Project Proposal Samples

Learning Objective:

To write project proposals for clients, including coming up with several ideas from scratch and pitching them to the clients, then writing the finalized idea into a script.

Project Proposal: Wevodau

	PROPOSAL FOR: Internet/Presentation Video

OVERVIEW

To produce a short 2-3 minute promotional video focusing on why customers should choose Wevodau Insurance & Benefit Strategies, Inc.

GOALS

This project has value for potential clients who are looking for quality group medical insurance for their businesses.

·      The overall goal is to incorporate video, quick testimonials and information into an appealing promotional video

KEY POINTS TO COMMUNICATE

·      To present Wevodau's philosophy of "customer first." 

o  A desire to "do the right thing" and keep a spirit of integrity

o  50+ years combined experience

o  Follow-through for the customer

HOW TO USE THE VIDEO

The end product would have several uses including:

·      Promotional use on website

·      Presentations using a computer or iPad

CREATIVE CONCEPT #1: Testimonials

CORE CONCEPT

A straightforward approach establishing credibility through client testimonials and examining the company philosophy of being caring professionals

CONCEPT OVERVIEW

This video will show Wevodau Insurance and Benefit Strategies, Inc as a group of down-to-earth professionals who will go the extra mile, instead of being “business only.”  Opens with a client testimonial talking about trouble they had with a claim and how Wevodau was able to help them through it.  Three or four clients will give testimonials about their customer service and , which will lead into Gerry and the other agents talking about their approach to the business, which is to always put the client first, treat everyone like a neighbor, and simplify that which is complex.  Ends with “Our Mission is Your Satisfaction”

RATIONALE

·      Simple approach, easy to understand

·      Establishes credibility right away

·      Allows a good reputation to speak for you

PRODUCTION NOTES

·      Get similar testimonials as the ones on the website

BUDGET - CONCEPT #1: Testimonials

PRODUCTION LENGTH:  Approximately 2-3 minutes

PRE-PRODUCTION

·       Creating a script, questions, production planning and project management.

·        TOTAL: $170.00

SHOOT/CREW

·       A two person crew would be on location with 4 hours of coverage.

·        TOTAL: $600.00

EQUIPMENT

·       Canon 7D, lens kit, audio gear, accessories, light kit.

·        TOTAL: $175.00

POST-PRODUCTION

·       Edit the final video with some graphics, interview shots, clips in and around the office. One set of revision are included.

·        TOTAL: $950.00

OUTPUT

·       We will deliver an electronic file for website, YouTube and presentations.

·        TOTAL: $50.00

TOTAL:  $1,945.00

CREATIVE CONCEPT #2: What Sets Us Apart

CORE CONCEPT

Compares Wevodau with an agency that doesn’t seem to care about their clients as individuals (“stereotypical insurance agency”)

CONCEPT OVERVIEW

A straight-laced “insurance” man sits in a white, sterile looking office.  Through the phone, we hear a desperate voice.  The ”insurance” man says “There’s an 800 number on the website that you’ll have to call.” The voice on the phone responds “I did and they had me on hold for an hour-” “Insurance” man replies, “I’m sorry, try early in the morning when they are less busy”  “Insurance” man hangs up the phone.  Cut to another phone being answered by Gerry. Cut to a wide shot of Gerry on the phone, no conversation is heard. Cut to Gerry on phone with customer “I’ll call the provider for you myself and then get back to you with some answers.... Happy to help!”  Voice-over explains the difference as we cut to shots of the Wevodau team in action:  voiceover example..: “At Wevodau Insurance and Benefit Strategies , we put the clients first and do whatever it takes to do the right thing.  With over 50 years combined experience, you can trust the agents at Wevodau to follow-through for you and your business.... End with a call to action voice over, like “Getting the cold shoulder from the others, warm up to Wevodau Insurance, tagline: “Our mission is your satisfaction”

RATIONALE

·      This concept will show the what sets Wevodau apart from the competition with stark visual contrast

·      Confronts and challenges the negative stereotype that many customers think of when dealing with medical insurance

PRODUCTION NOTES

·      Includes very quick shoot at sterile office and “friendly,” warm-looking office

BUDGET - CONCEPT #2: What Sets Us Apart

PRODUCTION LENGTH:  Approximately 2-3 minutes

PRE-PRODUCTION

·       Creating a script, questions, production planning and project management.

·        TOTAL: $200.00

SHOOT/CREW

·       A two person crew would be on location with 4 hours of coverage.

·        TOTAL: $600.00

EQUIPMENT

·       Canon 7D, lens kit, audio gear, accessories, light kit.

·        TOTAL: $175.00

POST-PRODUCTION

Record voice-over and edit the final video with some graphics, interview shots, clips in and around the office. One set of revision are included.

·        TOTAL: $1025.00

OUTPUT

·       We will deliver an electronic file for website, YouTube and presentations.

·        TOTAL: $50.00

TOTAL:  $2,050.00

WHY CHOOSE RUTAN PRODUCTIONS?

Wevodau deserves a company committed to their success on this project. Rutan Productions wants to be that partner. Throughout the entire process, you will have the attention and service of our company President, Chip Rutan. In addition, Rebecca Rinker will oversee the project from inception to conclusion.

Below are just a few more examples of why Rutan Productions is ready to be your partner on this project:

CUSTOM SATISFACTION

Custom Satisfaction is more than a clever tagline, it says that we treat each customer as an individual. On every project we have the customer tell us what a successful project would be for them, and we then tailor our expertise to meet that specific need.

SATISFACTION GUARANTEE

We also back “Custom Satisfaction” with a straight forward, no nonsense guarantee… We guarantee that you will be satisfied with the project. If we can’t satisfy you, we will never charge for our time on that project. No loop holes, just satisfied customers.

SATISFIED CUSTOMERS

At the end of each project, we ask our customers to fill out a quick survey to provide us with specific feedback on their level of satisfaction. We will show you all of our latest scores in 5 areas of service to give you a true indication of how we are living up to our goal of CUSTOM SATISFACTION.

The client decided to go with Option #2, but we mixed it with testimonials more than originally planned as well.  The following script was written after a follow-up meeting with Gerry Wevodau.

Title:  Wevodau "What Sets Us Apart" Length: 2-3 min

Type: Web/Presentation video Date: August 2012

VIDEO	AUDIO
"Insurance" man sits in sterile-looking office	Voice on phone:  -and I'm not sure what to do now-
	"Insurance" man:  There's an 800 number on the website that you'll have to call.
	Voice on phone: I did! They had me on hold for an hour-
	"Insurance" man: Try early in the morning tomorrow when they are less busy.
"Insurance" man hangs up phone                                                                 Cut to:
Second phone being answered by Gerry
Wide shot of Gerry on phone	(No conversation heard) V/O: Getting the cold shoulder from the others? Warm up to Wevodau Insurance and Benefit Strategies Inc!
Medium shot of Gerry on phone	Gerry: “I’ll call the provider for you myself and then get back to you with some answers.... Happy to help!”
	V/O: “At Wevodau Insurance and Benefit Strategies , we put the clients first and do whatever it takes to do the right thing.  With over 50 years combined experience, you can trust the agents at Wevodau to follow-through for you and your business!
Client Testimonial #1 Lower third: Client name (business), years as a customer	Client Testimonial #1: (example) We have found Gerry and his very qualified staff to be professional, knowledgeable and extremely accommodating.
Client Testimonial #2 Lower third: Client name (business), years as a customer	Client Testimonial #2: (example) Gerry and his staff have consistently serviced us with excellence and integrity, truly putting our best interests in the forefront.
Client Testimonial #3 Lower third: Client name (business), years as a customer	Client Testimonial #3: (example)  Not only has their agency saved Capital Delivery Systems a significant amount of money, but your customer service has been exemplary.
Shots around the office (staff shaking hands with clients, smiling faces, etc)
Gerry OR other staff member	Come in to our office for a visit.  We're committed to putting our experience into going the extra mile for our clients - or as I like to call them, friends.
Titles/logo over office shots Wevodau Insurance and Benefit Strategies Inc "Our Mission is Your Satisfaction"	Wevodau Insurance, where: “Our mission is your satisfaction”

Below are the schedule and shot list for the shoot.  I arranged all of this and sent the necessary emails to the client and the production crew.  I also wrote the questions for the client testimonials.

Thursday, August 16

1:30 - Crew Arrives at Wevodau

2:00 - Randy W.

3:00 - Jeff B.

4:00 - Deb

After each interview, get shots of clients interacting with Gerry and his staff.  Shaking hands, talking, smiling, etc.

5:00 - Gerry 

We need to get the shot of Gerry answering his phone and his line, then the closing line.  

Wrap by 6 at the latest.



Gerry's part:

Shot of phone, Gerry picks it up
Wide shot of Gerry on phone
Medium shot of Gerry on phone "I'll call the provider for you myself and then get back to you with some answers... Happy to help!"

Stand up - "Come in to our office for a visit.  We're committed to putting our experience into going the extra mile for our clients - or as I like to call them, friends." 



Friday, August 17

10:45 - Crew sets up in office above Rutan Productions

11 - Gerry and the "evil insurance man" arrive

Wrap by 12.

Wide shot - insurance man on phone
Medium shot - insurance man on phone
Extreme close up - phone and mouth (smirk?)
Close up - Phone, hang up. 

Note - Try to match cut Gerry's phone

 QUESTIONS:

Why did you decide to go with Wevodau for your insurance? What has kept you year and after year?

One of the company's taglines is "Our Mission is your satisfaction."  How do they live up to that mission in your opinion?

What would you say to someone who is looking for medical insurance for their business about Wevodau?

How has Gerry and his staff helped you through question or issue's that have come up that might be confusing or difficult to understand?

This project is currently in post-production and will be posted here upon completion.

Reflections:

This was the first time that I got to see the beginning process of professional video.  I've been on shoots many times before, but most of them were already arranged.  This time, I met with Gerry Wevodau with my boss Chip Rutan and discussed the possibility of creating a video.  We looked at why and how it would be beneficial and what the video could actually be used for.  Gerry is going to be putting the finished video up on his website but he will also be using the video for promotional use during presentations, either using a projector or an iPad.  I was lucky enough to work with very nice, friendly people on this project, and I know that this is not exactly the norm in this industry.  I took notes at the initial meeting and created some ideas based on the impressions that I got there.  Wevodau is a medical insurance solution for companies, but they place high value on looking at their clients as individuals and doing as much as they can for them.  That struck me as much different than the stereotype about people who work in medical insurance, so I wanted to play on that.  I contrasted him with an "evil" insurance man to show that these people are going to be different.  Gerry and his staff seemed to enjoy the idea since it's a stereotype that they have to deal with all the time.  I found that my thought processes were exactly what they needed for this project.  They didn't want anything too formal but it couldn't be too creative or over-the-top, so I worked within my parameters to make something that will leave a strong impression.
     Something that was new for me on this project was budgeting.  I had no idea where any of the numbers came from.  Before this, I just knew that I worked on videos and the company got paid for them.  During this project, my boss Chip showed me how a budget is broken down.  There is a value for each element of production, and a reference sheet at the office which shows what value is assigned to each.  Estimating the budget is not an exact science, but Chip showed me how to look at previous budgets for similar projects and to try to give accurate numbers that way.  The budget isn't going to be exact, and the clients know that going in.  This production company has a good reputation for staying near budget, however, and I don't think this project will be an exception.