Almost one year after filming began, Barrhead’s highly anticipated promotional video has been unveiled.
The video made its debut at a launch party April 6, where the three-minute film was played on the big screen at the Roxy Theatre.
The audience was basked in the warm glowing light of the hundreds of pieces that make up the beloved Barrhead community.
Friendly faces of both the Town and County filled the screen. The film displayed waving business owners and smiling residents, scenes of agriculture, a summer day at Thunder Lake, and children frolicking at the splash park in town.
There were action clips of winter sports at Misty Ridge Ski Hill, a thrilling peek of Barrhead’s rodeo events, and peaceful shots of long open country roads.
There’s no doubt the video is a warm and fuzzy.
Darrell Troock, Chairman of the Economic and Community Development Committee that headed the video project, said the video’s aim is to sell Barrhead as a community. Not the County and Town separately, but as a whole.
Troock added he believes Barrhead’s strength lies in the friendly people that make up the community, something often overlooked.
“As a committee we decided to build on that strength, and push it out there so the whole world can see why we love Barrhead,” he said.
“We decided we were going to use our video as a promotion, because that’s a sign of the times. People in Africa or Chile or Japan, when they’re looking to make a move across the pond, the only access they’ve got to Barrhead is online.”
Although they were unable to play at the video launch party, six testimonial videos are also available to watch.
The completion and release of the video is just one small step towards showing the world what Barrhead is all about. Now, it is up to everyone in the community to take the project a step further.
“As a committee, it did exactly what we wanted it to do. It put a smile on your face,” said Troock at the launch. “Now we need you to use it.”
Jenny Bruns, municipal clerk and safety officer for the County of Barrhead, said the video was created as a feel-good piece so it’s something that can apply to everyone in the community.
Bruns has created a Barrhead Community YouTube channel, where the promotional and testimonial videos are currently on display. If a business or organization in the Town or County would like the video on their website, all they need to do is get the link from the YouTube page.
“You can use it for recruitment, if you want to promote something, if you’ve got a family member thinking of coming to the community, you can show them the community right off the bat,” said Bruns.
The Alberta Distance Learning Centre has already requested the video for their website and their blog, she added.
However, the final promotional video isn’t the only option. The County and Town have retained the rights to all of the footage Frame 30 filmed.
If someone wanted to take a specific clip file and put it right onto their website, or even put it on a data stick to take with them somewhere, that is also a possibility.
“If there is a little piece just about the Ag Society and they want to do a short video, they can approach the film company and say they want to use the County footage to make their own video,” said Bruns. “What exists, they wouldn’t have to pay for it.”
Bruns added anyone can continue to work with Frame 30 not only using the free existing footage, but through additional contracted work.
For the community video, Frame 30 filmed for five days during which their schedules were full from sun up to sun down, said Bruns. In total, the video cost $25,000, which was split equally between the County and the Town.
If a business was interested in adding to existing clips in order to create a video specific to them, they will have already saved a lot of time and money.
“Maybe Frame 30 comes out and spends just half a day at social housing, goes through some of the activities, looks through some of the suites,” said Bruns. “By using what already exists, it would be pretty cost effective.”
In time, Bruns said she hopes other videos will be added to the Barrhead Community YouTube channel to show a wider spectrum of the area.
For help on embedding the promotional video to your own website, contact Jenny Bruns at [email protected] or 780-674-3331.
To contact Frame 30 Video Productions call Michael Hamm at 780-439-5322 or email [email protected].
