A recap of our video project with the Toy Industry Foundation
Last year the Toy Industry Foundation asked us to create a video for their annual Toy Fair event in New York City. The topic was why it’s important for kids to have toys, so we thought why not let the kids do the talking. We ended up with a ton of genuine, heartwarming footage, and a lot of toy sound effects. Cute overload coming your way—don’t say we didn’t warn you.
Toy Industry Foundation Q&A with Dan Fisher
What was the vision and inspiration behind the Toy Industry Foundation video?
As with so many projects, this one started with, how can we deliver the message in a fresh manner that will get its audience thinking about the subject? A lot of the same people attend this event every year, so sending a message that inspired them to act was the expectation we set for ourselves. We knew we needed to come up with something fresh in order to keep people from visiting the bathroom or the bar, and for this reason, we decided to turn the topic upside down. Instead of focusing on the action, we focused on the results—Happy children.
What elements contributed to the effectiveness of the storytelling?
Using the Interrotron to interview the kids is one of the major elements that sets this film apart. The ability to have the kids look directly into the lens is very effective in the final video.
How do you think your approach to this video helped to capture the unique elements of the brand?
The brand is happy children. At the end of the year, it really doesn’t matter how many toys they distributed or how many events they held. All that matters is the number of smiles they helped facilitate.
Did any obstacles come up while making this video? If so, how did you work around them?
Working with kids is always an obstacle, even if they’re the most well-behaved kids. Since this was a fundraiser, we were working with non-actors, meaning it often took a little longer for the kids to get comfortable with the camera. In general, getting a three-year-old boy to sit still for a conversation is pretty tough.
What was your favorite part of the project and why?
I have two. One was seeing the viewers’ reactions—It really does elicit great smiles. Also, my daughter has one short line in the video and I always forget about it, so it’s a pleasant surprise when I see her for 1.5 seconds in the middle.
One of the best things about our job is helping people tell their story to the masses, and there is no better example of that than this video. Give Bottle Rocket Media a call and let’s tell your story.