Location: London, UK
Member Since: November 2009
Biggest Win: $1,000
Lifetime Tongal Earnings: $1,250
In this edition of the Tongal Twelve, Caleb Light-Wills interviews Kieran Ball, 3rd place winner of the $10,000 Kiva Instructional Video Competition. Kieran’s video, “From Desk To Door: Kiva’s Microloan Delivery Service” is exceptional for a number of reasons. First, it features actual video footage of the Kiva loan process in action, acquired during the time he spent in Southeast Asia as a Kiva Fellow. Second, Kieran created this piece without any formal training in video production, whatsoever – An incredible feat when you consider how effectively he merges text, video and music. Finally, Kieran’s video reinforces the notion that content trumps form, or, that a high quality story is more important than a high quality camera. “From Desk To Door” is not one of the prettiest video we’ve ever seen, but it’s certainly one of the most compelling.
Caleb Light-Wills – How and when did you first find out about Tongal?
Kieran Ball – I first read about Tongal on the Kiva.org blog in November 2009. I had recently completed a Kiva Fellowship, during which I was placed as a volunteer with some of their field partners in developing countries, so I was really excited to see a competition benefiting such a great organization. Due to the complexity of their model, Kiva.org have a difficult time explaining what they do and how it works, so the competition was an excellent idea. I had made some amateur videos about them while on my fellowship and had a lot of spare footage, so I immediately started coming up with concepts for my entry.
CLW – Were you apprehensive, or was it something you understood immediately?
KB – I was a little apprehensive at first, perhaps because I have never heard of a site that crowdsources video content, but after reading the rules I felt I understood enough to take part.
CLW – Kiva: So how did it feel to win $1,000 for two-minute video?
KB – It felt brilliant, especially considering the number and quality of entries. I had actually only expected a few entries, but when I saw there were over fifty, my heart sank. The win gave me a lot of confidence to continue making videos.
CLW – Considering that Kiva was an organization you were already associated with, what did you think of the other videos in the contest?
KB – I was incredibly impressed with all of the entrants who hadn’t heard of Kiva, but who did their research carefully and produced such informative and clear videos.
CLW – Your “From Desk To Doorstep…” video features some pretty raw and incredible footage; where was it all shot and when did you shoot it?
KB – The footage was shot in Cambodia and West Timor, Indonesia in early 2009. It was so beautiful there that I had my camera with me permanently. As part of my Kiva Fellowship, I visited many rural villages far off the beaten track. It was an eye-opening and humbling experience, as well as providing prime Canon fodder, if you’ll excuse the pun.
CLW – How long did it take you to create “From Desk to Doorstep” and what was your process like?
KB – I shot all of the footage on a Canon PowerShot G9 point-and-shoot and a Flip Mino camera. The G9 has surprisingly good video functionality including a timelapse option, but unfortunately it does not shoot in high definition. I edited the video in Final Cut Pro, which I taught myself the basics of last year. I cut the music down to two minutes using Logic Pro, an expensive bit of software that I should really use more, but instead generally just use to make ringtones for my mobile phone.
KB – I had actually made a completely different video for the competition, but two days before the deadline I decided I didn’t like it, and started again from scratch. I was up late working on the final version, and was so close to the deadline that I didn’t even get to finish it properly. In fact, I thought I had an extra eight hours to finish, as I had assumed the deadline time would be in the California timezone. It turned out to automatically have updated to the UK timezone. Luckily, Kiva have since allowed me to clean it up and change some of the bad parts.
CLW – One of the best things about your video was how well it worked with the music. Where did you find that song?
KB – One of my favourite things about making videos is the way music can add an extra element that you just cannot get with still photography. I found the song on Audiosocket and after a few listens was certain it was the right one. I think Audiosocket.com is a great idea, I like the layout of the site and If I hadn’t have found the Nicole Reynolds track, I would likely have had to record myself singing, which would have been devastating for my chances of winning.
CLW – What is your production background like?
KB – My production background was non-existent until a year ago. In fact I have an accounting and business background, which couldn’t be any further away. But during the Kiva Fellowship I started making short videos to explain how different aspects of Kiva worked. I had always been a keen amateur photographer, but I really enjoyed the storytelling capabilities of video and the emotion you can capture with a carefully picked song and good imagery. While I was in Cambodia, I met two amazing film-makers, James and Rachelle (also entrants in the Kiva competition), who travel the world providing video content to communities and projects that need and deserve to have their story heard. I think this is the most amazing idea, and would love to do something similar someday. Until then, however, I will just try to gain experience by entering Tongal competitions!
CLW – How excited were you to rack up that extra $250 for Most Viewed?
KB – This was more nerve wracking than the judged phase because I could theoretically have some influence over the result. I tried promoting my video on Twitter and Facebook but eventually feared I would alienate all my friends so just let nature, or rather the Internet, take its course. The $250 was a great bonus to receive.
CLW – What are you going to do with the money?
KB – I have actually already spent the money in advance on a new camera! Since the Tongal competition I have become obsessed with watching and learning from online videos, mainly on Vimeo, and have been geeking-out over the equipment used to make some of my favourites. In the end I bought a Canon EOS 7D, which uses up the prize money and then some, but hopefully will be a good investment for the future.
CLW – What is your favorite thing about Tongal?
KB – It’s the only place I can play at being an advertising executive, be creative, make videos, and stand a chance of winning actual money!
CLW – What types of contests would you like to see on Tongal in the future?
KB – I would like to see more informational videos for non-profits, but also more commercial competitions such as the Binaca® or LendingTree ones. I also enjoyed watching the slightly awkward entries for the Camel Ammo competition. I love that Tongal is accessible to people of all skill and experience levels, so please keep up with the mixture of competition types.
This interview was conducted via email on February 4, 2010.
Social poster
Downloads
- No documents for download.
Track comments via RSS 2.0 feed. Feel free to post the comment, or trackback from your web site.
Kinda’ sketchy that a former Kiva fellow wins $1000 in a contest for Kiva judged by the Kiva staff.
Did Tongal think this one all the way through?
Max, to be honest, I think that Kieran should have placed higher in the competition. This competition was done in part to give Kiva enthusiasts (obviously if you volunteer to become a fellow, you’re an enthusiast) a forum to create content that gets other people excited about Kiva. Since there were no rules prohibiting Kiva fellows from the competition, I don’t see how it’s a conflict of interest. Also, the 1st place winner (Erik Andersson) in this competition was from Sweden and never had heard of Kiva prior to this.