FLWBStrainman
New member
I'm not sure if this is the appropriate place for this topic, but it's the best location I could find for it. I'm currently in the middle of producing a PSA on the topic of railroad trespassing. I've named it "Stay off the Tracks." I've already begun filming, and the video should be completely edited by late summer/early fall. There are a few things I would like opinions on.
First things first. I am a volunteer at a railroad here in southern Indiana, so I have some experience. I know the power of trains and the dangers that they present. As with my other video projects, I am striving for realism. My team and I will be using several props, including a legitimate body bag, a toe tag, "police line" tape, and a severed arm (for inclusion in the graphic version, see below.)
The video opens as two teenage girls, Hayley and Rachel, are walking down a road. Hayley decides to walk on a railroad track, while Rachel attempts to dissuade her by saying the the tracks are too dangerous. Hayley doesn't listen. She fires up her Ipod, begins sending a slew of text messages on her phone, and walks down the track. Several minutes later, as Rachel is walking down the road, she hears the disturbing sound of a diesel horn blaring constantly for about 10 seconds. As fast as her legs can carry her, she sprints to the track and sees what is left of her best friend. As Rachel screams, we cut to a shot of of an ambulance, lights flashing and siren wailing, followed by multiple shots of the accident. Then we cut to shots of Hayley's funeral and burial.
We will be using a greenscreen, so the actress and the train will never physically be at the same location. Even though it would be possible, I am choosing not to show the actual impact between the train and the girl. I feel this would be too graphic in nature, and would most likely defeat the purpose of doing such a video. I do plan to show some gore, but within limits.
At the current point of time, I'm planning to do an edited "clean" version, with little to no blood/gore, as well as an unedited graphic version, with shots of a severed arm with blood splatter effects on the roadbed, in addition to close-up shots of graphic nature. Both versions will feature close-up shots of her personal effects after the collision. We will be including things such as her damaged shoes, her broken cell phone lying in pieces between the rails, and her Ipod headphone wire lying across the rail, split in half where a wheel flange passed over it.
What are some thoughts on the graphic content? Particularly, the severed arm. I don't want to go too far, but I DO want to scare people to some extent. This will only be in the graphic version, which will have a brief disclaimer at the beginning. Another gory shot I plan to include has large amounts of blood pooling up in her throat and being expelled from her mouth. Do the above shots seem to cross the line for what I'm doing?
The video itself will be 10 to 15 minutes in length; I doubt it would even fall under the category of a PSA due to its length. It ends with Hayley's funeral and burial, with voice-over narration listing a couple of key facts and figures about railroad trespassing. I am really trying to hit home by showing the reactions of Rachel, the best friend. We are including shots of the hearse and funeral procession moving through the cemetery, as well as closing shots of Hayley's casket being lowered into her grave. I have not seen this type of thing in previous PSA's of this nature, so I really don't know what kind of effect it'll have on the audience.
Any suggestions or comments? I know this is a lot of information, but I'm really seeking to leave an impact on the audience(s). I'm hoping that doing a clean version and a graphic version will allow the video to be shown to many different groups/organizations. My thoughts are that by showing the aftermath, such as her body bag lying next to the track, her funeral procession, and her burial, the audience will get more out of it. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for reading.
First things first. I am a volunteer at a railroad here in southern Indiana, so I have some experience. I know the power of trains and the dangers that they present. As with my other video projects, I am striving for realism. My team and I will be using several props, including a legitimate body bag, a toe tag, "police line" tape, and a severed arm (for inclusion in the graphic version, see below.)
The video opens as two teenage girls, Hayley and Rachel, are walking down a road. Hayley decides to walk on a railroad track, while Rachel attempts to dissuade her by saying the the tracks are too dangerous. Hayley doesn't listen. She fires up her Ipod, begins sending a slew of text messages on her phone, and walks down the track. Several minutes later, as Rachel is walking down the road, she hears the disturbing sound of a diesel horn blaring constantly for about 10 seconds. As fast as her legs can carry her, she sprints to the track and sees what is left of her best friend. As Rachel screams, we cut to a shot of of an ambulance, lights flashing and siren wailing, followed by multiple shots of the accident. Then we cut to shots of Hayley's funeral and burial.
We will be using a greenscreen, so the actress and the train will never physically be at the same location. Even though it would be possible, I am choosing not to show the actual impact between the train and the girl. I feel this would be too graphic in nature, and would most likely defeat the purpose of doing such a video. I do plan to show some gore, but within limits.
At the current point of time, I'm planning to do an edited "clean" version, with little to no blood/gore, as well as an unedited graphic version, with shots of a severed arm with blood splatter effects on the roadbed, in addition to close-up shots of graphic nature. Both versions will feature close-up shots of her personal effects after the collision. We will be including things such as her damaged shoes, her broken cell phone lying in pieces between the rails, and her Ipod headphone wire lying across the rail, split in half where a wheel flange passed over it.
What are some thoughts on the graphic content? Particularly, the severed arm. I don't want to go too far, but I DO want to scare people to some extent. This will only be in the graphic version, which will have a brief disclaimer at the beginning. Another gory shot I plan to include has large amounts of blood pooling up in her throat and being expelled from her mouth. Do the above shots seem to cross the line for what I'm doing?
The video itself will be 10 to 15 minutes in length; I doubt it would even fall under the category of a PSA due to its length. It ends with Hayley's funeral and burial, with voice-over narration listing a couple of key facts and figures about railroad trespassing. I am really trying to hit home by showing the reactions of Rachel, the best friend. We are including shots of the hearse and funeral procession moving through the cemetery, as well as closing shots of Hayley's casket being lowered into her grave. I have not seen this type of thing in previous PSA's of this nature, so I really don't know what kind of effect it'll have on the audience.
Any suggestions or comments? I know this is a lot of information, but I'm really seeking to leave an impact on the audience(s). I'm hoping that doing a clean version and a graphic version will allow the video to be shown to many different groups/organizations. My thoughts are that by showing the aftermath, such as her body bag lying next to the track, her funeral procession, and her burial, the audience will get more out of it. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for reading.
Last edited:
