MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS CAN ENTER TO WIN -- TAKE ACTION AGAINST DISTRACTION VIDEO CONTEST!
WHY: Safe Kids observed 34,000 students crossing the street last year and found that one in eight middle school students crossed the street distracted. These distracted teens were most often texting or wearing headphones. Those kids were lucky nothing happened to them! When you don’t look where you are going, you are putting yourself and those around you in danger. We are asking you and your friends to help us remind teens to do the right thing when they are walking.
WHAT: Now if you had to remind your friends of this, what would you say to make them safer? If you can make the best message, say it to your friends and create a 60 second video of you doing it, you might be famous!
HOW: Submit your ideas to us in one of two ways: 1. A Storyboard: A storyboard represents the scenes planned for video production and visually tells the story panel by panel, kind of like a comic book. Submit your creative storyboard - keep a timeframe of up to 60 seconds in mind - your concept if it wins will be brought to life by us!
2. A Video: Create a short creative video up to 60 second of you and your friends showing you helping them know how to be safe and walking without distraction. It will take lots of skill on your part to ask the question “How would you tell your friends to put down their phones when crossing the street?” Videos will be judged by Safe Kids and Safe Routes to School to determine a winner. You can use your phone, tablet, or other recording device.
Watch this instructional video!
Your video will be entered into a local contest through Safe Kids. If your video wins based on your knowledge, your skill, and your ability to get the message out there, it may be sent to Washington, D.C. and judged by really cool people. That’s after you win a $50 Amazon gift card. If your video makes it through the finals, you will win some money for your school ($250) and money for you ($250). But the best thing you will win is a day with a really smart, professional videographer who will work with you to make your video worthy of a serious following.
WHEN:
Start now! Get a group of friends together and start your video or storyboard. Then submit your proposals to Safe Kids by emailing your video to [email protected] by 5:00pm on February 6, 2015. Stay tuned for the grand prize winner to be announced in March 2015!
Tips for Fun (and Safe) Participation:
Demonstrate your response however you like while staying safe. We’re excited to see and hear the creative ways you tell your friends to put down their phones when crossing the street. To help you with this project, there is an instructional video that will show you what we’re looking for and give you a few tips to make your submission even better. The information in the instructional video is also listed below:
- Make sure to hold the camera horizontally the whole time- this makes it easier to watch!
- Keep your film within the 60 second time limit. We’ll be watching a lot of submissions.
- Remember, getting the message across is most important. We welcome humor and creativity as long as you’re responding to the question.
- Have fun! Be creative and use your imagination. Your video could help save lives.
Examples:
- Create a rap, chant, poem or cheer!
- Act out a scene from a script
- Be candid and tell your friends to take “action against distraction!”
Stay safe when filming:
- It’s always best to walk on sidewalks or paths and cross at street corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks.
- To stay safe, put down your devices and then look left, right and left again when crossing the street.
- Make eye contact with drivers before crossing the street and be sure to watch out for cars that are turning or backing up.