New Tech High @ Coppell’s FUZE II is participating in the Better Business Bureau Student Video Contest, held every year since 2012 by the BBB.
The Better Business Bureau (aka BBB) is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to advancing trust between consumers and businesses by rating businesses on a scale from A+ to F. The grade represents the BBB’s confidence in the business’s behavior and proves the legitimacy of the business.
The BBB created the Student Video Contest between selected high school students in North Texas to compete for prizes for both themselves and their school. They create a video in 60 seconds or less about the BBB Accreditation for Business. FUZE learners worked in groups of 3-4, with a total of approximately 9-12 FUZE teams participating in total.
Videos submitted to the BBB will get feedback from professionals who work in the video and cinematography industry.
Doing well in the competition will give you the chance to win cash prizes.
The team in first place will receive $2,000 for the school.
The team in second place will receive $1,000 for their school.
The team in third place will receive $500 for their school.
FUZE split students into groups of four. First, second, and third-place teams will receive a $50 gift card per student on the team, as well as having their video featured on BBB social media platforms.
One FUZE team we interviewed consisted of Afredo Carnera, Neemay Shah, Nancy Macha, and Sarayu. Their video was titled “Don’t Mess with BBB,” which was a dramatic and humorous short video. In the video, a scammer goes through his everyday life. Someone asks the scammer if he is BBB certified, causing him to put on a fake BBB certification on his website. He then is tracked down by a BBB agent and chased through the woods.
Process
The FUZE team expected to finish their video in 2 to 2.5 weeks. When creating the ad, the FUZE team first created a screenplay and storyboard with thumbnails.
According to Alfredo, “Filming the ad was the most interesting part, I had the flu for a portion of it.” The team planned a two-day shoot. Neemay Shah, another person on the FUZE team had some insights, “Alfredo is my go-to camera guy and director of photography, at first we were struggling with how to get this done without him since he became sick the day before they had to film the chase scene in the woods. In the independent study before filming, we did a workshop with the other 2 group members, taught Nancy how to use the camera, and showed Sarayu how to handle audio. They picked it up quickly and produced some good shots. Alfredo handled the editing after he came back.”
“Having the flexibility to step into roles that you weren’t assigned was how we got things done,” said Alfredo. “I’ve never had any experience creating promotional video material. It’s kind of like having a client…I’ve never done something so business-like. I found that to be fun and interesting.”
Neemay stated, “My favorite part was how to tell a story without making it too cringey and try to make it feel cinematic. I think we did okay, I obviously hope we do very well in the competition as a whole, but I’m sure there are other really great entries.”
More information about judging can be found here.
