By Amy Delgrande EBS Staff
Outlaw Partners is proud to tackle a number of projects that benefit myriad causes and programs, and the people they affect. So when the Outlaw team was hired to produce a video underlining the need for student and family housing on the campus of Browning, Mont.’s Blackfoot Community College, we knew we could tell an important story.
During several creative meetings, we brainstormed the best way to convey the concept, and landed on a documentary-style approach to tell the story of a family—one of many—with a long daily commute to BFCC.
We headed north to begin production. As we arrived in Browning, we watched dogs running loose and white plastic bags blowing around in the sagebrush. We witnessed a profound need in this area, and then saw a beacon of hope: the Blackfoot Community College campus in the center of town.
Our team briefed BFCC’s representatives on what the next two days would look like as we interviewed and documented the family during their morning routine.
At 5 a.m. the next morning, with streaks of neon pink across a blueberry sky, we began filming. As we entered the house we heard coffee brewing and greeted Melanie, the mother of the family we were documenting.
We captured the sights and sounds of their morning habits, along with the daily commute the family makes each morning in their van, the family’s only vehicle.
Melanie travels more than 60 miles a day to attend classes at BFCC, and hopes to be the first in her family to earn a degree. Other students commute up to 300 miles each day.
As we filmed, a story of strength, rich culture, determination and the strong desire for a better life unfolded before the lens. The video explains why BFCC so desperately needs more student housing: to not only help families propel forward, but to also allow a greater community to thrive.
