While brainstorming for my project 2 story idea, I came up with a handful that I think may work well. This is one of the few that came to mind.
The Axle: For this story, I would like to profile a CATA bus driver with a very lively personality because I feel bus drivers carry this stigma of being uptight and boring. I want to show one that truly enjoys what they do and maybe even builds a relationship with his or her passengers.
The Riders: To tell the story, I’m going to use a bus driver with a very charismatic personality as I mentioned above. The kind of bus driver I have in my head is one who talks a lot and who connects with the passengers, so I will also interview some people who regularly ride the bus and know this driver. I’d talk to them about how seeing this bus driver brightens up their day. It would also be nice to include someone who’s really close to the protagonist, be it a family member or long-time friend. It’s always important to talk to people who know the main character very well because they usually bring up interesting stories or memories they have with this person.
The Spokes: As B-roll I would use clips of the outside and inside of the CATA bus in motion, with the driver talking, laughing, engaging passengers in conversation. Maybe the driver goes about greeting people as they board the bus a certain way, in this case I would definitely use that clip and sound bite. I also want to get footage of the driver on his own time when he/she is not working to get a sense of what kinds of things they like to do. That can be some more B-roll I can use. This, combined with the interviews I mentioned above should be enough to tell the story.
The Rim:
Beginning: I want to start with a clip that clearly demonstrates that this bus driver vehemently enjoys what they do. In the voice over to open things off, I will introduce the protagonist and give the viewers some context as to what they’re about to watch.
Middle: Talk to the bus driver about what they enjoy about their job so much and how they stay in such a good mood, knowing they have to drive the exact same route every single day. Somewhere in the middle I’ll place the sound bites I get from the other spokes that are relevant to the story I’m trying to tell. Also in here I’d show the driver in a different setting, away from work to switch things up and not bore the viewer, while giving them more insight into who this is as a person.
End: It’s hard to say exactly what I would end with, without knowing exactly what I have to work with. Ideally, I’d finish things off with a touching sound bite from the bus driver that will really resonate with the viewers. Then I’d cap things off with a clip of B-roll that best portrays this happy-go-lucky bus driver, while he/she is on the job.