Government Public Service Announcements
Conducting video production for government contracting is practically a pastime here at Rock Creek Productions. We recently produced a series of public service announcements, or PSAs, for the Environmental Protection Agency on the continuing dangers of lead-based paint in older homes. Homes built before 1978 may still have lead-based paint in them, which is especially dangerous to young children. Our contract was to produce then distribute the advertisements using social media, television, and radio throughout the Springfield, MO, metropolitan area.
In addition, Rock Creek holds a General Services Administration (GSA) MAS contract for Video and Film Production Services (SIN 512110). Our contract number is SIN 512110. Federal government buyers can easily purchase or services through GSA Advantage below!
To view our catalog, visit GSA Advantage.
To Download Our GSA Catalog, click the following link:GSA Advantage catelog.
Step 1: Creative Approach for Government Contracting
The EPA originally envisioned developing a series of PSAs using stock footage and voice-over narration. However, we felt a more personalized, dramatic approach depicting a young family with a small child seeking to renovate their older home might create a stronger connection to their audience. The idea was to introduce the family to the potential dangers of lead-based paint through a licensed contractor assessing their home. We educated our clients on the capabilities of our Herndon, VA production studio, and they agreed that our approach, which we assured them could be accomplished within their modest budget, would have increased impact and appeal.
Step 2: Drafting the Script
Our producer and scriptwriter, Tim Phillips, worked collaboratively with our EPA clients to develop broadcast advertising for 60, 30, and 15-second television and radio spots. Each PSA was similarly branded and depicted a family in an older home, where they wanted to remove some old wallpaper and repaint the interior. The language in each advertisement was carefully crafted to meet rigid broadcast time constraints while presenting critical information in an emotionally engaging way.
Step 3: Casting Professional Actors
As the scripts made their way through client approvals, we generated audition sides and began to reach out to professional actors via several existing industry and social media channels. For example, we sought auditions for a painting contractor, a young mother and father, and a child approximately six years old. As self-taped auditions and contact information came in, we created a spreadsheet that tracked the different roles and included our talent recommendations. We reviewed the auditions with our EPA clients and made final talent selections. Finally, we gathered our talent’s sizes and acquired an appropriate wardrobe for them to wear.
Step 4: Set Design and Construction for Government Contracting Films
The next step in development for this project was to create a set. We knew we’d need to shoot things from two angles – primarily looking into a living room and then the reverse, looking out into a hallway. To give the living room additional depth, we shot a house from the perspective of the living room window and printed an oversized version that we placed outside our living room window. We acquired some old-fashioned-looking wallpaper inside the room, then distressed it to appear even older. We scoured recycled home furnishing outlets and found older styled window frames which we further distressed. Adding a hardwood floor and typical home furnishings and artwork enabled us to create a believable living room. Finally, we pre-light the set before the day of production.
Step 5: Video Production
On the production day – all the PSAs were captured in a single day – we followed our highly organized shot list and moved around the set, capturing our actors delivering their lines and gathering their reactions. We shot everything in 4K resolution with our camera mounted on our slider or our jib. Having a detailed, well-thought-out production plan in place is always key to enabling our efficiency and ensuring we get everything we need.
Our Crew Consisted of:
- a director
- DP (director of photography)
- AC (assistant camera)
- a sound recordist
- a gaffer
- a make-up artist
- a PA (production assistant)
Step 6: Post-production
Our senior editor, Craig Hirshberg, organized our footage into the different PSAs and began to cut each one using our take notes. Alexis Antonucci, our graphics designer, created branded graphics that promoted the key message “Prevent Lead Exposure.” Finally, our clients were kept informed and reviewed and approved all the different phases of post-production – rough cut, fine cut, finish cut – to the final program masters and the different deliverable formats.
Step 7: Social Media Campaign
In addition to all our creative and production work, Rock Creek was also contracted to develop a marketing strategy to place these public service announcements in front of the public within just a few targeted zip codes in the Springfield, MO, metropolitan area. We set up Google Ad buys on YouTube and worked with local television and radio stations to ensure the PSAs have an optimal placement. As a result, our social media campaign was a rousing success. In a metropolitan area of approximately 170,000 people, our ad received some 370,000 impressions and 54,000 views for approximately three months.
The final videos can be seen here.
Note: the 15-second version was the only one featured in our YouTube ad campaign, hence the disparity in views.
Step 8: Spanish-language Versions for Government Contracted Films
Rock Creek was recently awarded another contract with the EPA to produce similar advertisements in Spanish. These are currently in production and are expected to air during the summer of 2022. Are you looking for video production crew for your government contracted film? We are ready to work hand in hand with you to complete your goals and create a vision for your content to reach audiences beyond your expectations! Contact Rock Creek Productions today!
