Our Give to the Max Raffle Prize – a video for CROWDFUNDING!
On October 24th, Storyboard Films partnered with GiveMN to give away a free video production package for a nonprofit to use for their Give To The Max Day campaign. Give To The Max is a statewide crowdfunding event that allows schools and nonprofits to raise money online. We had over 605 entries and lucky number 353, Jeff Hnlicka from Kulture Klub, was the winner!
We couldn’t have asked for a better nonprofit to work with. Kulture Klub is an important program that brings homeless youth and professional artists together. A shared artistic practice gives both artists and youth a rich experience. The results of this collaboration can transform communities.
Here are 3 tips that helped guide this project:
1. Focus on Inspiration not Information
When I first meet with clients, they are quick to talk about the information they want to cover in their video. This information almost always exists somewhere in their marketing materials but they feel compelled to cover it again just to make sure potential clients get it. While the information is important, the real power of video is its ability to strike an emotional chord and inspire the viewer. If you can inspire someone, they will actively seek out more information on their own. And if you REALLY inspire them, they will take a meaningful next step that will help your organization. For this project, if we had focused squarely on information, we could have run the risk of being seen as just a nice arts and crafts program for homeless kids. By focusing on inspiration, we were able to show why artistic expression is a basic need and how it can transform the way people think and live their lives.
2. Use the Movie Formula To Tell A Story
Almost every movie follows the same 3-part story model. This is a model we all subconsciously love so it helps to follow it. The three acts consist of (1) “The Set Up” (2) “The Confrontation” and (3) “The Resolution.” The Set Up is designed to introduce the characters and show why we should care about them. The Confrontation sets the characters in motion on a journey. The Resolution shows how the journey/process has created a shift or change in the characters. The Kulture Klub video follows this model as well. In the beginning we are introduced to homeless youth and learn what we might not understand about them. In the second act, we learn about the journey that artists and homeless youth take together. In the end, we learn about how homeless youth can be changed through participating in an artistic practice.
3. Capture Great B Roll (Footage)
If you aren’t familiar with the term b roll, it just means footage that is intercut with the interviews you shoot. Even if you have an incredibly charismatic interview subject, an audience can only bear to watch that person for so long. It’s critical that you offset the stillness of an interview with dynamic footage that helps tell your story. The key is to shoot things that have visual interest, capture lots of activity and show personal interaction. For the Kulture Klub video we shot an actual youth/artist work session. We had originally planned to shoot on another day but we changed course because it was really important to capture the program's artistic practice in motion. Often clients focus too much on what they want to say in their videos. You should spend just as much time figuring out what you want to show!
We look forward to hearing how Kulture Klub uses this video as a tool for crowdfunding and spreading the word about their organization.
