Free Iran: UPDATE.. PLEASE read!!!

Scott Pollak · 06-30-2009, 02:22 PM

About two weeks ago I was contacted via e-mail, out of the blue, by a young Iranian who is now living in Belgium, named Jamy. Jamy is in his 30's and is an aspiring filmmaker. He found me thru voices.com, which is ironic since my subscription there has lapsed. Jamy and his family left Iran in the 80's to escape turmoil and persecution, but still have family and friends living there. Like most Iranians, he is stunned and heartbroken over recent events there... the apparent stealing of the election and the brutal crackdown on protests.

As an aside, I happen to have a very, very dear friend in Tehran who I've come to know quite well over the past 5 years or so. Amir is about my age and is like me in almost every way. Amir was ecstatic in the days leading up to the election, feeling for certain that Mousavi would be elected and reform would finally come to Iran. When the election 'results' were announced, Amir was absolutely crushed. I haven't heard from Amir in over a week now and I'm a bit concerned.

But back to Jamy... Jamy asked if I'd consider donating my voice talent to a film he was hurriedly producing to post on the web to raise awareness. I was more than happy to do so. I just got the link to the video about 5 minutes ago. The song you'll hear on the video was written by Jamy and - I THINK - sung by him.

I would ask two simple things:

1) Take 5 and 1/2 minutes of your time today to watch this, and
2) Forward the link to everyone you can think of. If this YouTube video gets millions of hits, it will work towards keeping world awareness up that freedom and human rights MUST come to Iran. We simply cannot let these people wilt away and forget about them.

Thank you all.

Free my land - A song for the people of Iran

JoeActor · 06-30-2009, 02:30 PM

Very frightening. Nicely done, Scott.

I'll add this to my fave list on YouTube...

Scott Pollak · 06-30-2009, 02:45 PM

Thanks, Joe. Personally, I don't like my v/o part at all. I did it quite a bit differently first time around, but Jamy came back wanting an extreme movie v/o read, so that's what he got. But it's the message of the video that's important.

JoeActor · 06-30-2009, 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott Pollak

Thanks, Joe. Personally, I don't like my v/o part at all. I did it quite a bit differently first time around, but Jamy came back wanting an extreme movie v/o read, so that's what he got. But it's the message of the video that's important.

We're always our own worst critics...

I didn't get extreme movie, but it wasn't soft puppy dog either.
More of a split-the-diff to me.

Hope it spreads like wildfire,
Joe

Mike Sommer · 06-30-2009, 05:00 PM

I'm with you Scott on the heavy "Movie VO Read" It needs a little more heart, and compassion, yet still firm.

My first reaction was what are they trying to prove here? The read did not seem to fit the words, or the subject matter.

As for the people of Iran, as soon as they realize that the people that rule them are just old men, then real change will begin to happen.

People should not fear their government, the government should fear the people.

Scott Pollak · 07-01-2009, 01:53 PM

Just got an e-mail from the guy who produced this video. His youtube account was hacked and the video was taken down. He's going to redo the video without the opening v/o and just do the song, which is probably a better idea anyway.

06-30-2009, 02:22 PM	#1 (permalink)
Scott Pollak Warm, Real, Natural Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Posts: 1,888	Free Iran: UPDATE.. PLEASE read!!! About two weeks ago I was contacted via e-mail, out of the blue, by a young Iranian who is now living in Belgium, named Jamy. Jamy is in his 30's and is an aspiring filmmaker. He found me thru voices.com, which is ironic since my subscription there has lapsed. Jamy and his family left Iran in the 80's to escape turmoil and persecution, but still have family and friends living there. Like most Iranians, he is stunned and heartbroken over recent events there... the apparent stealing of the election and the brutal crackdown on protests. As an aside, I happen to have a very, very dear friend in Tehran who I've come to know quite well over the past 5 years or so. Amir is about my age and is like me in almost every way. Amir was ecstatic in the days leading up to the election, feeling for certain that Mousavi would be elected and reform would finally come to Iran. When the election 'results' were announced, Amir was absolutely crushed. I haven't heard from Amir in over a week now and I'm a bit concerned. But back to Jamy... Jamy asked if I'd consider donating my voice talent to a film he was hurriedly producing to post on the web to raise awareness. I was more than happy to do so. I just got the link to the video about 5 minutes ago. The song you'll hear on the video was written by Jamy and - I THINK - sung by him. I would ask two simple things: 1) Take 5 and 1/2 minutes of your time today to watch this, and 2) Forward the link to everyone you can think of. If this YouTube video gets millions of hits, it will work towards keeping world awareness up that freedom and human rights MUST come to Iran. We simply cannot let these people wilt away and forget about them. Thank you all. Free my land - A song for the people of Iran __________________ Scott R. Pollak Warm, Real, Natural... The Voice of NPR Atlanta www.voicebyscott.com

06-30-2009, 02:45 PM	#3 (permalink)
Scott Pollak Warm, Real, Natural Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Posts: 1,888	Thanks, Joe. Personally, I don't like my v/o part at all. I did it quite a bit differently first time around, but Jamy came back wanting an extreme movie v/o read, so that's what he got. But it's the message of the video that's important. __________________ Scott R. Pollak Warm, Real, Natural... The Voice of NPR Atlanta www.voicebyscott.com

06-30-2009, 05:00 PM	#5 (permalink)
Mike Sommer User Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 1,161	I'm with you Scott on the heavy "Movie VO Read" It needs a little more heart, and compassion, yet still firm. My first reaction was what are they trying to prove here? The read did not seem to fit the words, or the subject matter. As for the people of Iran, as soon as they realize that the people that rule them are just old men, then real change will begin to happen. People should not fear their government, the government should fear the people. Last edited by Mike Sommer; 06-30-2009 at 05:06 PM.

07-01-2009, 01:53 PM	#6 (permalink)
Scott Pollak Warm, Real, Natural Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Posts: 1,888	Just got an e-mail from the guy who produced this video. His youtube account was hacked and the video was taken down. He's going to redo the video without the opening v/o and just do the song, which is probably a better idea anyway. __________________ Scott R. Pollak Warm, Real, Natural... The Voice of NPR Atlanta www.voicebyscott.com

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06-30-2009, 02:30 PM	#2 (permalink)
JoeActor Administrator Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 2,904	Very frightening. Nicely done, Scott. I'll add this to my fave list on YouTube...