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How to make a Safety Induction Video as interesting as possible.


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Hey guys,

My client and I are currently in the process of storyboarding a safety induction video for a large electrical company. The script is basic with telling new employees about the danger of electrical gear and the hazards associated with day to day activities. My client wants to make this as interesting as possible as the target audience is around 20-25 years old. In order to make it interesting and different to the other hundreds of safety videos, what can we do differently? The budget is not a problem so there's no limits to your ideas. We can hire visual effects teams if need be, or hire equipment such as dolly's to create movement.

Thanks in advance!

Jordan Watson

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Why not do it with sexy models? Male and Female? a kin to what Air New Zealand does with their in flight videos?

Another option would be to make it comical-- though that may negate the proper tone.

 

Or you can make it like an Action film-- just did something similar on an industrial for a company which makes-- well reports.

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.. the target audience is around 20-25 years old.. The budget is not a problem so there's no limits to your ideas...

 

 

Giant robots!

 

No wait, shape-shifting aliens!

 

Hire the Hemsworth boys and Jennifer Lawrence, with narration by Morgan Freeman!

 

Do it as a musical, with lyrics by Kanye West!

 

Or get Peter Jackson onboard and have the whole thing acted out by hobbits!

 

Spend 4 years doing an amazing, emotionally powerful stop-motion version with Adam Elliot, break people's hearts and win an Oscar!

 

Or do it like Thunderbirds, with really dodgy puppets!

 

Whatever you choose, make sure the accidents are gruesomely recreated and shot in "bullet time".. :)

 

Good luck, sounds like a fun project!

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Okay maybe I should of put a budget on that ... but thanks everyone for your out of the box ideas!

Looks like this could be one captivating induction video. :D They new employees will definitely be surprised if I were to implement all this in it! ;)

 

Cheers,

Jordan Watson

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What if you did it as a kind of 1st person "open narrative" a kin to some of the older star trek pc games? Shoot it all in POV with go pros or something-- and each employee on an ipad and make their choices and see the outcomes-- good or bad. Like it's a tag team of fixers, and the other one always chooses the opposite choice.

 

something like this:

 

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I really like that idea Adrian, you could really show some stuff go terribly wrong ... or right. It would be an interesting way to make a different type of induction video.

Also thanks for your reply Satsuki, the idea of having real footage of things going wrong is a great way to show the audience the horrors of electricity.

Cheers,

Jordan Watson

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Well let us all know how it goes Jordan. Lord knows I'd be a little bit jealous if you actually got to do that idea. I seem to be stuck in the "let's just play it safe" on the rare industrials i get to do. So many talking heads, and pointing at things in slow motion.

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That's true Adrian, it's very rare that a client wants such freedom of ideas especially for a safety training video. I will let you know how it all goes, thanks for all your great ideas!

Cheers,

 

Jordan Watson

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  • 3 weeks later...

I remember hearing about that video that went viral ... was a very risky move & I can see why they would want to take it down. Content is king!

Hey Jordan, please post this video when it's ready? I've also been tasked with a similar brief!

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HI Yash, we are still in the scripting stage as there is over 30 pages to be storyboarded. It is due in late September so I'll make sure to let you know (and others who have asked above) when it's done. I'm glad to hear you're in a similar situation too!
What is yours for?

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The basic problem with a safety film is that the company is probably trying to sell boring, boilerplate material that the audience thinks they already know. I think you need to respond to the core problem. Is there any way the audience can see the information as valuable to them? If not, why show it at all? How can you engage with the audience in a way that respects them?

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Haha I do like the idea of humour in that video Luke, however I don't think my clients will want to go to that extreme level... as much as the employees would be entertained. ;)

Thanks Jim I understand what you're saying, we have incorporated some real life footage of severe accidents with light graphic content so they can truly see the dangers of electricity. We are doing this so the induction video can be remembered visually by the audience if something were to go wrong when working with electricity. Have you got any more ideas Jim?

Cheers,

 

Jordan

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If you don't wanna go the humour route, there's also emotional resonance you can use to bring your work to a higher level.

For example, this piece of safe driving video is incredibly elegant and visually/emotionally mesmerising:

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hey everyone,

The safety induction is coming along well. A lot of your ideas have been discussed with my client. We are finishing up the draft and will soon head off to make up some film permits, book gear etc. However, there is a new shot where we require a patient being hooked up for ECG. Now, this part is easy, however they also want a defib in action. What is the best way to do this? Would we require and actor to fake the move or hire a special effects team to build some sort of hydraulics under the bed?

The shot will be positioned like the image attached.

Thanks in advance!

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From wikipedia (so take it with the same amount of salt as you would a movie):

 

As devices that can quickly produce dramatic improvements in patient health, defibrillators are often depicted in movies, television, video games and other fictional media. Their function, however, is often exaggerated, with the defibrillator inducing a sudden, violent jerk or convulsion by the patient; in reality, although the muscles may contract, such dramatic patient presentation is rare.

 

 

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