New SF Video

[JmpMster]

A production video we had made to introduce people to SF. It will be used in various places such as our home page, on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

 

[nobodyknows71]

I love it Ben.
It's clear, straight forward, no nonsense and tells is as is it.

Congrats to all involved.

 

[UnFortunateSon]

A production video we had made to introduce people to SF. It will be used in various places such as our home page, on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Hey Ben...

I'm sorry, but it looked, and felt, like a commercial for Prozac. Maybe it was the cartoonish aspect of it. What's wrong with showing real people, in real pain? Doesn't have to be motion. Doesn't have to be scary. (Although suicide is some scary shit, I can remember when the thought first occurred to me as a viable option, and yes, everything is when you're thirteen. “Scared” doesn't begin to describe the feeling). There are powerful, still photographs out there of people standing on bridges, on train platforms, staring at the ocean... and just the look on their faces says it all... Real people, Real faces, Real, obvious intensions.

I did like the end somewhat, where it tells people; Hey, This is us, This is why we're here, We're free, We're anonymous, And we can Help, etc., etc. Perahaps highliting SF at the start instead of at the end...

I'm in no way a professional, obviously, these are just my first impressions. They're meant to be helpful, not hurtful.

 

[Petal]

omg ben your ideas these days are the bees knees. I love the video, it says it as it is. Just well done for doing things making life brighter for others. You have a heart made of gold

 

[UnFortunateSon]

Because showing real people requires paid actors and model releases from each and every and paid film crew and and instead of something affordable turns into a $7-$10k production assuming you have a agency to make that type of commercial. So far as using genuine real peopel in genuine real pain- will never get the rights to use - and peopel feeling like that are not going to show up to do a video. It is $1500 plus voice actor plus actors per 30 second (as opposed to $200-$300) at both the local agency and a local TV station. It is why we (and virtually every other site) do not use real pictures of real people for anything. Even photos used in posts require us to pay for photo rights - photo rights for stills like in a post average about$50, if put it on video and used in any type of social media the costs for even stills goes up to $750-$1000 / per photo.....

Sadly , the down side of the amount of traffic we generate is having to use extreme caution with copyright images and things like that. We already have a copyright dispute in progress where is completely obviously thta is bollocks - but does not change the need to fle the dispute and respond to any filings on it.

The purpose of the video is simply to help people on social media find a place to get help - this time of year- returning (or not returning to) school or not having a job yet after graduating a few months ago is a very high stress time period which is why choosing the social media for the younger university type demographic that is often struggling this time of year. We wanted something to make people understand they were not alone , and to say there is a place they can find help. So far as effectiveness, we will see and track hopefully it will help people looking for help find it.

FWIW - Prozac does some really good commercials-and spend bib money looking for a way the connects and it does connect to be the number one prescribed drug across the last 15 years when so many people find it completely ineffective (did help me though tbf).

Changing the order would mean telling people about SF without them having a reason to know why / they would not watch if it is a recruitment to join something that has no context.

Also - so far as images you had described - we do not allow discussion of methods based on recommendations from NAMI and other mental health organizations for safety- and personal experience bears out that discussion of methods inevitably has a negative effect as it turns the discussion to action ending as opposed to the problems or issues that can be addressed) here at SF - it would be quite hypocritical to use images portraying methods in what is in fact basically an advertisement of who we are and what we do then say they cannot be mentioned or discussed here.

I sincerely appreciate the feedback - I did actually "like" the videos we produced ourselves as much or better than the commercially produced one- however they do not work well to help people find - just resonate well with the people here. The other 2 videos were "Monster Called Depression" where we use dour own members for the reading of lines , and the "Hate Myself and Want to Die" which has had a LOT of views and resonates well- but does not do the basic purpose of helping new people find our site very well. We use any and all feedback in considering what direction to look in both promoting the message to help people find us and with making our current members feel like we are connected to them- along with actual stats of what gets views and which views turn into sign ups. Without all feedback we are just guessing so it is appreciated.

Ben,

Thanks for the education. I appreciate it.

 

[Walker]

That's all pretty interesting about paying actors and the fees associated with using "real people" and such.

In other news, I like the new video. Good job.

...always hard at work.

 

[Unknown_111]

Brilliant video as it helps to promote the forum and explains the purpose of the forum.

 

[Laura79]

I really like the video. I thought you did an amazing job!!!

 

[Human Ex Machinae]

It's nice but I really want to see the blooper reel:p