Case Study: Cadet’s Positive Social Relations for Youth

In the fall of 2008, BlackCherry was successful in winning a competitive RFP process for the production of a large scale interactive learning product, in both official languages, for the Department of National Defence’s Cadet Program. The goal was to replace and completely revamp the Cadet's Harassment and Abuse Prevention Program (CHAP). The new program was titled ‘Positive Social Relations for Youth’ and it represented 3+ years of research and development for the Cadet Program. This new program, a ground breaking approach to teaching youth positive social interactions, is representative of the forward-thinking innovation that is taking place at the Department of National Defence.

The new product required an immense production effort involving extensive interactive design and programming, video production and print production. While it would have been possible to produce this entire product in house, it made sense from the bidding stage for BlackCherry to engage the help of partners Affinity Productions for the video component, and Innovacom for the print component. The project was overseen, from the client side by Maj. Russell Francis, Capt. Erin Kjosness, Tim Birch-Jones and Capt. John Henry. John Mark Seck, CEO of BlackCherry took the role as senior producer and overall production manager.

Consultations in the early stages of the project identified some key client goals. One was an extremely ambitious timeline with the whole project being produced in a little over 4 months. The second was the client’s desire to mitigate risk by focussing on user-centric design. Finally the overall design approach needed to be fresh, creative and appealing to the youthful Cadet audience.

Once the initial project parameters were nailed down, the first goal was to flesh out the creative design approach while planning logistics for the video shoot. BlackCherry’s project management approach and online management tools proved to be tremendous assets in coordinating resources between the three companies. BlackCherry and Innovacom collaborated on producing the initial overall graphic design treatment, leading to a strong creative branding approach for the Positive Social Relations for Youth Program. This overall approach was used as a jumping off point for all the project components ensuring a cohesive, compelling final product.

A key aspect of the process, as determined at the outset of the project, was to mitigate risk and ensure a user-centric design approach through focus testing. This approach created the need for all the producing companies to come together and rapidly develop a test piece that would be a fair representation of the final product. With this test piece in hand, focus testing took place at the Connaught base. Cadets were given the opportunity to comment both verbally and in written form on the content of the prototype. This feedback proved invaluable in fine tuning the content and design approach to accurately reflect the desires of our youth target audience.

With approach validation in place, Affinity Productions, under the guiding influence of Producer Mike Wetmore, Project Manager Jamie Banks and Director Jacques Ménard brought their usual cool, professional approach to the High Definition video production. Sixteen short dramatic scenarios, in both official languages, were shot over the course of 3 days at the Connaught DND base. Youth talent was drawn from throughout the Ottawa region, again demonstrating the depth of production resources available in the capital. A photo shoot for the print content was executed concurrent with the video shoots. Noted Ottawa Photographer Tony Fouhse combined his artistry and keen eye for portraiture to create unique visuals for the poster and print elements of the project.

Once principal photography was complete, the process moved to production and post-production on all fronts: Interactive, Video and Print. At all stages of the production the client demonstrated a desire to be fully engaged in the process. Rapid turnaround of approvals and trust in the professionalism of the team allowed the tight timelines to be maintained. Early in the process, detailed project management and analysis identified the scope of the project had been considerably underestimated in the initial RFP. A one month extension of the timeline was granted. This additional time, while necessary given the scope of the project, did not affect the final distribution date for the project.

Jim Gardner, VP Production at BlackCherry, was charged with overseeing the massive interactive production. The DVDROM based product presented a number of technical and logistical challenges based on the sheer volume of content that needed to be incorporated into the final interactive disk. The interactive, FLASH based disk, originally slated as speaker support, evolved into a largely stand-alone product involving animated text slides, video, motion graphics and numerous print documents.

A number of revisions of the user interface were proposed and reworked in the initial stages of the interactive design. BlackCherry Creative Director Alberto Garcia kept a close watch over all the design work to ensure the integrity of the branding was maintained. BlackCherry used their well established naming conventions, document tracking and file management systems to ensure a smooth workflow when dealing with the enormous volume of content. Testing of the product was done on an ongoing, iterative basis.

Video post-production was again the domain of Affinity Productions. Approximately one hour of dramatic HD video was edited. A key aspect of the workflow, aided by the close relationship between the two companies, was the exchange of video assets between Affinity Productions and BlackCherry. Given their collective experience and the fact both companies work only to exacting professional standards, this process proved seamless.

In parallel with the ongoing video and interactive work, Innovacom, under Vice-President and Artistic Director Jean Brunette, brought their substantial resources and creativity to bear on the print materials. The Innovacom team delivered, with the help of Tony Fouhse’s photography, a powerful and engaging set of posters, an extensive teacher’s guide, brochures and other print materials. Close collaboration between BlackCherry and Innovacom ensured the overall cohesiveness of the branding approach.

The final products represented a visually stunning, engaging and targeted set of learning materials that should serve the Cadets well for many years to come. This project serves as a successful model of how established companies, each with strengths in specific areas of new media production, combined with a trusting and engaged client, can produce a world class product. Thanks to all team members, and the employees of all the companies involved, for their dedication and hard work in achieving this goal.