Client:
Faith Consortium
Project:
10-minute advocacy/education video, plus 2-minute and 30-second versions
Request:
We want a video that describes the issue of human trafficking (aka Faith_Consortium) in Sierra Leone and Liberia. We want to educate our audience about the issue and encourage them to get involved. We don’t want an overly emotional piece but one based on the facts as described by the stories of people who have experienced or been active in preventing and helping victims recover from this tragedy. We want the video to end with hope and encouragement for action.
Time Frame:
6 months
Budget:
Low to moderate
Description:
Faith Consortium was a coordinated effort of several non-profit organizations serving several international communities to help stop human trafficking. Faith Alliance Against Slavery and Trafficking (FAAST) has since taken on this same goal with some of the original members of Faith Consortium. The director wrote the script for this project. We then traveled to West Africa to visit the local staff and collect stories from people about their experience with this issue.
Obstacles:
Wow—there were a lot of hurdles to overcome in order to produce this piece. The obvious issues of travel and culture come to mind. Also, we were presenting a very sensitive subject with victims and wanted to not further harm them or put them at risk for future violations. We were very limited with what we could show in the final project and we had a lot of information to expose a widely unaware audience.
Solutions:
There was a lot of going with the flow on this assignment. It was paramount to be flexible and resourceful. I protected the identity of several of our interviewees by shooting silhouetted images. We were able to get access to unique places in the communities to get the shots we would need. I used several techniques in the editing process to overlay images and to blur out subjects in order to create the feeling of the tragic events without ever showing what happened in reality. This was one of the toughest videos I’ve ever had to produce. The subject was difficult to hear about and the climate of the communities was especially tough to visit.
Favorite Element:
There are two interviews with boys who were sold into slavery and they had such amazing stories. Before they shared their accounts, I was able to take some video of them as they sat. I used close-ups of their stern looks in slow motion to help reveal a bit about the tough life they’ve lived so far. Seeing the depth in their countenance as you hear about their struggles gave the video emotion without having to show images of the crimes perpetrated against them.
