If you’re in the content creation business, and someone suggests that your next project should be a global video production, it’s not unusual to feel an icy-cold shiver run down your spine. 

Shooting internationally has always been fraught with challenges. For a start, there’s the cost. Traveling around the world gets more expensive and logistically complicated every year, and the pandemic hasn’t made that any easier. Then there’s lugging the equipment, location scouting, crews, visas, and, well a laundry list of other issues you know well.

So when the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) wanted to unite their global community of “Torchbearers” (people who’ve pledged to protect our oceans) they knew they couldn’t approach the project in a traditional way. This was no ordinary video, with the goal being to eloquently communicate a call to action and grow the Torchbearer community to 1 billion members. That’s billion. Roughly one-eighth of the global population. 

Not only that but the project required everyone appearing in the video to stick to a meticulously crafted script. Think about that. A global production. Members dispersed around the world. A script that had to be nailed. And a goal that would feel lofty to the biggest brands with the deepest pockets. 

The only way forward was User Generated Content (UGC).

Tapping UGC in a unique way to get unprecedented results

PADI knew that UGC was the key to this project. But to execute the plan, they needed a tool that would give them the control and flexibility to wrangle its contributors effectively. Cinebody was the answer. 

With almost everyone in the world now having access to a smartphone, which is essentially a pocket-sized professional movie camera, getting equipment dispersed worldwide was no longer an issue. Neither was travel and the insane costs and headaches that go with it.

PADI simply sent a link to its members who were excited to participate in the project so they could instantly download the Cinebody app, and start shooting right away. And with creative use of the shot list feature, that precise script mentioned earlier could be fed to the content creators word for word. 

The shot list, organized by name, communicated WHO was to say WHAT, leaving no room for error or ad-libbing. All that filmers had to do was find their name, an ocean-themed background, and hit record. The forced camera settings ensured all that footage coming in from so many different parts of the world could be edited together seamlessly and all submissions were in the hands of PADI within seconds of being filmed. And as all footage can be reviewed in real-time, the director of the project can give feedback to get the perfect shot. 

The result? Well, you can see it for yourself here. But what you’re looking at would have been almost impossible to film a decade ago without spending a crippling amount of time and money. PADI did it on a shoestring budget and got a piece of content that stands out among a sea (no pun intended) of bland and unoriginal UGC videos. 

So next time you think a global production is out of the question, remember that times have changed. With crowdsourcing and an app like Cinebody, the impossible can become a reality.