SHORT NARRATIVE FILM FOR SCHOOLS

We were once again commissioned to create this year’s fundraiser film for YSZ. We needed to create a new concept that would cover the breadth of the YSZ schools in an exciting and emotional way.

LIFELINES YSZ FILM

Eden, the marketing and communications manager, approached me and asked, “Shmuel, what can we create that stands out? What’s different? What’s not promotional?” After a few days of brainstorming and back-and-forth, we compiled a list of things we didn’t want:

1. An interview-based film with numerous interviewees.

2. A general film about the three schools that merely shows what they’re doing.

3. Nothing generic or run-of-the-mill.

We then posed a bold question: “Can we really go all out? Are we willing to take a risk?” She enthusiastically agreed, and we shared the burden of uncertainty about whether our approach would succeed and be accepted .Typically, schools are often traditional and conservative institutions that prefers to play it safe with the idea that they need to "please" everyone.

Here are the key decisions we made:

1. We wanted a personal story.

2. We wanted to show a struggle, the transformation of overcoming obstacles.

3. We wanted only two storylines, two characters.

4. It had to be visually beautiful.

5. We wanted certain parts of the narration to be integrated into the b-roll, the scenes themselves, rather than being separately narrated afterward.

We quickly drafted a preliminary script and submitted it to the board and a few key individuals in the organization. To my surprise, it was approved. I was primarily concerned that they wouldn’t embrace the personal struggles of our protagonists. Most educational institutions tend to focus solely on highlighting the positive aspects of their programs, portraying students as having no issues or challenges. However, if we didn’t include challenges, why would students attend school and pursue education in the first place?

We conceived the idea of telling the story of a high school girl from YSZ, and a boy from YTT, through their perspectives, spanning from kindergarten to high school. The only way we could make this work was to find lookalikes in the lower grades.

So, we conducted extensive casting to find the young versions of our protagonists, a total of eight: four girls, and four boys who looked and acted as similarly as possible to create the illusion that this was the same girl over a span of 12 years.

We embarked on the filming process, creating a detailed script, shot list, and schedules. In just six days, we managed to complete this short film.

Usually schools and in particular classrooms are brightly lit and don't create a close cinema like feel. In order to achieve a personal, yet movie-like look, we included gaffer (lighting specialist) who could improvise lighting scenes on the fly.

Given that our deadline was only two weeks away, we realized that we needed to simultaneously film and post-produce the project. Surprisingly, it turned out to be easier than anticipated. We would shoot for two days, and then edit the footage together. This process informed our subsequent shooting days, guiding us as to what to focus on.

Another advantage of this workflow was that we were able to use projection scenes toward the end. I wanted the "past" projected onto our protagonist students, and to film them commenting on it.

On Sunday night, at YSZ's gala dinner, our film was shown. Many people came up to me and told me the film made them cry and shed tears. This, of course, is the desired effect. Our goal with every fundraising film is to draw emotions out of the viewer, to make them see how important an institution is to them in their lives.

Check out their fundraising campaign: https://100kgoral.org/campaign/ysz