“How do you create a better future?” Providence Christian Academy knows how. And now they have a brand new video, from yours truly, to tell their story. Watch the video. And read on to learn about some of the process and inspiration that went into it.

process:
I was asked to create a video slideshow for the annual ‘PCA’ fundraising dinner. The major challenge was creating something compelling, using only still images. Being limited to stills tends to be a common problem – that you too may have already encountered. Here were some of the techniques used to add depth to the project.

(1) Create a narrative. My co-worker Matt, who is very familiar with the school’s mission, wrote out a script. That script was later used to record Voice Over (VO). All the images and animations were designed to support the narrative.

(2) Set the mood. I choose a track, from Bibio, that starts off inquisitive & classical. And later builds to finish up-beat. The VO talent also helped convey a youthful spirit.

(3) Utilize visual connotations. For instance, what visuals can you think of that relate to schools? I came up with ideas like yearbook photos, chalkboards, and doodling.

(4) Think about transitions. How can you transition between images in a way that relates to the mood, theme, and pace of your video? I incorporated elements from the chalk board frame as borders. Sliding quickly between images helped to keep an up-beat pace. Varying the direction of the slide helped keep visual interest.

Thanks to Jane, for contributing the chalk writing.

inspiration:
This video from ‘QBF’, sports some very
interesting transitions and rack focusing.



Here are a couple links to block animations
that inspired the first section of my video.

animation: stephen jackson
script: matt bergeson