This is a video clip of Shatina who was my choice for the narration of "the history of heroin" segment of the video. In the planning stages I thought that it would be to much for the audience to bear to see me over and over. I met Shatina when I was in rehab. She came in with her Church to do services (Bible Study Outreach Ministries). She had a great personality and presence in front of people. She went through this whole episode on the second take. My nephew Mike Forcier who knows more about the tech stuff helped me a lot, although you must remember we are amateurs. We had use of a studio in downtown Seattle, with a black backdrop and a makeshift teleprompter we pulled off a fairly good shoot with most of what you see done in the editing phase. This was shot sometime in 2002.
Interview With a (Ex) Heroin Housewife
I dedicate some of this footage to women in whom it is very hard on to live the life of an addict. This clip starts off with a series of still shots to the background of an excerpt from Tom Petty's "American Girl" before introducing possibly the video's most compelling story. Susan Martin shares her life in an interview I did in her home around 2002. I knew Susan when I was involved in the heroin lifestyle. Susan and I also attended the same junior high school for a short time many moons ago. The entire interview (approx. 10 minutes) is shown in the full version of the video. In her interview she tells of these despicable people she hung out with. Most people are unaware that she is talking about me. The crux of her sensational story is when her husband was arrested for bank robbery and how she had to deal with her large habit on her own. Susan's story was the most moving to the journalist, Katherine Shiffner, who wrote an article on the video for the Everett Herald newspaper the day the video was to premiere. News Article
There is Help and There is Hope!
This short clip is toward the end of the video where I introduce the destination of most heroin addicts which is, prison or death. (must see full version of video). The video quality once again is not as good here as in the original. I used some special effects to give the black & white negative look. I use the saying in the recovery community, "there is help and there is hope, the only requirement is the desire to stop using".
