Productions For Non-profits

At Village Media, some our favorite projects have been for nonprofit organizations. There is a certain reward in creating a video that helps to better the world in some way.

Take a look at the suggestions below to see how video might be used to help your organization, or follow the links below to the case studies on some of the non-profits we have worked with in the past

Katrina Volunteers / Kids To The Country / Soy In Guatemala

Ecotourism in Belize

The PSA
Every organization can use help getting out is message and the Public Service Announcement or PSA can be an excellent way for you to get much needed exposure.. Although broadcast affiliates and cable companies are not in the business of giving away air time, they almost always set aside some space for PSA's, if for nothing more than their own self promotion.

Your PSA will more than likely be a 30 second or a 60 second spot. It will need to cover the bases, providing the viewer with essential information such as the name of the group being presented as well as how to contact you. Other than that the possibilities are wide open.

The Informational Video
It may also turn out that your organization is more in need of a 3 to 5 minute informational production, something that could be used for fundraising or education people about the work that it does. This type project may call for a little more material to work with, but in some ways it can be easier to produce than a 30 second PSA since you have no time constraints. Trying to communicate everything in a succinct 30 seconds can be a real challenge.

Organizing Your Information
It all boils down to a script and story-board. Will you interview the people of importance and let them have their say? Or will you use people to tell a story? Is there a call to action requiring the viewer to do something like write a congressman or make a donation? Will the actors speak or will you use a voice over, that is, a narrator? All of these decisions fall under planning, the best thing you can do to insure a positive and successful production experience.

If this is truly your first or one of your first projects, apply the KISS rule... Keep It Simple. Interviews can work out well because there is only one person to light and mike for audio. The background can be a blank cloth, a wall, enhanced with a plant, a finite area rather than needing to deal with a whole room.

Of course the interview will only work if the person/subject speaks well on camera. It also may not communicate the service of the organization or group as much as unrehearsed video of the people engaged in their primary activity. This might be a youth organization working with underprivileged kids, an environmental group planting trees, beautifying a park, or saving a forest.

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