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Nuts and Bolts of Creating Effective Video for Ethics Training

Tony Dolan

Tony Dolan• 20 years in Film and Broadcast

• News gathering crew for ABC, CBS, NBC, 60 Minutes, etc

• Producer/Director/editor of dozens of corporate/broadcast productions 80s & 90s

• Story Editor for nationally syndicated Wild Wild Web TV show

• Editor of national commercials and Public Service Announcements

• PBS documentaries

• 2 years at LRN

• Over 10 years in ethics programming

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Programs• Lockheed Martin

• HP

• Merck

• Solvay

• Bechtel

• Honeywell

• AWE

• Mitre* (director/editor)

• Raytheon* (director/editor)

• US Foodservice* (director/editor)

• Many more**while employed by other content producers

How many here have produced video for their Ethics Program?

How many here have produced video elsewhere in their career?

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Effective Uses of Video for Ethics programs

Video for Ethics Programs

• Awareness

• Training

• New Employee Orientation

• Culture Change

• Leadership Change

• New expectations/priorities

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Before you begin, consider…

• Culture - cynical, skeptical, aware, engaged

• Vision/Values/Principles/Code of Conduct

• Message (clarity)

• Audience (entire org, front line employees, managers, execs, etc.)

• Stakeholders (anyone who will approve, appear in, or contribute to video)

Forms of Filmic Storytelling

• Documentary

• Narrative (dramatic)

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Observations on both Documentary and Narrative forms

• Both mean a lot of work for the client (you!)

• Bid evaluation

• Creative approach

• Concept and script approvals

• Access for writers, producers, and crews

• Getting changes and approvals from organizational stakeholders (communications, legal, HR, etc.)

• Communicating stakeholder requirements and revisions to producers

• budget

• schedule

• locations

• Tone from the top/executive coordination

• and much, much more…

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Documentary

• Documents reality

• Interviews and/or narration with

illustrative footage.

• Journalistic storytelling style

• A story arc is still necessary

The Documentary Form

• Can be very low budget (as little as $2,000 complete for single or two person crew, and brief edit)

• Can be shot in a single, well organized day

• Wide range of service providers from new college graduates to network and better level shooters/producers

• First hand, authentic information from employees and management

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Documentary Production• For authenticity, interview situation is best

• Ask questions that lead to desired but honest answers

• Only as good as the interviewees

• TelePrompted copy is inadvisable - lacks authenticity (exception is senior leadership)

• Editing is critical

• possible to self-produce

Documentary Production• Don’t let the equipment drive the pricing (video people LOVE their

gadgets)

• Nearly all professional cameras today are exceptional (HD)

• Good sound is absolutely critical (especially if self producing) - rent or buy good microphones, and learn basics of sound recording

• Lighting makes a big difference

• Carefully consider the environment - noise, background, windows, lighting, possible interruptions, etc.

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Documentary Production• Be sensitive to number of interview locations to be shot in a day - more

locations=less footage & more compromises

• Assume minimum 1/2 hour set up after arriving at a location for an interview (often longer)

• Senior executive minimum of 1 hour set up

• Consider 2 or 3 locations for interviews and bring people to location

• B-roll (footage supplemental to the interviews) is faster to acquire unless heavily choreographed, but still takes lighting and coordination

Documentary costsTop 20 markets (Bay Area, NY, LA, DC, Boston may be more)

• 2 Person (camera/sound) Network Magazine or better quality crew will run about $1,500 - $2,200/day with solid kit of camera, sound, & lighting gear

• Makeup-$400-$600 plus kit ($80-150)

• Teleprompter and Operator $500 - $800

• Small additions to lighting package around $100/instrument

• Producer/Director Minimum $500/day and up (including prep and post production)

• Editor $50-$200/hr (experienced editors should provide solid estimate)

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Documentary costsadvice

• Consider a well connected producer or a production company

• Producer may be able to maximize value from a production company

• Expect markup on all costs - probably 100% (there are many costs beyond the day rates for the crew)

• Producer or Production company must have D.I.C.E Insurance at minimum plus liability (most companies require $3 million liability or more to shoot at their facilities)

• Consider a Producer who uses a payroll company

• Expect at least 30% up front charges

• Self-production is possible but be careful

Documentary Form Questions

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Narrative

• Fully scripted

• Actors

• Dramatic Structure

• traditional story arc

The Narrative Form

• Character arc - constant change, conflict, & challenges

• The Graduate - Benjamin Braddock from an immature, unconfident boy to a confident, bold, young man.

• Add conflict to your characters’ lives, then add more… and more

• Many of the best films are about ethical conflicts: All The President’s Men; Mr. Smith Goes to Washington; Star Wars (the dark side…); Ghandi; The Kite Runner; and many more

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Beginning

Story Arc

Middle End

Ethics/Compliance Crises

Climax (wrongdoing discovered)

DénouementRecap, Policies, Outcomes

The Narrative Form• Can be expensive

• Can be shot in a single, well organized day

• Crew and Cast should have experience in narrative production (very different from Documentary production)

• Effective way to address emerging ethics/compliance/workplace issues (social media, FCPA, Retaliation, Security)

• Storytelling had been capturing attention for millennia

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Narrative Production• Development and Scripting (do table reads)

• Suspension of disbelief - infusing authenticity into fictional drama

• Professional (union-SAG) actors is advised

• Casting is critical

• Sound even more critical than with Documentary - Mix & Sweetening

• Much more difficult to self-produce

Narrative costsTop 20 markets (Bay Area, NY, LA, DC, Boston may be more)

• Director $700+/day for multiple days (often involved in edit)

• Producer $500+/day and up (including prep and post production)

• Non-union actors $300-$500/day

• Union Actors $600-$1,000 (including payroll, P&W, wardrobe, Category 1 Industrial) – Spokesperson $1,300/day – Extras $200/day

• Director of Photography $800+

• Camera gear & Monitoring $600+

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Narrative costsTop 20 markets (Bay Area, NY, LA, DC, Boston may be more)

• Sound $500+/day plus kit ($150-300)

• Makeup-$400-$600 plus kit ($80-$150)

• Lighting personnel $400 - 600

• Grip/Lighting gear $1,500+

• Editor $100-$200/hr - but more predictable than Documentary

• Location fees,Catering, Craft Service (snacks & drinks), Wardrobe assistance, set dressing, Production Assistance to help

• Most rates are for 10 hour days

Narrative Production• Don’t let the equipment drive the pricing (video people LOVE their

gadgets)

• Nearly all cameras today are exceptional (HD) but a variety of lenses are more critical in narrative filmmaking

• Good sound is absolutely critical

• Lighting and set dressing make a big difference

• Avoiding distracting elements (things that don’t look like what audience is used to on TV) goes a long way to achieving communication goals

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Employees as actors - not as easy as you may think…

• Cast a very wide net to make sure you get a competent, diverse cast

• The casting process may generate buzz and excitement for program

• Local theatre players and hobby actors in large companies may be capable

• Highly recommend hiring at least some professional cast as coaches for the non-pros

• The savings in talent costs may end up as additional casting and production costs

• What do you do if major cast member is let go, or dismissed/disciplined for ethical issues?

Employees as actors - not as easy as you may think…

•Even the most gregarious, outgoing person can be intimidated by

the multifaceted, distracting nature of acting in a production with

cameras, lights, non-sequential story production, and the

demands of consistent performances over multiple takes

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Narrative Form Questions

Other questions

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Thank You