For our advocacy project, we are doing a call to stop smoking around kids. We decided to go with a movie for several reasons. The main one is that we just feel like it will be the most effective method to communicate our message.
At this point, we are planning to create a video similar to a television commercial. Because we are following this type of model, we will probably be creating a video around one minute in length. This may prove challenging, to get everything we want to say in 60 seconds.
Our plan is to create a two-part video. The first segment will be something of a mockery, promoting smoking. We are thinking of perhaps an advertisement for cigarettes. Due to the somewhat limited resources that iMovie has to offer, we figured this type of approach would be easier to create without fear of copyright. So the first 30-40 seconds will be somewhat corny and slightly overdramatic. Then, the remaining time will be very serious. At this point, we will lay out our message: stop smoking around children.
At John’s suggestion, we are creating this video with the intention that it could be used by one of the numerous organizations that supports this message. Some are informational. Others want the public to support a particular bill or take a certain action. Two of these organizations we have found so far are GASP and the Michigan Department of Community Health.
The copyright issue is going to prove problematic. If we have the intention of sending this video to legitimate organizations, we have to be really careful about all the photos we use. We are already having trouble finding websites we can get good stock photos from. Also, we are going to have to do the same thing for music.
I’d say for photos – go to google and search free stock photos. There are TONS of websites and I mean TONS that offer high quality HD photos that you are looking for. All that they ask is that you credit them somewhere in your commercial (ie – at the end credits or at the detail portion maybe in your caption). Otherwise, there are TONS of smokers on campus, and I’m sure you know at least one of them, that would willing to be involved in a short clip. I don’t know any smoker who is FOR smoking near children… As for music, I’m doing a video for my project as well, and I simply decided that I am going to use any song I want and at the caption of my video say I DO NOT OWN ANY RIGHTS TO THE SONG USED IN THE MAKING OF THIS VIDEO. May seem cliche, but I’m not gonna get sued. Worse thing that’ll happen is it’ll get taken down, and I’ll have to revise my video. Good luck to you!
Cool! I really like this idea. I’m really excited to see how this turns out!