20TH ANNIVERSARY VIDEO PROPOSAL
TASK We are looking to create a heartfelt and heartwarming celebration of 20 years of Takalani Sesame.
GOAL To highlight some of the major milestone achievements made over the past 20 years, and look to the future.
OBJECTIVES Show the progression and development of the programme over time Touch on the innovations and extensions of the programme Showcase celebrity guest engagements with the programme
REQUIREMENTS Three concepts 2-minute duration 1-minute cut-down Celebrity endorsements Voice over narrative Programme archive materials
ASSUMPTIONS Show the progression and development of the programme over time Touch on the innovations and extensions of the programme Showcase celebrity guest engagements with the programme
CONCEPT 1
1. Zikwe’s Taxi As Narrative Device We open with a visual of Zikwe trying to start his taxi. We hear the starter motor grumbling. The voice over begins, it is Zikwe talking about how it all started 20 years ago … Zikwe’s taxi has failed to start and he and the Muppet passengers all sigh.
Zikwe continues. Saying that straight away Takalani Sesame subverted the expectations of what an educational programme should be. [Not in those words!] Using comedy and entertainment to drive learning, it set off on a journey that was to change the South African educational landscape forever…
1. Taxi Continued: We see the taxi starting up and travelling along an animated road threading its way through a series of SA landscapes. We pass under, over and behind objects, road signs and other devices that move us through the Takalani Seasons. These objects expand as screen frames showing archive and celebrity footage.
Zikwe’s voice takes us through the major milestones, from the earliest days of concept development to address the needs of SA kids, to the development of Kami as an HIV Muppet, to the world’s first ever radio production of Sesame. All the while, always adapting to the emerging needs of our audience – right up to today.
1. Taxi Continued: We use windscreen wipers as a transition device that move us up along the timeline. Each time we reach a major turning point or new development, we go to a scene of Zikwe attending to his taxi. For example: Zikwe is under the taxi. He slides out and makes a transition comment [we use old footage but write new dialogue which we can record as ADR]
As we move up into the new programme designs and new curriculum requirements of each new 5-season aesthetic, we talk about the many celebrity guests we have befriended along the way. We go to a sequence of different celebrities as seen on the show. Plus film contemporary celebrities endorsing the show, framed as if they are in the passenger seat of Zikwe’s taxi. [Think Comedians in Cars Having Coffee.]
1. Taxi Continued: We can also zoom in on the taxi side windows as frames for segment montages, songs and celebrity endorsements. We could also have the taxi in the animated world, passing humans at taxi stops on the side of the road. We let the taxi pass and we stay on the celebrity giving their testimonial.
we could see Zikwe under the bonnet talking in VO about the all the tune ups made to the programme. We could see Zikwe throwing things out of his taxi as his VO talks about our final set of changes to address the shifting needs of kids – the new emphasis on Ubuntu and Learning Through Play.
1. Taxi Continued: The taxi morphs into the latest version of the taxi and the landscape it passes through becomes real! We have transitioned into the new aesthetic of the latest season. The taxi picks up Basma and Jad or reveals them in its wake, or parks mid screen and a taxi window shows them in situ etc.
We see the muppets travelling and arriving and interacting with kids in the real world. Zikwe the voice talks about arriving at this, the latest drop off and pick up point of this extraordinary programme as it continues to address the evolving needs of the children of South Africa.
1. Taxi Continued: The taxi stops at the most recent central set location – the clubhouse and all the muppets pile inside. Zikwe says. ‘welcome to what’s next!”
Alternatively we could have all of the Muppet characters sharing the narrative – not just Zikwe – including Basma and Jad at the end.
CONCEPT 2
2. Materials as Narrative Device Following a similar narrative thread in terms of the voice over as above, we could use the different colours and textures and animation techniques that we have used throughout the years as the transition devices that lead us from one set of milestones in one era to the next.
Part One. The crayon and claymation of earlier years. Iconic images form that crayon transitions. Physical set with Salie and Ma Dimpho. Big set production numbers with loads of kids. Celebrities on set etc.
2. Materials Cont'd Part Two. Into a new era with a new look. The crinkled paper, animated, unfolding up and out into new scenes, revealing new information. The evolution of the green screen world.
Part Three. Then into the most recent iteration. The new aesthetic. The new sets. The new taxi, and new friends Basma and Jad. With the voice over talking about how we are moving into a new world with a new mission.
Messaging as Option 1, with celebrities shot against the different textures.
CONCEPT 3
3. Influencers as Narrative Device Another alternative to the traditional voice over is to get a group of celebrities and influencers in their mid to late 20’s to tell us the story of the scripted narrative. They also talk about their favorite, or most impactful memories from growing up with Takalani Sesame.
We could cheat shoot them all into the new set clubhouse. The conceit being that they have all gathered to celebrate the 20th birthday of their favourite show – [with or without specially branded Muppet character facemasks.]
3. Influencers Cont'd There could be a TV screen as the device that we to cut into and out of. The celebs could give just the top and tail from the clubhouse. Or they could speak from their socially isolated homes. This could all be a fun dynamic, specially Takalani Sesame animated Zoom or HouseParty type edit.
We could support their comments with a voice over to give the important narrative elements that expand and extend on the importance of the programme and its milestone achievements. Â At the end we have them talk about their kids or nieces and nephews reactions to the latest season aesthetic.
CONCEPT 4
4. Celebration as Narrative Device A traditional voice over narrative could relate the story from the perspective of how much we have to celebrate on the 20th anniversary of Takalani Sesame. Â
This conceit allows us to select sequences of the very many moments of celebration that we have shot in studio, filmed on location and animated over the past 20 years.
4. Celebration Cont'd As we move up through the years, we use later examples of celebrations from later and programmes. Thereby illustrating the shifting design aesthetic of each set of seasons, right up to a celebration sequence from the brand new season 11.
The whole video could be a magazine format of images of Muppets and kids and celebrities celebrating with cake, and dance, and song, and hugs, and gifts, and sharing their general delight and heartfelt happiness. Â We could work in cut-away footage of contemporary celebrities with cakes, party hats, streamers, whistles and home made musical instruments giving shouts out to Takalani.
4. Celebration Cont'd All of this could be the visual support for a narrative about how we have always had so much to celebrate over the 20 years: Starting with this And then that And then meeting these celebs And then doing that And then this happened Then we won these awards Then we tackled these issues Then we had a rethink and refresh Then we did it all over again
And that’s why we invite you to celebrate: Our purpose Our show Our characters Our guests And most of all our friends - the children of South Africa.
Xhololops!