose themselves upon her as we
can only assume the worst. My goal is for the audience to experience the
excitement and emotional trauma in the same way that Lexi does. I would
compare this style of working to the romatic social realist films of Jules
Dassin, De Sicia and the Maysles or more contemporarily Claire Denis, Paul
Thomas Anderson, the Dardennes and Jaques Audiard.
This world seems close to our "world" of normal existence because of its
American familiarity of gas stations, road side motels and suburban neighborhoods but it couldn't be more different. And this is my challenge, to peel
the skin of this secret world back and show a side of America that has never
been seen before– To craft a beautiful and tragic portrait of a young woman
in the struggle for nothing less than her soul.
SNOW THE JONES - INFLUENCE MACHINE PRODUCTIONS - 2013
“I was able to see so many things a KY country girl would've never
seen. However, I also saw an outweighing amount of things that an 18
year old shouldn't have to see or should anyone else of any age. I
experienced both good and bad and the freedom of being on my own was
fun until it became reality too fast and then it became overwhelming.
I've seen some disappear and never heard from them again. You really
do not exist when you are with these people. You are a number, a
paycheck, and no matter how much you feel you are "part of the
crew".”
- SOPHIE, 22 (AGENT)
SNOW THE JONES - INFLUENCE MACHINE PRODUCTIONS - 2013
SNOW THE JONES - INFLUENCE MACHINE PRODUCTIONS - 2013
“I was living on the street in San Francisco when i was picked up
for mag crew. One day when me and my friends (the people i was
camping with) were spare changing. a guy came up to us and asked
if we wanted to "take showers, make money and travel around with
a bunch of other 'kids" of course we agreed. what about that
wouldn’t sound appealing.”
- KYLE, 20 (AGENT)
SNOW THE JONES - INFLUENCE MACHINE PRODUCTIONS - 2013
“Not everyone’s cut out for sales. It takes
discipline, fearlessness and character to succeed.”
- CHARLENE 50, (BOSS)
SNOW THE JONES - INFLUENCE MACHINE PRODUCTIONS - 2013
AMERICAN DREAM
In 1987 the US Senate opened an investigation into the
fraud, indentured servitude, and violent crime associated
with traveling door-to-door sales operations but all attempts
at regulation have failed.
There have been dozens of reported deaths related to this
practice through negligent driving, assault and drug overdose. The actual toll is impossible to know.
SNOW THE JONES - INFLUENCE MACHINE PRODUCTIONS - 2013
SNOW THE JONES - INFLUENCE MACHINE PRODUCTIONS - 2013
“It is fascinating, I will give you that. I love the history of this
country. The classic door to door sales guy is part of Americana. However
taking advantage of the children that make millions those who pull the
strings is nothing short of barbaric.”
- JEFFERY, 55 (PARENT)
SNOW THE JONES - INFLUENCE MACHINE PRODUCTIONS - 2013
ATTENTION
INTEREST
DECISION
ACTION
ATTENTION INTEREST
DECISION
ACTION
ATTENTION
INTEREST
DECISION
ACTION
ATTENTION,
INTEREST, DESNOW THE JONES - INFLUENCE MACHINE PRODUCTIONS - 2013
SNOW THE JONES - INFLUENCE MACHINE PRODUCTIONS - 2013
SNOW THE JONES - INFLUENCE MACHINE PRODUCTIONS - 2013
“One time, a new kid whose name I wont mention, because of the severity of the incident, came on crew, mouthed off real bad, according to the manager. A few managers
pulled him into a stairwell, and one manager came to get us. “the enforcers”. We beat
this kid too. My head manager kept sticking a hot lighter to his back. It was torture. I had tears in my eyes and i hated my job. I hated what we did. I hated who I
had become.”
-DUSTIN 25, (MANAGER)
SNOW THE JONES - INFLUENCE MACHINE PRODUCTIONS - 2013
SNOW THE JONES - INFLUENCE MACHINE PRODUCTIONS - 2013
“I would soon find out that crew was
not a job, it was a lifestyle. A very
dangerous lifestyle. Two months into
the job, we ran about 40 crew members
deep. I was now a trainer. I was the
guy who took newbees door to door selling magazines, teaching him all the
tricks i had learned. How to lie to
people and tell them one magazine cost
72 dollars for 3 years, when really on
his receipt I had sold him 2 magazines
for one year each. We did this because
it kept you high on the wall chart of
sales. a good place to be. I had earned
my spot at the top and would do ANYTHING to stay there. Lying, cheating,
stealing, and manipulating were practically job criteria. I was trained this
way...I trained others this way.”
- HUNTER 24,(Manager)
SNOW THE JONES - INFLUENCE MACHINE PRODUCTIONS - 2013
WRITER/DIRECTOR/PRODUCER - ALISTAIR BANKS GRIFFIN
(INFLUENCE MACHINE PRODUCTIONS)
PRODUCER - JEREMY KIPP WALKER
ALISTAIR BANKS GRIFFIN was born in England 1978 and raised in New Orleans, Following an BA at Rhode Island School of Design. Mr. Griffin’s short film GAUGE premiered at the New York Film Festival. In 2009 he was the recipient of a Cinereach grant
for his first feature film, TWO GATES OF SLEEP which premiered in Director's Fortnight
at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival and won Grand Prize at CPH:PIX. Two Gates, produced by BORDERLINE FILMS and Andrew F. Renzi, has screened in numerous international festivals and released theatrically in the US by Factory25. In 2007 he established Influecne Machine Productions to develop and produce feature lenght and commerical content.
Jeremy Kipp Walker is a New York-based film producer and director. His recent producing credits include It’s Kind of a Funny Story (Focus Features) starring Zach Galifianakis; Half Nelson (THINKFilm) for which Ryan Gosling received a 2007 Best Actor
Academy Award nomination; Cold Souls (Samuel Goldwyn Films) starring Paul Giamatti; Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden's Dominican baseball odyssey Sugar (HBO Films); Moroccan-based thriller The Passage (THINKFilm) and the space thriller Europa Report
(Magnolia Pictures). Walker recently directed his first feature film The History of Future
Folk (Variance Films), about the acoustic space duo Future Folk. The film was co-directed with J. Anderson Mitchell with whom he previously directed the award-winning
short films Super Powers and Goodnight Bill. His physical production credits include
the HBO Films projects Maria Full of Grace, Everyday People and Angel Rodriguez as
well as Woody Allen's features Hollywood Ending and Curse of the Jade Scorpion.
In the fall of 2013 he is participating in the 2nd annual BERLINALE FILM FESTIVAL
RESIDENCY. He is also a co-founder of the now defunct contemporary art gallery
FAKE ESTATE in NYC. SNOW THE JONES will be his second feature film and was the
recipient of the 2013 SFFS/HEARST Screenwriting Grant.
SNOW THE JONES - INFLUENCE MACHINE PRODUCTIONS - 2013
He is currently in pre-production on Mississippi Grind directing by Ryan Fleck and
Anna Boden starring Ryan Renyolds and Ben Mendleson.
“As a female on crew it is crazy. The hotels have girls rooms where like 4-6 girls share a room and
whoever doesn’t have there quota sleeps on the floor sometimes with no pillow or blankets taking the
chance of getting jumped by the other girls. Now men are not allowed in the girls rooms unless they
are managers but girls can go in guys rooms. I personally was raped several times by multiple guys on
mag crew including managers. Managers will buy your next days sales to have sex with you but then
they are on to the next girl. People get wasted and do all kinds of drugs at the hotels most of the
time drugs they got from "JONES" knocking doors but if your not the right person you will get jumped
for doing drugs. If you don’t have your quota you cant drink or have sex or even talk to your bf or
gf. Everything is controlled to get you to sell more. Ive been jumped and verbally abused to many
times to count.”
- ROSELIE, 24 (AGENT)
SNOW THE JONES - INFLUENCE MACHINE PRODUCTIONS - 2013
SNOW THE JONES - INFLUENCE MACHINE PRODUCTIONS - 2013
THE BUFFALO
The demise of the American buffalo is perhaps the core
thematic image of the story. Lexi’s friend Kyle gives her a
buffalo nickel heirloom after showing him an act of kindness and the two of them liken the animal to a correlation
between their situation: roaming the American landscape
in mass, being set up for slaughter. The buffalo is simultainously one of the most powerful and tragic images
America has has ever produced.
Technical Information
Working Title: Snow The Jones
Director: Alistair Banks Griffin (US/UK)
Screenplay: Alistair Banks Griffin (US/UK)
Language: English
Genere: Drama
Format: 4k ALEXA/35mm Anamorphic
Length: 110 min
Shooting Location: US
Shooting Date: March/April 2014
MADE WITH SUPPORT FROM
2013 SFFS/HEARST GRANT
INFLUENCE MACHINE
PRODUCTIONS
REPRESENTATION:
NYC
138 Eldridge St #4D
New York NY 10003
USA
CAA
Jay Baker
CREATIVE ARTIST AGENCY
200 Ave of the Stars
Los Angeles, CA 90067
banksgriffi[email protected]
Tel: +1.917.674-6377
+1.424.288.2900
[email protected]
IMP
All materials copyright Influence Machine Productions © 2013.
The contents of this brief and accompanying materials is confidential intended solely for the use of the individual or
entity to whom it is addressed. Any use dissemination, forwarding, or copying of this document is strictly prohibited.
LEGAL:
Gray Krauss - Stratford
- Des Rochers LLP
Andre Des Roches
207 W. 25th Street - Suite 600
New York, NY 10001
Tel: (212) 966-6700
Fax: (212) 966-6051
[email protected]