So I'm currently working on the planning stages of producing a video for the kickstarter page. This is probably the most important part of the kickstarter aside from the product itself. I've made short movies for classes and other projects, but those were really just clips put together in imovie. So yet another good opportunity to develop a skill I don't have!
I talked to a couple of people who have a lot of experience in making higher quality videos and they told me that having a guiding vision or feel is key to production. The main message of my video is that "Are you my typeface?" is a fun way for children and their parents to explore typography. I could have gone with an ironic or funny take on typography (cue any comic sans joke you want), but I decided that just showing kids and their parents using the book and enjoying it together was closer to the experience I want to convey. So I'm going to make a more documentary-style video with perhaps a scripted introduction or voiceover by me. An important note for making documentaries that I learned from my conversations is that you should shoot all of the documentary video first as you're not really sure what you're going to get. After you edit that part, then you can go and make any scripted segues or introductions that fit your material.
In order to stay organized and in an effort to be prepared, I've made some storyboard sketches and a shot list of things I would like to capture. However, I understand that I'm going to be working with very small actors, so I'll take what I can get.
Shot list with accompanying storyboards
Child using the book
Children using the book
Parents talking about the book
Parents and children reading the book
Daycare teachers talking about the book
This is what I've come up with so far, I'm going to try and shoot some video within the next couple weeks and see what I can get.
I talked to a couple of people who have a lot of experience in making higher quality videos and they told me that having a guiding vision or feel is key to production. The main message of my video is that "Are you my typeface?" is a fun way for children and their parents to explore typography. I could have gone with an ironic or funny take on typography (cue any comic sans joke you want), but I decided that just showing kids and their parents using the book and enjoying it together was closer to the experience I want to convey. So I'm going to make a more documentary-style video with perhaps a scripted introduction or voiceover by me. An important note for making documentaries that I learned from my conversations is that you should shoot all of the documentary video first as you're not really sure what you're going to get. After you edit that part, then you can go and make any scripted segues or introductions that fit your material.
In order to stay organized and in an effort to be prepared, I've made some storyboard sketches and a shot list of things I would like to capture. However, I understand that I'm going to be working with very small actors, so I'll take what I can get.
Shot list with accompanying storyboards
Child using the book
- Over the shoulder shot of child reading the book
- medium shot of child sitting reading the book on floor
- close up of child's hands turning the pages
- medium shot of child standing at a table reading the book
- medium shot of child using the book as a hat or in some other way not reading it
- medium shot of child reading the book on a couch
- child selecting book out of other books
Children using the book
- medium shot of two children reading the book together sitting on the floor
- close up of child handing book to other child
Parents talking about the book
- One parent sitting in a chair talking to camera
- Two parents sitting on couches talking to camera
Parents and children reading the book
- medium shot of parent reading child book sitting cross-legged on the floor
- medium shot of parent reading child book sitting on couch
- child sitting on parents leg
Daycare teachers talking about the book
- shot from behind children with teacher reading book to them
- shot from behind teacher reading to children
- shot of teacher in a chair talking to camera zz
This is what I've come up with so far, I'm going to try and shoot some video within the next couple weeks and see what I can get.
