“I choose Edgewood because I can be me.”
Future teachers, families, programs
Video production
for school districts
A boy tries a hands-on demo at KLRN’s SEE Your Future Career Day, from our video for DISCO Learning Media.
Future teachers, families and partners
A school district has a lot of people to reach: the families of every student, the people who might teach in its classrooms, and the organizations that back its programs. We film students, parents and educators as they explain, in their own words and in the language they choose, what a program means to them.
For City of San Antonio Workforce Development, we filmed San Antonio ISD’s paraprofessional apprenticeship and heard from CAST Schools. We’ve also filmed STEM events and a student water competition for DISCO Learning Media. Here’s what that work looks like, what it costs and how we look after students on camera.
For future teachers
San Antonio ISD built its paraprofessional apprenticeship around two needs: filling open teaching jobs during a national shortage of teachers, and making sure new teachers are effective from day one. Teaching pre-apprentice Sylvia Rojas began student teaching at 16, and she says those years taught her things “that I know other teachers wish that they had.” The district states its goal plainly: “SAISD has a commitment to growing our own.”
We filmed in an SAISD classroom and at a graduation ceremony. On camera are Sylvia and her mother; Dr. James Harrell, then SAISD’s chief human capital officer; and Clinton Roberson, then a program coordinator at Travis Early College High School.
Recruiting for jobs beyond the classroom? See our workforce videos →
Reaching families in Spanish
In the same video, Sylvia’s mother, Anayeli Rojas, speaks in Spanish while English subtitles run below. Whoever’s on camera chooses the language, and switching between the two is fine.
Steffi Ockenfels, our executive producer, speaks English and Spanish fluently and leads our interviews in Spanish. Captions are part of our post-production, and Spanish subtitles let one English video work for Spanish-speaking parents too.
Programs and partners
In “Building Futures,” another of our videos for the city’s Workforce Development office, CAST Schools describes the pre-apprenticeships it hopes to build, starting in high school. CAST had already brought on two apprentices itself.
STEM events for students
Our four videos for DISCO Learning Media, a Smart Energy Education partner, follow students at STEM events. At SEE Your Future Career Day, a free event KLRN hosted, kids tried hands-on demos and asked questions of people who work in energy. We also covered a World Water Day showing of the energy and water documentary “Thirst for Power” for high school students, and the SA Smart Water Resourcefulness Competition, where students pitched their ideas for managing San Antonio’s water. That one comes in a short and a full version.
Why they choose Edgewood
Carlos Javier, pixelreflex MEDIA’s chief creative officer, produced these 10 videos under contract with Edgewood ISD and was solely responsible for creating and delivering them.
Most of those 10 videos are short profiles of students, a parent volunteer and educators. In most of them, the person on camera says why they choose Edgewood. The roles below are as they were when the videos were made. Adriana Mata’s profile shows the district’s 1968 student walkout as she talks about its civil rights background.
“I choose Edgewood because of my support system with other parents and teachers.”
“I always wanted to work for Edgewood because of the strong civil rights background they have.”
In Spanish from start to finish
“Viva America!” is in Spanish from beginning to end, with English subtitles on screen. The student in it, then a fifth grader at Roosevelt Dual Language Academy, talks about her school day, the art contest she calls her biggest challenge of the year, and why she chose Edgewood: “es como ser parte de una comunidad muy unida” (it’s like being part of a close-knit community). Her entry made her a finalist in the Texas Cavaliers River Parade Art Contest. That earned a $3,000 check for her school’s art program.
Every video comes with captions in the language spoken, so it meets the captioning requirement of WCAG 2.1 and Section 508 for a district website or a board meeting. Our accessibility page says how we work toward WCAG 2.2 AA on our own site.
Teachers and school leaders
Edgewood ISD’s educator profiles show future teachers what the work is like. In her profile, Patricia Valdez, a special education specialist, says she’s spent 25 years as an educator and calls her role “the best job I’ve ever had.” “Leadership Pipelines” features three leaders from Roosevelt Dual Language Academy, in the roles they held then: Principal Martha Esquivel, Assistant Principal Miriam Martinez and Jessica Kane, an administrative fellow. It shows how the district prepares its next school leaders. Martinez says that before the pipeline, she “had a very narrow perspective of what leadership was.”
Carlos also filmed the district’s annual Memorial Day tribute to veterans, especially those from Edgewood, at the EISD Wall of Honor at Veterans Stadium. Edgewood ISD holds it with Compadres for Scholarships. That video won a Best of Category Gold Award in the Texas School Public Relations Association Star Awards.
Carlos’s photos for Edgewood ISD: Young readers and writers in school libraries and classrooms, their teachers, and a ballet folklorico dancer. See the photos →
Students on camera
Before we film anyone under 18, a parent or legal guardian signs a release. On campus, we check which students have permission to be on camera, and a parent or staff member stays close by.
Steffi talks with everyone we’ll interview ahead of the shoot day. The release can be in English or Spanish, and people on camera can watch the finished video before it’s shared in public.
Photos for schools and campuses
We photograph schools and campuses too. Plan video and photos into one shoot, and the people on camera only have to show up once.
KIPP Texas
A student working with modeling clay at KIPP Esperanza in San Antonio and three students celebrating under confetti in a studio photo for KIPP’s Houston schools.
Alamo Colleges
Aviation and welding students at St. Philip’s College, photographed for Alamo Colleges Marketing and Communications through Anderson Marketing.
Texas A&M University-San Antonio
Two students at their internships, at Univision San Antonio and at Geekdom downtown.
Evergreen State College
Portraits, among them a former Washington state senator who graduated from Evergreen, along with the women’s crew team, snow on the Olympia campus and a summer ornithology field course.
Prices and paperwork
A Spotlight video starts at $6,000: one 1- to 2-minute video from a half-day shoot, delivered about a week after the shoot. A Signature Story starts at $15,000 for a 3-minute main video plus one or two shorter ones, in about two weeks. A Story Campaign starts at $30,000 for a 3- to 5-minute main video plus three or four shorter ones, from a multi-day or multi-location shoot, in about three weeks.
Government and school clients may use a purchase order in place of a deposit. Our SAM.gov registration, NAICS codes, SCTRCA certifications (ESBE, HABE, MBE and SBE) and insurance are listed together on our government page, with a capability statement you can download.
Small education nonprofits may qualify for our Impact Story rate, starting at $4,500, for 501(c)(3) organizations with annual operating budgets under $500,000. Availability is limited, and project scope and production requirements must qualify.
Common questions
Do the videos have captions?
Yes. Captions come standard with our editing, and each video on our site carries captions in the language people speak in it.
How much time do you need from each person?
Plan on 45 minutes per interview. Most take about 30, so there’s room for a short break.
Can we get shorter versions for social media?
Yes. A Signature Story includes one or two shorter videos for social and digital channels, and a Story Campaign includes three or four. Each extra cut adds editing time, and vertical versions are best planned before the shoot.
How soon can we share an event video?
Event coverage can turn around the same day or within 24 hours. Same-day delivery carries a 20% rush fee, and next-day delivery 10%.
Can a school district pay with a purchase order?
Yes. Government and school clients may use a purchase order in place of a deposit.
Can people speak Spanish on camera?
Yes, and each person chooses. Steffi Ockenfels, our executive producer, is fully bilingual and leads our Spanish-language interviews.
Do the people on camera need a script?
No. Our interviews are unscripted, and there’s nothing to memorize. Steffi talks with each person before the shoot, and our guide Before your interview explains what to expect.
Can we review the video before it’s shared?
Yes. You review the edit in a private online portal, and your notes shape the final version. People on camera can also watch the finished video before it’s shared in public.
Can the parent release be in Spanish?
Yes. The release can be in English or Spanish, we can read it aloud, and the family keeps a copy. Before we film anyone under 18, a parent or legal guardian signs it. On campus, we check which students have permission to be on camera, and a parent or staff member stays close by.
Can you film a graduation or ceremony?
Yes. For the SAISD paraprofessional apprenticeship video, we filmed in a classroom and at a graduation ceremony, and NPower’s 18 videos include a graduation video. Carlos also filmed Edgewood ISD’s annual Memorial Day tribute at the EISD Wall of Honor. That video won a Best of Category Gold Award in the Texas School Public Relations Association Star Awards.
Before the call, see how similar projects went in our case studies, and what to budget and plan for in our guides.
Planning video for your district?
Tell us who should be on camera and the language they’d like to speak. We’ll reach out within one business day.