Writing 3

A very common use of video is for the promotion of products, ideas, events, places, and people. Your goal is to find an outside client, and produce a promotional video. You will also work with a more complex sound mix, layering voice, dialogue, environment, sound effects or other sounds to enhance your narrative or non-narrative promotion.

A. Topic: brainstorming and research

For this writing exercise, you will explore and develop the possibilities you have to devise or solicit a promotional subject. First, devise a list of possible subjects and determine the project that you will develop. Work with your team to come up with a list of 2-3 possible subjects and clients.

1. School organization or need – Is there a particular course, organization, or other entity that might need a promotional or informative piece filmed for their use?
2. Business or fundraising enterprise – Are there any clients that might need an ad to promote their commercial endeavors? A school store?
3. Music or the arts – Is there a band or another artistic group that could use a short promotional subject about them? Is there a theatrical production currently in rehearsals that might need a short to promote their opening?
4. Public service – Are there any current topics of note where there is a demonstrated need for public service messages? Check out ongoing competitions or upcoming competitions that are available to young filmmakers concerning the production of public service segments (for example, antidrunk driving or driving safety, anti-dropout messages, suicide prevention, and so forth).
5. Sports – Is there a need to promote attendance or participation in a particular sport?
6. Other – What other organization or group could use your promotional skills?

B. Sounds

Now use sound as a catalyst for crafting a scene and message for this short.

1. Noise – What noises do you associate with this topic? Are they pleasant? Can they be used in any way to interest the viewer, either through humor, action, or in another way?
2. Voice – Is there a particular message that needs to be said? What type of voice would you seek to address this topic?
3. Music – Are there any types of music that suit this topic? Begin to create a list of possibilities to develop an approach to crafting style and setting tone in the commercial.

C. Writing

Draft a proposal for the project. Include the following:

1. Client & Audience – who is the client and who is the intended audience?
2. Objective – what is the goal of the project in terms of the message that will be conveyed?
3. Content – Write a brief summary of the images and sound in the video. This should be approximately five to ten sentences.

—Adapted from Moving Images

• Saved: 3-Sound and Image