Video Production
Project background
Henry Louis Gates Jr., a famous literary critic, professor, historian, and filmmaker, reached out to NASA leadership with an original poem he had composed. The poem paid tribute to the Artemis I mission by highlighting the hopes of African-American civil rights activist and author W.E.B Du Bois, but was recorded on a laptop in a noisy environment. NASA leadership requested the speedy creation of an engaging product featuring the poem.
Creative process
To create the desired product, high-resolution video from NASA's Artemis I mission orbiting the Moon was used as a visual element, with footage of the lift-off from the launch pad serving as the opening. The audio from the poem was edited, recut, and transposed with a breathtaking score to improve its delivery. The NASA TV team was enlisted to help bring this vision to life.
Final results
The final video received praise from both Henry Louis Gates Jr. and his representatives, as well as from NASA senior leadership. It was published on the NASA website and received significant interaction on social media channels.
By the numbers:
66,000 views on Facebook with 4,000 likes and 300 comments.
8,000 views on YouTube with 316 likes.
5,000 likes on Twitter with 700 retweets and quote tweets.