“Hey, do you want to add a Hollywood project to your portfolio?” That’s the question a long term client asked me. Game for just about anything, I found out more. Notre Dame’s McGrath Institute for Church Life had co-produced a documentary exploring the life and legacy of Saint Carlo Acutis. Roadmap to Reality examines how he navigated the modern world and tackles urgent technology-related questions.

The film would be in theaters in just a few weeks, and a discussion guide was needed to accompany the opening, as a take-home, educational component. The timeline was tight, but for an  ongoing partner, I’m always ready to show up. And since the goal was helping people find a better balance between social media and real life, I thought I might be able to pick up some pointers.

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Intended to promote a more balanced relationship with technology and the analog world in front of us, the discussion guide needed to be something printable that movie viewers could tangibly work with post-film. The outcome? An engaging workbook with prompts, exercises, articles and spaces for self-reflection that would help the user explore a new perspective and develop helpful habits. 

At the movie premiere, a branded card distributed in gift bags would have a scannable QR-code that accessed the discussion guide. Everywhere else in the country? They would apply the newly-learned digital/analog balance and access this printable guide…by scanning a QR code on the movie screen!