The way students in Baltimore experience public transportation is no secret. It’s a consistent barrier that prevents them from getting to school, jobs, or activities on time or at all. The Fund for Educational Excellence wanted to make this topic the focus of their next study.
Historically, their studies only consisted of one data-driven paper that usually receives limited circulation. This time, the Fund wanted to pair their written study with an emotional tie-in that connected their data to the actual experiences of the students themselves, giving their target audience a deeper understanding of the realities they face, ultimately gaining attention and swaying policy.
Working directly with The Fund, we found a student who exemplified many of the study’s findings and crafted a plan to capture scenes that echoed their daily lived experiences with public transportation in Baltimore. In addition to filming with us, they sat down for an audio interview, which provided the narrative backdrop for the videos we produced.
These elements paired together generated an authentic and emotional touchpoint for The Fund’s study, and a face for lawmakers to see when they were considering legislation that focused on solving these challenges.
To achieve this project, we took a cinematic documentary approach while focusing on the personal experiences of a specific student (Na’im). This meant that the imagery and sound design would be essential to the success of the project, as they would work to create a visceral experience for the viewer as we brought them on this journey.
The plan was to spend a full day with Na’im, allowing us to grab B-Roll specific to them and their lives in the neighborhood, on their commute, and at school. The audio-only interview provided the narrative structure for his story, which delves into his life and struggles dealing with public transportion when commuting to school.
The cinematography played a key role in making this project an impactful visual experience. The imagery had to feel organic and naturally lit by sources in the frame (daylight, interior lights, etc.) and not overtly lit. And by going handheld and filming in slow-motion, we introduced an element of chaos in the frame (literally showing a turbulent atmosphere), and then smoothing out the movement with calmer playback as a resolve at the end.
Social Cutdown for Instagram
Social Cutdown for Instagram
The videos have ultimately propelled The Fund’s efforts in getting transportation safety legislation passed in the State. 2 bills that aim to increase student access and overall bus safety have already been signed into law by the Governor, with 2 more currently working their way through the legislative process.
