http://vimeo.com/75921314

Keeping Kids In School PSA

MUTE PLAY THROUGH

The video’s first five seconds bring us to a classroom, where the teacher is standing infront of the class with a clip board, most likely taking attendance before class starts. The classroom is decorated for fall, with brown and yellow leaf garland draped over the whiteboard.  She appears to be calling a students name, then glances up at the class with a blank expression, kind of like she is waiting for a response from the child who’s name she just called. The video then chances scenes to a bedroom, where a child is sleeping in bed. The room is well lit, and sunlight is coming through the windows. The child says something I cannot recognize, then continues laying motionless in bed. It seems as though it is not a weekend because of the prior scene of the children in class. This child appears to be skipping class, either his mother didn’t wake him up, or his parents don’t care about his attendance to school.

The videos next five seconds bring us back to the classroom scene,this time  the classroom is decorated for the Holidays, with white garland and snowflakes hanging up above the white board. The teacher is sitting on her desk in the front of the room with her clip board, and calls a name again. Looking up at the class for a response, but still not getting one. The video again changes scenes back to the same child in the bed from the second scene. This time he appears to be at home, or at a family members house holding a baby. In the background is an adult woman, perhaps his mother, leaving the house as the child is left home with the child. Maybe his mother couldn’t find a babysitter for the infant child and figured it'” d be easier and cheaper to leave the kid home with her son.

Next, the video takes us to another classroom scene with the classroom decorated for spring this time, with sunshine and a butterfly on the white board. Words on the board read “Spring and Sprung”. The teacher again is taking attendance, and calls a students name, but again the student is not in class. The same child each time is not in class. This time the student is at an amusement park with his friend riding a roller coaster instead of being in class.

The next and final scene of the video before the tagline comes up shows a scene of a highschool graduation. The man at the podium, I’m guessing from watching the prior scenes, is calling that same kids name, but again, he is not there. The camera moves to show all of the students with their graduation caps on, with one empty seat in the front row, probably belonging to the kid from all of the prior scenes. The information screen comes up with a website, boostattendance.org.

PLAY THROUGH WITH SOUND

“Michael Adams?” the teacher says while taking attendance. Michael Adams is the child that is not in class each time. The next scene brings us to his bedroom where he is laying there silently before muttering the word “here”, obviously a message to us that he is in bed sleeping, while he should be in school learning. The next scene brings us to the classroom where the teacher calls his name again “Michael Adams?” Again Michael isn’t in class, he is at home rocking a baby in his arms as his mother leaves. He says “Here” again, this time he says it with a disappointed tone of voice. As in he’d rather be anywhere but the place he’s in right now. The next scene comes back to the classroom where the teacher is taking attendance again, “Michael Adams?” she says for a third time. Michael isn’t there again. This time Michael is with his friend at an amusement park riding a roller coaster. This time he says with excitement “HEEEEEEREEE!” as he raises his arms above his head on the coaster. The final scene brings us to graduation day, where the principal of the school calls Michael’s name, and looks at the group of students. Michael again isn’t here. One student in the front row looks over at his empty seat before the scene ends. The narrarator then says “Students who miss 18 days of school in any grade risk falling behind and not graduating. Absences add up, keep track at boostattendance.org” then the video ends.