UPDATE:
This was my first trip to Cary and my first meeting with the Cary Debutante Ball Society crowd. The event I went to was the Sundaes on Sunday informational meeting for the young women who were nominated to be a 2007 Cary Debutante. The event was held at the MacGregor Downs Country Club in Cary.
As the name suggests, the event was an ice cream social. Essentially, the point was to tell the potential debs and her family (mostly mothers in attendance) about what she's getting into by signing up to become a Cary Deb. They were told about the money involved ($1,600 - not including attire, parent-sponsored parties, or any extras that families choose to add on) and the time commitment involved (the parties throughout the deb season, the dance rehearsals, and the ball itself.
Sandi Meybohm, the 2007 Chair of the Cary Debutante Society Ball, also told the attendees the potential debs about the opportunities they can have if they are chosen to participate. She talked about meeting other leaders in the community, making lifelong friends, and learning the etiquette of polite society.
After the meeting, I spoke with the Cary Debutante Ball Society members to pitch the film to them. This was the first MAJOR hurtle to overcome in my pre-production process. I needed the Society members to agree to participate in the film in order for the idea to leave the ground.
The Society's largest concern was that I would go into the production with the intention of making the Society, the debutantes, and their families look bad. After I explained that my goal is to capture an accurate portrait of the Cary Debutante experience, they told me that can go ahead with the project.
Once I knew that they Society was on board, I felt confident that the debs and their families would trust that my intentions were honorable. However, finding those family was one of my next big hurdles. But before that, I had to pitch the film to the faculty.
