Students will prepare a 7-10 minute film about their grant proposal. The video should: 1) identify and explain the social/health disparity you hope to address with your grant; 2) describe how your grant will provide change; 3) be engaging and persuasive.
Why am I being asked to make a film?
Health communications take a variety of forms and it's important to know how to get your message across not only through academic writing, but through alternative formats as well. This is true for grants as well. Some are even calling to do away with written applications and move toward video grant applications.
How do I make a film?
Students may use Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Rush, iMovie, or another video editing software. I will provide resources or Adobe Premiere/Rush (generally speaking, Premiere is the desktop version, Rush is the phone version). All BU students have free access to Adobe Premiere/Rush. Here are the instructions to download these products.
Adobe Resources
Below are optional training videos to get you started using Adobe Movie Editing Products:
Stock Footage Resources
Stock images/video/music can be used to help make your video more professional, engaging, and accessible. Below are free stock libraries, including resources that include diverse representation. Be sure the images you're choosing are inclusive and appropriate for the population your grant initiative is aiming to serve.
Assignment Submission
Videos should first be uploaded to YouTube and the link will then be submitted to a Blackboard discussion forum. Publish the video on YouTube as "unlisted" so only those of us with the link will be able to access the video.
Draft Grant Film
Groups will present a draft version of their films. This is an opportunity to receive peer feedback about the grant proposal project as a whole, and practice developing a film. Films may be in rough format (e.g., no or limited graphics/transitions, may not have collected all footage yet), but should be at least 4 minutes long and provide the general information required in the final video. Teams will spend about 10-15 minutes talking about their video and grant proposal more generally (including any remaining questions they have about their proposal) to receive peer feedback.
Draft Film Grading
Final Film Grading
FAQs
DO I HAVE TO BE IN THE VIDEO? No! While students may choose to film themselves, students may also choose to use stock images/video and voice over.
HOW DO WE MAKE A GROUP FILM DURING A PANDEMIC? While this does take a bit more creativity, it can be done! Please be sure to follow all social distancing guidelines. This may mean filming sections of the video separately and them putting them together during editing, or relying more on stock video, etc. If you have any questions or concerns related to this, please reach out to me!
WHAT IF I'M NOT VERY GOOD AT FILM EDITING? That's okay! This assignment is meant to be a learning experience to help you gain new skills. However, it is also a team project and the benefit of working on a team is that different team members have different strengths. Maybe one team member is better at film editing, while another is better at script writing. The important thing is that you are distributing the work equitably and communicating with your team members throughout the process.
CAN I SEE AN EXAMPLE? For this assignment, I am intentionally not providing sample student films. The goal of this assignment is for your team to be creative in your communication of your grant proposal, using film as the medium. There are an infinite number of ways to go about this assignment. Yet, I find that providing examples often results in limiting student's ingenuity. If your group initially feels stuck with where to start, that's okay! That's how great ideas are formed, and learning happens in that process of sitting with and moving through "stuckness." I'm excited to see what you create!
Credits:
Created with images by ErikaWittlieb - "photographer camera camera man" • mchiroque - "edition video edit"