Awareness videos teach viewers how to “Be Whale Wise”
We recently worked with two Washington state agencies to create awareness videos used as part of public service marketing campaigns to protect orcas. The majestic Southern Resident Killer Whales, or orcas, are listed as endangered in both Canada and the United States. Only 75 orcas remain as of February 2021 and only a third of them are of breeding age. These orcas spend several months a year in Washington State – overlapping with the height of boating season. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and Washington State Parks Boating Program wanted to create educational videos to expand awareness around Southern Resident Killer Whale recovery, including new regulations for boaters to keep their distance and give whales the space they need to thrive.
Awareness video creation
Our team worked with these two state agencies to produce long-format and short-format videos to support the efforts of the Be Whale Wise partnership. The goal was to enhance the public’s connection to Southern Resident Killer Whales and inspire boaters to follow Be Whale Wise measures to help quiet the waters to give these iconic orcas a better chance at survival.
Lighthearted video that educates
For the Washington State Parks Boating Program, we wanted to balance the serious nature of the Be Whale Wise regulations and capture and retain viewer attention with a fun edit style using upbeat and whimsical graphics, music, and tone. By starting with a script and visuals to accompany each line, we mapped out the video shoot to capture footage we needed. We overlayed graphics to emphasize key points, such as the distance boaters should keep from whales nearby. We hired a professional voiceover talent to pull it all together.
Environmental impact video
For the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife educational video we interviewed representatives from WDFW, Recreational Boating Association of Washington, Puget Sound Partnership, The Whale Museum, Lummi Nation, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration who communicated that orcas are in trouble with several factors affecting survival rates, such as lack of food, toxic pollutants, as well as noise and interference from boats. They spoke to the collective commitment to give orcas a better future and how recreational boaters can help by reducing their speed, turning off fish finders, and keeping their distance around orcas.
