Avoid These Mistakes When Telling Powerful Stories for Your Organization
I have been creating stories for many non-profit organizations for almost 6 years. I have gone through plenty of trial and error. If there are any tips that I can provide to help you avoid some of the headaches I had to face, then reading this post will surely do you good.
Our Justice Coalition 2014 video was one of our toughest challenge to write a script for. Ever year, I feel like there are so many hurdles to go through, because of the nature of this organization. The Justice Coalition is an organization helping innocent victims of violent crimes. Often , we interview victims, whose loved ones were either murdered or violated. But, in the end, we always come out champions! Nevertheless, I will go through some of the mistakes I made and how we were able to find the solution, so that you can easily avoid them when creating your own amazing stories.
BE AWARE of your customer's competition. I have been making video for the Justice Coalition (JC) for almost 4 years. Part of the many things they do in Jacksonville, FL is to provide Victims' Advocacy in the courtrooms. The organization was started by a local BBQ restaurant owner about 20 years ago, after he and his staff were robbed at gun point 7 times. Because this man took a stand against crime and started the organization, I was convinced that it was the only victims' advocate agency in town, but that wasn't the case. Others began to spring up through out the years that are state and individually funded. The question for me now remains, "Why should a donor contribute to the Justice Coalition as opposed to the other agencies?" Here's the answer: While the other agencies provide an 8-5 service, the Justice Coalition works around the clock. So, making sure that we pointed the viewers to services that the Justice Coalition offered, other than what transpires in the courtroom, was highly needed.
One of the ways to help the viewer see how the Justice Coalition team gets involved outside of the courtroom with their client was to re-enact a scene where Ann Dugger, Execute Director of the organization, is at a press conference offering a cash reward to find the murderer of her client's wife (based on a fictional story). That scene played a very powerful visual. Not only do we show the JC team along the side of the victim before they ever step foot in the courtroom, but we see the law enforcement agents endorsing the organization by standing along Ann's side.
NEVER EVER assume that you are only working with one individual in the organization. Sometimes, you need a larger team to get the creative juices flowing. When I started doing videos for the Justice Coalition, I would only interact with Ann Dugger, because I knew that she was the visionary in the organization. But, as time went by, I got to meet the rest of her staff team and learn more about what they knew regarding their organization/ donors/ clients.
Meeting the rest of the team got me to learn more about Rebecca Dugger, director of business development. When she joined the creative team, I was clearly able to see the different approach she brought to the table. While Ann Dugger, a sweetheart of a woman, brought the compassion to the story through the testimonies of the victims, Rebecca brought the sensitivity of the major donors, who are comprised of men and women in the political and governmental realm. Our last two videos had the presence of law enforcements, senators, and state attorneys to help enhance the credibility of the organization. Rebecca knew that even though it is great to see the testimonies of the victims, the video also needed to carry the support of highly esteemed influencers of the city, who can look into the camera and agree about the impact the Justice Coalition is making.
ALWAYS go into details with your customer concerning the script. This is the area, where I fell the shortest in. When I started Name Sake Pictures, organizations would simply hire me to tell their story at a very low cost. But as my rates increase, so does the responsibility and accountability to make sure that I stay on track with the story. That is just perfectly fine with me! My team and I love a good challenge. So, making the vision clear to my customers is now critical. At one point, it wasn't. But now, it is. Because I let this transition slip under me, I ended up re-writing the script 4 times.
The solution to this mistake really goes back to the first two. Because I wasn't aware that there were other agencies in town similar to the Justice Coalition, I needed to include a scene, like the "press conference", to show the viewers of the other areas that the Justice Coalition helps with. Although I completely agree that we should include stories of powerful testimonies, I had to realize that having endorsements from strong Jacksonville leaders is just as crucial for these types of videos. Having a staff member, like Rebecca, can help you work through the details and into a compelling story.
Life is a learning curve of experience. For the most part, it is trial and error. But, if I can facilitate that trial in your life, man, would that make my day! :) So, if you like what you read, like my company on www.facebook.com/namesakepictures, and share this valuable information with your social media group! Thanks again for reading.
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