$58 Million Dollar Bond Referendum Campaign Video
Going back a few months, I was contacted by the Superintendent of Hauppauge Public Schools, Donald Murphy, Ed.D., to produce an informative bond referendum video that would resonate with the local community on an emotional level. For me, this project hit close to home since most of my family members are Hauppauge High School graduates. My first thought was that Hauppauge is filled with generations of alumni who care deeply about the community, and tapping into this resource would be a great way to connect with the intended audience.
My team and I met to discuss how exactly to get the school district’s message across in a way that would connect with the community. Our concept for this campaign was to create a story-driven film with the message that while Hauppauge’s past has cemented its place in history, maintaining and building upon that foundation is necessary in order to offer the same experience to future graduates. There are so many Hauppauge graduates who have lived their entire lives in Hauppauge, so we felt that interviewing alumni of all different ages would be an effective way to connect with community. By reminding them of what it was like when they attended Hauppauge schools, we would be able to tug at the heartstrings of community members, both young and old.
With only 3 weeks from the start of pre-production to final delivery, the biggest obstacle we faced was the timeframe. We needed to obtain board approval, create a storyline, schedule alumni interviews, film directive and b-roll footage, as well as sit-down interviews with alumni and school administrators, edit the film, and get final approval from legal. Thankfully, the faculty, staff and administration throughout all of Hauppauge were elated to help us with our mission.
In their interviews, we asked alumni to share memories of growing up in Hauppauge and what the community means to them. We used this audio beneath footage of the community gathered at homecoming, flat lays of yearbooks dating as far back as 1957, and "hero shots" of proud Hauppauge alumni. Throughout the film, alumni state their Hauppauge High School graduating class, ranging from 1968 to 2033. While our subjects speak of the history of Hauppauge, they also point out that in the years since they graduated, not much has changed. This leads into the film’s call-to-action: Hauppauge Superintendent Dr. Murphy tells the community about the historic $58.2 million bond proposal that will be taking place on December 5th. Over this audio, we show footage of areas of improvement included in the bond proposal, as well as directive shots depicting a student's journey from boarding the bus at elementary school to being dropped off at high school as a 17-year-old.
The interviews were by far my favorite part of this project because the responses were unscripted and off-the-cuff. Not preparing our subjects for these interviews led to relatable and emotional responses, avoiding a canned, robotic feel. They expressed genuine love when discussing their hometown and schools, and great pride when sharing stories of running out onto the football field. As a filmmaker, it is so incredibly fulfilling to be a part of a project that means so much to the people involved and that will make a difference in the lives of students for generations to come. We captured so much more content than we could have ever dreamed of, and we hope to share more of these moving interviews with the community in the future.
We are so excited to announce that on December 5th, Hauppauge's Bond Proposal passed with 74% approval. Congratulations, Hauppauge! It was a pleasure working with you on this momentous milestone in your district's history.