Content and Audience Research

To make sure my promotional video would be of standard, and successful for it's purpose I first conducted a survey to see what people thought of recruitment videos. This let me gauge an idea of what people liked, what they don't like, and their overall opinion on if a promotional video would sway them into applying for a job.

Out of 24 responses, the majority said that a recruitment video being available to watch would help them with the decision of what job to apply for.

From the responses to the below question, I found what people would find most helpful and used this to influence what I would ask in the interview or include in the GVs and general footage. The most popular choices by far were interviews with current staff detailing the job description and have the video a "day in the life" style. I used these to also aid with my edit.

As well as this survey, I asked staff who had been in the care industry for a while, and also staff who had only just joined the care industry what they would think on a recruitment video. The majority said that a recruitment video would help them choose which company to apply for within the care industry. They also said that getting opinions and thoughts from staff currently working with the company would help. One person said that having a recruitment video may be biased towards the company, but it wouldn't be so far from a job listing on a vacancy site that it's something to worry about.

Distribution and Exhibition

In order to share the project and finished product with Leaf Care, I uploaded the video, and the advertising and marketing products to Dropbox for Katie to download herself from there. 

I emailed Katie the shared link, so even if she doesn't have a dropbox account, she can still download it.

These videos are to be used as Leaf Care wishes. They may upload them to a YouTube channel and attach the link to job vacancy listings, or share them on social media. I have also uploaded the videos to my YouTube channel unlisted, so that I can have it linked into my Showreel playlist on my channel, but only those with a link can watch it. This also means I have backup copies of the video myself.

Marketing/Advertising Drafts

This is an example of one of the pieces of Marketing/Advertising I created for Leaf Care. They didn't have a PNG logo file of their logo available, so I worked hard on Photoshop editing around a logo with a white background. This isn't a fully usable PNG file, for example if you were to stretch it, there may be a chance it will pixelate. For what I needed it for however, it worked well and Leaf Care Services may be able to work with it too, for example using it for website banners, Facebook page promotions, attaching it to the bottom of emails as an email signature, and more.

The video above is another piece of advertising/marketing I created for Leaf Care Services. It is a short 30 second video made to get the basic points out there, and have a link to their website and email address included. If it were possible, I would've preferred this video to be square, to fit with social media standards (such as Facebook and Instagram video). It's short so people don't drift off, and most of the main important information is included near the very start. 

To sort of "make up for" one of my marketing/advertising pieces being a PNG logo, I also made and sent them a separate video clip of the opening logo from the recruitment videos. This means that if they ever need to use it again for whatever purpose, it's there for them to use.

These are the pieces of advertising I discussed with Leaf Care and that they were happy for me to make, as when I went in to meet Katie, they said they were not too fussed with the 2 pieces of advertising side of the assignment. They can share the video around on their social media.

Chosen Idea Research & Evidence of Complying With Regulatory Bodies

Leaf Care Services

  I have to take Safeguarding regulations into consideration when planning and producing my recruitment video. This means for privacy reasons, and because I haven't had the correct police checks or training, I am not allowed to enter the homes of those that home carers look after. 

Because of this, and for my recruitment video to be true to life, I will be getting shots of my mum and my sister (who both work for Leaf Care Services, and will both be wearing their uniform) looking after my grandparents. This will mean my mum and my sister can do what they're trained to do, without having to get any external actors in at all. 

This also links into why I cannot go into people's homes - a lot of people that Leaf Care Services look after do not have the mental capacity to consent for their houses to be used as locations, and to consent to be in my video. 

I emailed Katie to ask about the job description which I will be advertising, and she sent me back this 'day in the life' version of the job description. It will help when it comes to structuring the interviews and editing. It also gives an in depth look at what it is home care workers do every day. 

Advertising/ Marketing Ideas

Leaf Care Services

Idea 1:

To create a series of posters for social media promotion highlighting the basic information you need to promote when advertising a job role. These would be landscape posters with one carer on one side of the poster and information (including the Leaf logo) on the other side. These could be posted on all social media outlets or outside.

Idea 2:

To make mini-videos using the material I picked up for the main recruitment video to share on social media, tailor making them for Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, etc. 

Initial Research

Leaf Care Services

I know about Leaf Care Services through my mum and my sister who work for them. They're a company who hire people to become home care workers to look after adults and elderly people who by the recommendation of social services need a little bit of extra care, but wouldn't like to be put in a care home.

Leaf Care are a home care, live in care, and soon to be care home service. They provide carers for those who still live at home, whether that is a carer who comes for a set amount of 'calls' during the day or who lives with the client for a set amount of time, usually one week on, one week off. They're currently in the process of being cleared by the Care Quality Coordinators and other regulatory bodies, and building, a new purpose built care home in Yarmouth. This is different to usual care homes, which just pop up in old large houses. 

They have an extensive timeline of their care history on their website (images above). They've expanded over the past few years and continue to expand all the time, which is why they're constantly on the lookout for new staff. 

Initial Research

Carly Rowena

Carly Rowena is a full time personal trainer and fitness YouTuber. She also posts mini workout routine videos to her Instagram page. The content she produces is extremely tailored to an audience interested in her, and how she stays fit and healthy on a day to day basis. 

She makes advice videos, is very supportive of everyone, and is an ambassador for CoppaFeel, a breast cancer charity. 

She updates daily on her social media, and is especially great with Instagram. She gives advice, shares short workout videos and motivational quotes to her following online. 

Contingency Plan

Leaf Care Services

I would still like to make a recruitment video for Leaf Care Services so if everything doesn't go to plan, this is what I will do.

I'll follow my mum (who works for Leaf Care Services) on one of her rounds, getting the shots I need of her working, such as opening doors, saying hello to clients, leaving houses, putting gloves on, etc. I will also do the same with my sister. This will mean I get a still get a wide range of shots, but with only two people.

I will also conduct the interviews while they're working, such as ask my mum questions while she's driving to people's houses or residences. I'll take a tripod in the car and set it up as safely as I can out of the way as to make the camera as steady as possible. With Rosie, my sister, as she's a walker, I'll have to take a steadycam with me around while she's working to get the interview as steady as possible. 

This will still mean Leaf Care get their recruitment video, it's just quite different in terms of how and where I film. It covers the bases for a recruitment video and I have discussed this plan with Katie from Leaf Care Services and this would be suitable as a backup plan. 

Proposal

Leaf Care Services

Pitch & Script

Leaf care services are a home/dom care service. They employ carers who work from a rota tailored to both them and the people they care for. Home care as a service can provide people with the much sought after dignity and freedom they seek while still getting the care they need to go through every day. This can be through the carers helping them get ready in the morning, giving medication, taking those who need it to the toilet, and more. Carers work both independently and in pairs, depending on the call. It’s quite a flexible way of working and can be very rewarding. You can work both as a driver or a ‘walker’, and if you’re on a double up call they tend to pair walkers with a driver. Leaf Care’s office is located on Dereham Road and is easily accessible.

Leaf Care Services are always on the look out for new staff, but now more than ever as they’ve taken on calls from a different company. This means there’s more people to look after, and so they need to recruit more staff.

My idea is to create a recruitment video for Leaf. I’ve researched recruitment videos for other care services, and have planned mine accordingly.

Usually recruitment videos for care services use paid actors to ‘stand in’ for the carers and give a fake account of their job. I’ve decided to use real carers who will give a real account of their day to day. This is to get a real, truthful view on what it really means to be a carer.

I will follow a few carers around on their calls to get the shots I need, such as them arriving at someone’s house.

For privacy reasons, however, I will be having to avoid going in to people’s houses to get shots of the carers working, so I will be getting my mum, or my sister to act as if they were caring for someone round my grandparents house.

 To be a carer, you have to be over the age of 18 or doing an apprenticeship. I will also cover what it is to be an apprentice for Leaf Care in my video. So I will mainly be targeting those aged between 18-40 with my recruitment video. It will be an in depth, but short “educational” video on what a carer does, and why Leaf is a good company to work for. My audience would be both male and female, working class, from different backgrounds. Home care or live in care is a job that you can easily do in your gap year, while travelling around to make sure you have a bit of money before you travel again. Especially live in care, as it gives you a roof over your head. This means this sort of job is great for those who are in or taking a year out before they start university. The lifestyle of my audience would be one where they need a flexible job where they can almost ‘choose’ when they work, such as new parents, young adults, or those looking to work more than one job. My video would be shared online mostly, so would be aimed at those who are already looking online for a job in care, but are still researching what the job entails.

You will see carers doing their jobs, making tea, making beds, arriving, etc.

There will also be interviews so that I can get an account of the job from their perspective, which will be used as both the interview itself and a voice over on the clips of the carers doing their jobs.

It will have music that fits the tone of the video, so soft, gentle tracks.

This does follow the codes and conventions of current practice (play video)

The only difference is, I will be using the carers, not actors, to get a very real video.

This is a rough draft of my storyboards. I’ve included all the cut aways and GVs that I wish to include. Obviously while editing these things may change and Katie from Leaf Care Services will let me know of any changes she wishes, and these will be implemented too.

To get my product ‘out there’ to the audience, I will upload it to the Leaf Care Services YouTube channel (or make them one if they don’t have one already). They can then use this link to share across their social media, or embed in their website or with any vacancies they wish to promote somewhere.

To get feedback from the client I will be sending Leaf Care Services a copy of the finished video, so they can then use it as they wish. Katie from Leaf Care will send me feedback which they have received or from herself, and I will make any improvements necessary.

Form and Style Development

Leaf Care Services

Researching recruitment videos for home-care & live-in care.

This recruitment video features accounts from both staff and customers of the service, explaining what they do, what the role entails, the type of person you have to be. Customers explain how they feel, how to carers make them feel dignified and cared for. The accounts from staff are done interview style in front of a white background (most likely green-screen) and edited to soft, calm music. Interviews with the customers are done in their own home. There's a voice over doing further explaining about how they're looking for new staff, further information about the role, and more. The video ends with a mobile number and website address, alongside the company logo.

This video by Bluebird care is more tailored towards live-in care. The video follows the same pattern as the previous one, with the staff in a more professional interview location. The staff who work are wearing their uniform. This video features more shots of the staff doing their job than the previous, with the video focused on one girl making a bed, making food, helping her customer get ready for the day. This type of recruitment video tends to keep more towards soft, approachable style with their staff, with them explaining how rewarding it is to be a care worker. 

Cross Keys Care went with a different approach to their recruitment video, using more of a 'day in the life' style video. It features shots of the staff working, talking to their customers, visitors, etc. They explain the benefits of working for Cross Keys Care as they do their day to day jobs, making tea, making beds, greeting people all while explaining the role. The video features a clock in some places, to show that time has gone on, fitting with the 'day in the life' style video.

This video uses emotion to play with the viewers feelings. It starts sad, saying that people are sad at 'the end' of their independent living. It picks up after a minute of emotional shots, a voice over explaining how lonely it can be in a care home. This video is more tailored to customers, not staff. It explains that live in care could be the right thing for your mum, your dad, or your loved one. It explains that live-in care could prevent the inevitable 'end' from happening by allowing those who just need a bit of extra care to live in their own home. 

Research

Introduction

  On this blog I will be uploading all my work towards completing my Personal Major Project. There will be pages covering Production Diary, Ideas, Research, Planning & Management, Feedback & Evaluation.

Below are images of my initial notes on the assignment.