SGAC info video
In this topic, let's talk about the video we'll be producing from now until September, and finishing at SGC. We'll post our brainstorming so far, and you do the same, please. Let us know comments and suggestions for what's posted!
So, what we're talking about here is a 3-5 minute promotional video describing and promoting SGC and SGAC, which will be posted on SGAC/SGC and video sharing websites, and distributed to sponsors and supporters. Video is a very visual and engaging way to convey ideas, and it's very popular with youth today. That makes it perfect for explaining what Space Generation is and what it does.
In addition, if we wanted to do something much shorter, like a 30-second commercial, that would be excellent.
All anti-cheese, anti-corn, and as engaging as possible.
Thoughts?
Below are some video concept ideas from Cody Sheehy and myself, they were in email but now here so we can all see them, brain storm off them, and come up with more great ideas that add to this concept or ideas that are completely different.
Cody:
Here is an intial salvo . . . what if we get Space Citizens or NASA involved and make a small (3 min) video that they would be interested in commissioning. Something, "from the young people" that they can show to congressmen next year, etc when lobbying. Maybe filming this group of dynamic young people that we are a part of could be the vehicle for that, if done creatively. It seems like we keep showing up places and runnig into each other ( i.e, I saw ben at the space conference). I want it to be really compelling though. Something that really communicates what it is like to beleive in something impossible and then do it. What all Americans used to be able to do (according to Tom Brokaw in "The greatest generation"). Who knows just an idea.
Ben:
I like the ideas Cody has for some video showcasing both the depth and broadness of the people involved and them coming together to accomplish the impossible (or some type of spin with this). I was thinking we could solicit content from members in the different SGC states to use in the video, but as for what we would be asking for, ....open to suggestions. Watching the super bowl ads gave me some other ideas, but also just confidence on how a simple and cheep ad can really work, as in the case with the Doritos and NFL fan adds.
I had a long phone conversation with Cody tonight about several concepts related to representing SGAC in a video format. (Although he seems to be vicariously posting through discussions with Ben and me, I assure you he isn't just an imaginary "friend". :D )
To build off Ben's post, here are some of the ideas we've been bouncing around:
-We want to highlight SGAC's strongest attribute: not only are we young professionals and students committed to the exploration and development of space, but we are internationally based. Our diversity is key to our success; we each bring a very unique background to our discussions and efforts, developing an organization that truly addresses space exploration and education in a global manner.
-We want to touch on the unifying nature of our work and concerns. Protecting our planet, educating our youth, and exploring the boundaries of our communities (be it local or global) are goals that the majority of humanity considers extremely important. Whether or not we agree on exactly how these goals should be accomplished, we recognize their importance in our lives and that they are the tennants of space programs worldwide. This is a unique and rare platform on which so many nations agree on and strive to achieve.
-In the United States we are (finally!) seeing surge in acknowledgement of our youth to "think globally, act locally", especially in regards to the environment and we would like to hone in on this. As U.S. citizens we cannot speak to the social climate elsewhere and are hoping to get suggestions as to specific regional points of concern that could be incorporated into the general feel of the video(s).
We have three video concepts so far:
-The first would be a short 30 second to 1 min 30 second "trailer" so to speak. We were inspired by Marcel Proust's quote (I apologize if I butchered the translation here) "The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes." The video would be a collage of footage of different SGAC volunteers worldwide working and communicating their ideas in local environments and would highlight the shift in space exploration culture from the Cold War era Space Race to the global collaborative effort it has become. Older footage would be shown in black and white and would segue into color footage of current efforts, both by the SGAC and national space associations.
We also liked Sultan bin Salman Al-Saud's quote "The first day or so we all pointed to our countries. The third or fourth day we were pointing to our continents. By the fifth day, we were aware of only one Earth." Another awesome shot is the photo Michael Collins took of the lunar lander on the Moon with the Earth clearly visible in the background that he captioned "There they are."
-The second video would also be a short, but would best be filmed at the conference itself. A small conference room is filled to capacity with a group of young engineers all arguing heatedly, but it is obvious that no one is speaking the same language. A projector lights with wall with a diagram clearly representing an orbital spacecraft manuever of sometime. It seems there are two particular idea champions, with a 50-50 split in the audience. One scribbles and equation with a digital marker across the attached laptop which flashes on the projector screen, and even louder arguing insues. The other engineer crosses the equation out and scribbles something else in, which brings about more chaotic discussion (all still in completely different languages). Then, finally another engineer steps up out of the audience and writes a combination of the equations and there is silence. Then everyone loudly starts to agree emphatically. The camera would zoom into the diagram and equations and the individual components would fade into similar lines in CAD model of spacecraft, which would then become a fully developed craft swinging away from Earth to ... Mars, the Moon, Titan, Europa, Pluto...or wherever. Sort of building on the idea of math as the universal language and space exploration as the unifying goal.
-Third concept would be to produce a documentary about SGAC and the conference in Hyderabad. This would require SGAC representatives and participants world-wide to spend some time collecting about 30 minutes of varied raw footage that would be edited and incorporated into the film. We've been talking for some time about filming a "Real World" version of what it's like to be a young professional/student in the space industry, and this would be an even better version. We could highlight aspects like the communicating the importance of space exploration to different cultures and finding a common ground to build on, balancing our responsibilities with SGAC with our jobs and school, hopes for the future, etc.
What do you all think?
-Marci
Hi all,
I really like all the points Marcia outlined above, but can we do them all or should we try something else? Thus the hard part begins.
I first want to raise the question of what the specific goal of the video is, who is our audience, what specifically are we trying to tell them, and what do we want them to do/feel once they watch it. Some of these points are addressed loosely in the definition of the PR group but few of them specifically. I believe having these points and perhaps some others clearly defined will help the video development and make it more a part of a cohesive PR campaign vs. some standalone work.
My favorite idea in totally has to be the third. I just like the rawness and how much of us we get to show, which i really think is the point, showing that young people have an important place in this arena. The first idea i see as a good concept but im worried about playing the direct approach past to future card too many times. I have to remind my self that this year and next will see students graduate from high school who were born in the 1990's, just how far back do you go and still attract that freshman in college. The second idea i like visually. If this is going to be a global video it would be best if the message came across without the need for voice over. What i would like to see is number two, some how put into number three. A video showing real people doing real things, with the ending showcasing the new ideas and explorations of tomorrow. So instead of just a random group looking at the CAD model, its a team in India, working with a team in Europe via video conference to get the CAD drawing correct.
Those are my thoughts of the moment.
ben
Ben, I'm completely on the same page. I think the SGAC documentary should be a priority. I like how you combined the PSA idea with the documentary; I can see the video conference happening very naturally. In fact, the IAF Congress the following week in Hyderabad is scheduled to have multiple presenters via video-link.
In regards to logistics: how do we make this happen? What is the goal of our documentary? Do we want it shown primarily as a recruitment tool to be viewed on the website, or do we really want to make a go of it and get it aired on television (PBS, The Documentary Channel, BBC and the like), or do we want to go the film festival route? If we head the television or festival direction, it is critical to find someone who is very experienced with that particular type of media, has produced quality films before, and has the connections to get a soundtrack, a narrator, and find some airtime.
It would be more beneficial for us to have the documentary air on television, because it will have a longer run time, it requires less luck in getting it submitted, and once accepted, requires no travel to promote it. Entering a film in a festival means you can't have anything more than a trailer posted on the website and you can't show it before it premieres at a festival, but it would be more exposure for the writers/directors involved.
So, we need someone so committed to SGAC that they will do it "at cost" and will agree to work for the less glamorous television angle.
These two ideas were for short PSAs. Cody is already filming the first one in Oregon right now.
Idea 1:
A girl wakes up early in a crowded, clearly poor household. As she gets ready, leaves the house, and begins a commute (walking, then public transportation of some sort, maybe some more walking) to an unknown destination, she passes posters. Each poster is of a very famous person, with a short title at the top or bottom. As she passes the poster, the frame freezes and the poster comes to life, showing a short (~2-3 second) video of the famous person. The video ends and she starts walking again.
George Foreman - "too old" - clip of him knocking Tyson out
Aaliyah - "too young" - Grammy acceptance
Jennifer Hudson - "not star material" - Oscar acceptance
Michael Jordan - "too short"* - NBA playoff shot
JK Rowling "not a children's writer"* - Harry Potter movie
Fred Astaire "Can't Act."* - fred and ginger dancing
The Beatles "Guitar groups are on the way out"* - screaming fans
Michael J. Fox "not the face you'll ever see on a lunchbox"* - back to the future
...you get the gist (actually, I just can't think of anymore off the top of my head).The *s are actual quotes.
Girl walks into a computer lab at a school or work (her destination) and starts working on/watching CAD animation/video of spacecraft going to Mars. Fade out to "Here is to not giving up on your dreams" (or something less corny)
This would be pretty cool (especially if you could find more current examples), but the message has to be delivered in an eye-catching and innovative manner, or you aren't going to be able to compete with the number of flashy CG ads the target group is inundated in. If it's too "normal" visually, you're going to lose an audience already trained to tune out PSAs. You need something that pops.
**Cody's Note: Instead of freezing on the posters, we could just have the video running as they pass through the PSA. I like it. Maybe we can have her doing something more than just walking . . .hmmm. Maybe there are people brushing past he moving the other direction? Cliche but it says 'obstacle!" Maybe the people are followed by a terrible gust of wind? This would represent overcoming natural obstacles too . . .perhaps there is a stretch of very lonely territory that she has to cross - space. Then, when she arrives at the office, there could be a huge picture of Mars that she "walks into."**
Idea 2:
This one is tailored specifically for North American audiences, but it could be easily adjusted for any country with a major space program (ESA, JAXA, RKA, etc.).
It costs each American about $1 per week to fund the space program.
It's Monday, and a guy is sitting at a desk at work and he looks at the clock and decides it's break time. He buys a soda and drinks it. He's about to trash the soda can when he sees a sign with a photo of the Earth that says "recycle", so he throws it in the recycling bin. A short montage shows him getting a soda every day of the work week, and then, on Friday, he pauses while he's buying the soda. He stares at the photo of the Earth, then he looks at the can, and then sets it, full, in a special, empty bin. Another short montage shows the bin getting more full, and then him finally struggling to carry it out to his car. Another montage shows people from various places of work doing the same thing. Mechanics, fast food workers, people at retirement communities, teachers, etc. Finally, you see a long line of people holding the full bins in front of a ticket booth window. As each person turns in their box of full soda cans, they get back a box clearly labeled with stuff like "college scholarship", "laser eye surgery", "pacemaker", "cell phones", etc. They happily walk away, passing another recycling bin with a photo of the Earth on it. Zoom in on the photo of the Earth, which morphs into the actual Earth with the ISS orbiting it. Fade to black, with something like the following "$1 per person, per week." "Such a small price to pay for a world of opportunity."
There is a pretty good list of products here.
**Cody's Note: I like the commercial. It hits me as a public service message for recycling more than an add for the space program. Here is the deal though. It made me realize that the real way to advertise the space program is by association, like you've done. Responsible people who recycle also support the space program, etc. Love branding. You don't just buy a harley, you buy a life style.**
What are we going to show in the videos?
I mean what will be the message/catchline/slogan to show up in the video... And for softwares, if needed, http://www.serif.com/movieplus/movieplus5/index.asp try this. Sadly, it's shareware. BUT i love the "softwares with imagination"
Forgive my slowbrain, I think we are going to promote sg(a)c if we just promote SGC/SGAC (disclaimer: this is not intended to say that sg(a)c is any less than anything, or anything mean) this may just make people sleep. (It's anti-cheese anti-corn alright, if people sleep, but I guess that's not what you people want.) It's not an organizations propaganda that makes people jerk up (even if they do, it's temporary) --- it's their slogan, or rather, their message to the appropriate audience.
I think if we target an audience of 1000(say), and produce something keeping EVERYBODY in mind, then the production will be of some mediocre grade, and won't possibly attract REAL MINDS.
So I do not think we necessarily need to make it for EVERYBODY, rather let's make it as geeky as possible, so only REAL MINDS will knock up at your door.
I apologize for my madness if this script hurts anybody in anyway.
~From Madman with Madness (I am a thriller fan) (Do you all think like ALL? Almost everybody says "What a name!")
Hey, Madman;
You shouldn't apologize; if we can't discuss our ideas freely here, where can we?
First and foremost, I definitely see your point, and when I've discussed this with other people in person, we have had similar concerns. However, when I have talked to the multitude of people I know who are not scientists or engineers, they always say the same things about the geeky advertisements and PR campaigns (Please keep in mind these are mostly North and South Americans):
-The adverts make it seem like you have to be a super genius to work for the space program. (This is also a general comment from engineers and scientists that aren't yet involved with a space campaign; they don't feel they have done well enough in school to warrant their acceptance.)
-They don't feel a personal connection because it's too overloaded with science, and why would they want to participate in a program that they don't have the necessary education to work for.
I feel like in order to increase global awareness for the space program, we need to target the non-geeks. As Christa McAuliffe said,"Space is for everybody, not a select group of astronauts or engineers." We space nerds are a unique bunch; we will continue to stand on our soapboxes and yell for more space exploration until we die. We don't need any advertisements, PR campaigns, or public service announcements to tell us it's cool to work in the space industry. We are going to do it no matter what anyone else says.
However, our work depends on public support. The public needs to be able to relate to us and personally make the connection to how space travel benefits their lives, and why they would want to work for the space program, as well.
So, while I will continue to tear-up everytime I see the image of the Earth from space, a commercial from Boeing or Lockheed Martin, anything with an astronaut, or even this ad from Sony, http://img.slate.com/media/40/Slate_Sony_The_Trip_110k.asf , I will also try to connect to the average taxpayer/voter. No bucks, no Buck Rogers, right?
Thanks a lot for that explanation Marcia, it seems to be that you may be still there. Well but since you haven't mentioned anything specific, i take that we can focus for humaned space exploration.
If we talk on pure EXPLORATION, I am sure even among us, (even may be you, and thats natural, too), many people, directly connected will start asking the RISK factors etc - which is a big drawback.
I am a big backer of ADVENTURE and EXPLORATION in space. Is it possible to use the idea of ADVENTURE (pls mind, it's not SELL; or EMPOWERING anybody)in the video?
That is ADVENTURE and EXPANSION of horizon.
Tell me your ideas too, on ADVENTURE.
I like the documentary idea a lot. A similar documentary was made at the 5th Annual International Mars Society Convention which I attended at the University of Colorado in Boulder in 2002. It was done by a production team based out of Denver. Volunteers and presenters were interviewed, and some sessions were filmed for the documentary. Unfortunately, it wasn't aired as far as I am aware.
Hi Marcia,
I contacted Denver Center Media at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts which handled the production. Unfortunately, the final documentary had not been made because 'no broadcaster expressed interest in the footage'. Also, since that time the department has suffered some budget cuts and staff reductions, and so they are no longer in the business of creating documentaries for television broadcast :-(
I'll forward you the full e-mail I received a few minutes ago.
Hi all,
im going to try and put a few ideas out there that i got from reading through this entire thread again, and maybe answer a question or two, or spark some new great idea.
the SGAC documentary i think would be wonderful to do and just as powerful with the story of doing a multi culture and country piece. now actually doing this will be a little harder to pull off. my thought was to have a central group write up a script, and send it out for review by all. Then once finalized have the different shooting teams do their thing around the world, shipping or emailing (not sure if anyone has a large enough file severe to use with video) the final product to a team to assemble, ie edit and post work. i see this method the easiest to get an end product with a polished yet youthful out look.
if i read some of the posts correct there was mention of a general theme or slogan to pull together the video with the audience, i agree this is very important. it will give the direction when we get lost, help explain it to each other and mostly help communicate to the non geeky of us, who this is really for. no one on this forum needs a video to tell us this stuff, we want to communicate our knowledge to everyone else because we find it so important.
in this vein of thought Ive called and emailed some PR professionals asking their insight. they had lots of valuable ideas. one that was expressed a lot was creating or partnering with some type of social network site. this would be sepate from this site to draw in the target public. options include myspace and facebook, but an easier sell would be to one such as space alumni.com, which is like a myspace all about space. (please comment, im interested to hear opinions on this)
Another resource i have found, which can help with the messaging, is background research on 18-25 year olds and their perception of space and exploration. Im going to make some pdfs and post them this week. though most of the data is US specific, it is a starting point. If anyone knows of such information for other countries or regions please share.
I'm glad to hear that Cody is filming something, i know he loves doing that. i agree that the second idea sounds very psa like, that's not a bad thing, its just something to keep in mind, and if that's the look that we want. i like the sound of the first one, but something is missing, or off. i wish i could be clearer about what in particular. I might make a story board of it to see if that pops it out at me. i just see that the concept could be great.
Well that's enough on this post, its way too long already. Hope every one had a great Yuri's night.
ben
GREAT post!
Storage/transfer:
A good site to use for this kind of stuff would be yousendit.com
I think you can post files up to 100MB or so for free, and have multiple downloads of it.
Networking:
We know the spacealumni.com folks, and could probably arrange something with them.
BUT we do have to decide if we want the target for the products we're talking about is either:
1 - space interested people who we want to networkize and recruit into SGAC (spacealumni would be perfect) OR
2 - general public people who we want to inform about space and maybe a little bit about SGAC along the way (for which we'd want to hit up the lines of facebook).
Most of the top executive council (Will, Chris, Kevin, Agnieszka) is going to be in our house here next week, and I can ask for some direction from them if that sounds good :-)
PR pros:
Awesome! If you have any kind of full summary or notes of the things they spoke with you about, we'd love to see it.
The build up for my near 24-hrs straight of Yuri's Night kinda wiped me out for the last month, but it's done, over, and AWESOME www.worldspaceparty.com Hope everyone had a happy one!
Awesome work, Ben.
Hi all!
Joining this forum a bit later, but I'm excited to chat about all this great stuff! I located in California and working on making NASA more accessible to the general public, so PR really interests me.
I personally am of the mind to reach out to non-space folks to show them how cool space can be, and I think a personal angle, like the 'Real World' documentary suggestion would be a great way to do this. This could involve, mini-bios (single sentences long) of SGC folk and how they've made their dreams for space work into their real life. I think the shot of someone hearing all this 'too old', 'too X', 'too Y' is great for the personal angle, too. I really feel that the passion for space is easier to convey that a practical message- though there are gazillions of practical arguments for space :)
Maybe also have people saying 'Explorers Wanted' in a bunch of different languages would be neat- and visually stunning if different landscapes/ people are shown, too.
By the way, I'm a newly minted Firefly fan... Joss Whedon is a genius.
Welcome to browncoats first :-) ...
Delia said :
" I personally am of the mind to reach out to non-space folks to show them how cool space can be, and I think a personal angle, like the 'Real World' documentary suggestion would be a great way to do this."
I don't have much PR experiences (though I was a radio jockey in a space talk show, but sadly no popular), still I think targeting people in that way may serve a good deal... as I think human beings have a tendency to follow successful people....Kind of HERO worship .... I myself also have that mentality.
Also Delia (Firefox is making me mad over the spelling of your name) said:
"I really feel that the passion for space is easier to convey that a practical message- though there are gazillions of practical arguments for space :)
Maybe also have people saying 'Explorers Wanted' in a bunch of different languages would be neat- and visually stunning if different landscapes/ people are shown, too."
If you allow me to be frank, I would say........ "Excitement is what drives us"..... Something my CEO said when we (including me) gave birth to where I am now.... InterPlanetary Ventures.
Personally, I believe however professional a person be .... one need to dream for what people say "crossing the limits".....
and the idea of different language is really great.... like pioneer plaques :-)
Hi guys!
I think there are a lot of great ideas in this forum. Keep up the good work!
Here are my two cents:
I like the real-footage of young people from all over the globe to work together and share their enthusiasm about space.
I think our target group should be young people who want to join us and/or people who want to work with us (space companies, educational groups etc.).
About distribution. I would also like to get the video out to as many people as possible. So YouTube would be a good start. Someone talked about putting it on TV, but I would expect the chances that it will ever make it outside the US be pretty low.
Also keep in mind, that we want people to identify with us. The example with the girl, walking past these posters – the famous people there, are all famous in the US and some of them outside. I know its very hard to find truly global celebrities. (I met a guy from Lybia once who dint know Mickey Mouse) but we could try, maybe by using big stars who are at least continent wide-known. I’m talking about that Indian actor we Europeans or Americans have never heard of but everybody in Asia talks about. Or this African singer we have never heard of but is just huge in Africa. You get my point.
It just depends on what you guys decide. How long it will be, what the story line is etc. Maybe you will come up with more than just one final video, so we have options on target groups, distribution, etc.
Looking forward to more dicussions!
This was made a year ago, hasn't had much use what-so-ever and could probably be adapted to SGAC with a couple of mouseclicks. It really is the product of my conversations with marci which she detailed above.
www.autonomyproductions.com/Movies/Oregon_Space_Grant_web.wmv
Hi spacegen!
I have been inspired with this topic and the way you put your inputs into it, well the idea of having a video covering some of SGC and SGAC activities is an awesome as that is the practical way that we can reach more people, but I think in the future we can think of having some video covering even more that one hour and put them on the website so that whoever want to promote Space Generation can use that, and there is a certain saying which says that to see is to believe.
If you talk about the space activities done by various youth accross the world and put a film which shows those activities I think it will have more impact.
Before us there is SGC, well for now we can think on how we can have a video of not more that three minutes that we can show it to our sponsors, but also it can be used for media purpose.
Just to ask!Jessica I do remember that last year while in India we recorded something like the delegates voices on the SGC, but I would like to know on whether it is out or where I can get those voices that Yohan from Srilanka was on the front side to record them.
This video highlights the history of Space
Generation: the PEOPLE involved, the DREAMS
that we have, the VISION that we develop,
the PASSION that we share, the V.I.P.s that
support us!
Shane Kemper, Marcus Dejmek and Phil Cojanis
did a great job capturing the very first of
what since then has become an annual space
youth gathering.
E.g. listen to what Mac Evans, then acting
Director of the Canadian Space Agency has
to say!!! (3.5 minutes into the video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzlbBHXgrGM
Enjoy!
greetings,
Jim
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