Veni Vidi Vici - An interview with the winners of the Waikato video clip competition

This week Mia is chatting to the boys from Cambridge High School about the Waikato video clip competition. Just like Ceasar, they approached it with the motto “Veni Vidi Vici”. Find out more about the winning tactics from Yash, Conrad and Sean.

Mia: “Tell me a little bit about yourself.”

Yash: “I’m Yash Baluni and I attend Cambridge High School. I am co-chair of the school's health and well-being committee.”

Conrad: “I’m Conrad Wilson and I attend Cambridge high school and I am a part of the health and well-being committee.” 

Sean: “I’m Sean Hapi and I attend Cambridge High School.”

Mia: “Awesome! How did you get involved with SADD?”

Boys: Conrad and I (Yash) being a part of the schools’ well-being committee we were given the opportunity to visit a SADD conference held earlier this year. We learned a lot about what the organisation does and its influence on young teens. We instantly knew that we wanted to be a part of its mission. 

Mia: “Yes, I remember you guys from the regional Waikato SADD workshop and your participation was great. What made you decide to be part of this video clip competition?”

Boys: “We were offered this opportunity at the conference and decided it would be a fun activity to do as a committee. Us and the committee all contributed towards ideas of potential ADs and the three of us then executed a few ideas over the holidays and with the help of Sean’s acting skills we were able to create this AD.”

Mia: “I am glad my sales pitch worked :) How did you develop your idea and put your plans into action?”

Boys: “The schools’ well-being committee all contributed towards ideas of potential AD’s. Through a lot of storyboarding and meetings, we reached an idea we loved and went on to produce it.”

Mia: “Wow, so cool you got your well-being committee involved. This is a great way to find out what your peers would like to see in an AD. Did you have support from anyone else doing this video?”

Boys: “Conrad, Sean and I filmed, acted and edited the entirety of the video however did receive support from a few others. For the ideas/ storyboard process the entire committee helped (Paige Steen, Tom Hall, Ben Eastwood, Libby Pease, Keela Jones). Initially, we planned on making 3 AD’s however two of them ended up being too long and the video footage gained wasn’t to our standard but we had a team who helped act in those videos. Actors such as Tom Hall, Kyle Aitken, Scott Bazley, Leo Martens- Stockdale and Josh Bam.”

Mia: “Fantastic team effort. As the saying goes ‘Teamwork makes the dream work. Why did you choose rugby?”

Boys: ”We chose rugby as that is New Zealand’s national sport so many kiwis would be able to relate to the video. The main idea of the AD was to visually show how due to a lack of concentration and the distraction from a mobile device could result in potential tragedy. Comedically we were showing how unusual it would be to use a phone while playing a game of rugby, so it is important to use the same ideology while driving. “You wouldn’t text during the game... Why do it while driving?” 

Mia: “I am sure you will get some attention from our rugby-loving Kiwis. What challenges did you encounter while producing your video?”

Boys: “The main challenge we encountered was keeping the duration of the video under 30 seconds. We had to make a short yet impactful video within that time frame which was quite difficult as we had many ideas however many of them exceeded that time amount.”

Mia: “And you nailed it! Would you do anything differently next time?”

Boys: “If we were to attempt again we would refine and polish our original Idea. Another thing we would attempt is branching off to different sports such as Netball, Football, Cricket and Basketball. This would allow us to bring the same message, but angled to a more widened audience.”

Mia: “How do you feel about your first place and do you have any idea on how to invest the given money?”

Boys: “We are all very happy and proud of this achievement. We intend on using the money to help fund our ideas for the upcoming SADD week.” 

Mia: “What a great investment. Is there anything else you would like to say?

Boys: “Thank you SADD and Mia for giving us the opportunity to compete in this event. It’s been a very fun and educating process from which we have learned a lot and hope to spread this message to our peers.”

Great work Cambridge High, you nailed your SADD AD!

Videos are a great way to make an impact, and the best thing is that they are so versatile. You can create video content during lockdowns (how relevant), you can play videos in a school setting like assembly or form time, and you can share them on many platforms online. Why not make a road safety themed video with your SADD group this year?