Bringing All Stakeholders to the Table

DESCRIPTION

In July of 2011, AARP Bulletin featured Soldier On, the first-of-its-kind program that allows homeless veterans the ability and social support required to own a home. AARP commissioned the creation of a video to tell the story of one of the facilities most successful residents.

OUR CHALLENGE

To create a multimedia video experience that captures the revolutionary approach that Soldier On employs in creating a sustainable, long-term housing solution for homeless veterans.

OUR SOLUTION

+ Unlike most documentary work in which the photographer has access to a subject as they work through significant changes, this piece had to be produced after-the-fact. This required careful pre-planning and collaboration with AARP and the partnering production team in order to develop a narrative that would communicate the core issues without compromising its visual impact.

+ Employed a comprehensive approach to interviewing residents of Soldier On to identify a single subject whose story distilled Soldier On’s complexities in a single, compelling human-centered narrative

+ Fostered a collaborative approach between AARP’s producers, LUCEO’s videographer, and the video editor in the creation and development of the overall concept

+ Worked with LUCEO Partner Tyler Strickland to create and deliver unique musical score for the video.

+ Sought regular feedback from all post-production stakeholders in order to streamline the process of distilling hours of assets into a six minute production

RESULTS

Soldier On debuted on AARP’s website on July 1, 2011. The six minute piece represents a collaboration between editor Bob Sacha, LUCEO’s Partnering musician, Tyler Strickland, AARP’s producers Michael Wichita and Miranda Harple, and LUCEO photographer Matt Slaby. The resulting video showcases Soldier On resident Lenny Costa’s trajectory from homeless to homeowner by using stylistically unique video explorations of his current home as well as places he slept while homeless. Lenny narrates his own story with additional background provided by Soldier On’s executive director.