Working Traveler is putting together the 2017 video team that will produce a 15-20 minute video at the end of 2017. We pay $100 per minute of video shot by you used in the film and give you a credit at the end and a link to your profile on the site. We also pay you $500 for the footage we use to make a short 5 minute documentary of just yourself. Interested? Read on.
The idea
We want to produce a short documentary on how Working Traveller works for you, the traveller. From hearing about it, signing up, getting work placements booked up, doing the work, getting your references and getting more better paid work from those references. The easiest way to show people how the site works for them, is to show examples.
We need 4 or 5 people/couples – one shooting the other person or you shooting yourself – who documenting your working traveller experiences in 2017 to illustrate the above idea through your footage in the documentary. Ideally we will have people from different walks of life, travelling in different parts of the world. Ideally you will shoot on a DLSR shooting flat files using a separate microphone. A normal, good…. HD hand held video camera will do, you just need to know how to shoot video and make sure the audio is clear and uncluttered and your shots are steady and professional.
So you need to think of telling that point in the story in a few seconds. The documentary will have music so don’t worry if you cannot get good audio for every shot its OK, but make sure it is obvious what part of the story you are telling.
We will tell your story, at the same time as every one else. So for example when we introduce you, we introduce the others, when we use the shot of you signing up, we will cut to the next person signing up. Each shot will be from 2 to five seconds unless you have something really good, or funny ( an elephant walks in and slides your laptop away so you can not carry on signing up).
Story board
Here is the story board you need to follow. How you tell it…. is up to you, be creative as you want, but remember it must stick to the storyboard or we will not be able to use your footage in the main documentary.
Opening shot – Your thinking, your dreaming of travelling, so at work, or if your already on the road, your thinking of how to make some money to not go back to work. Probably no audio for this shot. Dreamy, thinking and then the light bulb comes on. “ Yeah, I know what I will do” and you smile to yourself. ( very subtly, no fingers in the air and “ hey, I got it!”) If your a carpenter, ( ok, your all video people), a hostel receptionist, what ever your skill, would be great to show what your skills are at this stage. To show you want to use your skill and not just pic apples, again subtly, maybe give a hint and later we see what it really is your passion when you start to work.
Signing up – just need a few seconds showing you on your PC at work or laptop in the jungle signing up to WT, or struggling to do it on your smart phone,( yes I know we need phone apps asap). Some over the shoulder shots with shallow depth of field showing the sign up form on the web site and then focusing back to your face would be great. Need to show your signing up to WT and not just surfing the web.
Getting the getting the work placement confirmation from a host – The next shot your out there adventuring, hanging off a tree with a snake, doing what ever, looking out the window of the 18 hour bus ride, far away in your thoughts or laughing with others and you get a email message on your phone, you open it and read it. “Your work placement request has been accepted”, ideally we need to see these words close up, but the main thing is to see your face smile at the thought that you have managed to get some work booked up using the skills you want to use, whilst your out there, or still sitting at your office desk.
Some great traveling shots – no audio, on the bus, boat, walking, you are on your way to your quest, to your first working traveller work placement. So any great travel shots of you can be used here.
You arrive – your meet your host and you look around and get settled into your new home for a few weeks. Smiles, communication, seeing a different life, the family all together cooking with you etc.
The work – the thing you came to do for them, if its video your shooting for them, ok, show that, but I can’t have every skill shown in the documentary as video only! Make one up if you need. Be a clown! I will use that footage for sure. So great shots of you being briefed, you doing the work, having fun, but definitely some serious shots of you working. This is not a £4,000 paid for by mummy gap year work placement. This is real, they expect you to use your skills, your getting paid after all!
When your work is done – try and show what you did if you build something, some day by day stills would be great, and at the end make sure you get shots of you talking with the hosts about what you have done and at least 2 seconds of you and them doing the WT hand symbol together into the camera, yes can be a cheesy smiling set up shot, you can laugh have fun, showing them how to do the WT, if you do it the wrong way, its TW ( Time Waster).
Travel – on the road again, not working, having fun, showing you have some money as you just made some and can now party a bit, or do that bungee jump, or camel ride.
Time to get some more work – show this is not mummy doing it all for you ( I so want to smash the gap year con market!) show you need to invest time in getting the work booked up, so different shots of you on the laptop concentrating, maybe when others are partying, your working into the glow of your laptop looking at where to get some work next. Maybe a close up of your reference from your first work posting as this will help you get your next piece of work for sure.
A bit more travel and you get your next “ your work placement has been accepted” you smile to yourself, as the time spent getting the work has paid off.
Traveling to your next working traveller work posting- The same again ending with the cheesy WT hand signal with the host ( like the pics on the home page before you signed up). Hopefully this work posting is more demanding, as you have a reference now, you have more responsibility from the host, and more money?
A short interview with you – “ I have used WT for a year now and… it has changed my life, it has let me do x, what ever you feel, tight head and shoulders shot, yeah nice back ground would be great, but make sure you face is well lit, no bright sunlight and very clear audio.
Ends – with you doing WT hand sign to the camera in any creative way you want, its your sign off from the video.
There will be credits for every one who had video used in the documentary, so a 5 seconds of your filming here will be great and we will put your name and profile link on there for every one to see so they can hire you. It can be funny, you don’t need to be filming, but show it is you that made the video if you filmed your girlfriend for all the shots, so maybe just the camera in your hand or on the table. If you have any shots of you falling over, the shot going wrong etc, we can use that here as out takes as well, as long as they are funny.
Thats it
Depending on what footage we get, we might be able to put together a production for Discovery channel or Nat Geographic etc, but this depends on the quality of the video we get in. If only one of you does a really good job, we can base a 30 minute documentary on just you for the web site ( yes you will be paid extra for this) and possible for TV production. Any profit made by selling the documentary, you will get a share of depending how many minuets or yours are in the doc. You are not signing away your copy right for what you have shot, so if we get the chance to really do something with it, you will get paid extra.
If your just starting out, its a great example to show clients that you understand a brief. If your a pro, it should not take you long to do the extra shots and will be fun to be apart of the whole team.
How to be on the video team for 2017
You need to:
- Make sure that you have the equipment to shoot your video. A good HD hand held video recorder is good enough, as long as you know the basic rules of shooting video (no fast panning!)
- Be travelling and using Working Traveller to get the work you will be doing booked up.
- Understand the story board and realise we will not use your footage if it cannot fit into the above story.
- Be committed and see it through, a few shots of your signing up and you traveling and thats it – will not get in.
- Have your Working Traveller profile fully up to date and where you will be in the world showing on your profile before you contact us.
Contact info at workingtraveller.com and makes sure you make the subject heading “Video team for 2017 application” and send some links to show some examples of your work and your link to your fully filled in WT profile. If we like what we see, we will contact you to let you know if you have been accepted into the team. Please no “ We are a professional video team and can shot what ever you want” emails.
