OTA 2014 Video Spotlights

For the fifth consecutive year, Passenger was proud to partner with OTA in providing content for the first OTA conference of 2014, held in Sioux Falls on April 4th. OTA is a collaborative of creative catalysts and community change makers that connects the social and creative capital of SD, ND, and MN. You can learn more about OTA at weareota.com.

This year Passenger and OTA, in conjunction with the South Dakota Community Foundation, decided to create forty short documentaries profiling subjects that exemplified the core values of OTA. We completed the first nine films of that series for the Sioux Falls event. Not wanting to simply reiterate and show the accomplishments of each individual, we strove to explore the catalysts and inspiration that informs who these people are.

The aesthetic decisions were based on interpretations of each subject’s personality and respective story. For example, camera choice, movement, color, and framing were all used to shape each specific story as individual portraits of the subject. These initial aesthetic goals were informed by phone and email discussions with the subjects, as well as our own background research.

General assembly of the footage, transcoding, etc, occurred in tandem with production while out on the road. Nights and weekends were often spent pouring over interviews in hotel rooms, coffee shops, and lobbies across the high plains. Upon returning to Passenger HQ, final editorial, coloring, and audio mix were executed.

Handling the entire process from pre-production through final delivery, this project really showcases Passenger’s ability to craft stories despite the hurdles of time, distance, and subsequent logistics. Keep your eyes open for 31 more micro-docs throughout the coming year.

Special thanks to each person that opened up their lives and took the time to engage with us in this project.  We were genuinely humbled by the kindness and hospitality extended by each interviewee. Without their willingness to share their story this project would have fallen flat.