Meta wanted to drive understanding and acceptance (and maybe even a little bit of appreciation and awe) at the human potential enabled by their initiative to get unconnected people online around the world.

TONE & STYLE
The unconnected / under-connected protagonists we featured are entrepreneurial, optimistic, irrepressible, and creative people who embody the hacker spirit. They are already remarkable, and their inherent “badass-ness”, is only amplified by access to the internet through Meta’s Free Basics.

The story had to feel of the moment, with poppy visuals, to ensure that it resonated with tech-savvy influencers in the country where the story is set.

CULTURAL RELEVANCE
Conduct research in the pre-production phase to understand as much about the local context for each story as possible, and represent the story through the experience of the protagonist.

• 2 months of pre-production while based in the United States

• Cast local real life protagonists remotely in Nigeria, and identified compelling storylines from their actual lives

• Developed a treatment to guide creative vision

• Identified Nigerian-based fixers to help with logistics

• Coordinated all logistics for filming in Nigeria with an 12-person crew and 6-person security detail for team safety

• 2 weeks of production in Nigeria - in and around Lagos, including in the largest electronics market in Africa

• Traveled to Nigeria with key American crew

• Partnered with local Nigerian crew for other key roles

• Produced and directed entire story production on location

• Supervised story production and ensured the team captured all visual elements needed for the edit

• 2 month post production timeline

• Supervised the edit of final video through two rounds of review and revisions

• Worked with animators to craft supporting graphics

• Supervised the sound mix

• Supervised color correction

• Delivered broadcast-ready wrap package of videos, raw material, releases, footage log, transcripts, and other documentation necessary for Meta to localize in multiple languages