Meadwestvaco, likely the makers of every school notebook onto which you lovingly rendered the Metallica logo, has made a couple of surprising moves into the educational software market lately. The newest of these is Mead Builder: Research Paper Edition, an application designed to help students write better research papers. To show teachers, students, and parents the benefits of this new product, I was tasked with directing a short video to help explain the idea.
What's Mead Builder?
Basically, Mead Builder helps students write better research papers by prompting them to create a schedule based on a step-by-step process. It also assists students with organizing their notes and sources and writing their paper in keeping with standard MLA format. The idea being that, if you automate some of the more mundane aspects of writing a research paper and allow the student to focus on the content, then the paper will not only be far superior in quality, but it might actually be finished by the deadline.Personally, I don't know how I ever graduated from high school without something like Mead Builder. I was a decent writer and always tested well, but I lacked the focus and motivation to push through all the research and stay on schedule.
To help explain my paradoxical relationship with high school English, I will admit that I am probably the only person who ever failed the Honors English class at my high school. Later, my remedial English "teacher" (who was also the assistant football coach) greeted me on the first day of my redemption with, "What kind of a dumbass fails an honors class?!"
I just couldn't focus, especially outside the classroom, but I honestly think Mead Builder probably would have helped. At least there's still hope for my future offspring.
Pre-visualization
Now let's fast-forward from the confused priorities of my high school years to mid-2009, when I was asked to explain this useful new software to the masses in a visually interesting way.I worked with Trisha Webb to develop a voice-over script. Once that was approved, I was able to start developing a storyboard, which came together in a hurry.
After the storyboards were approved, I got pulled onto a different project and Andy Nick took on the duty of translating the boards into the final animation. Though I regret not being able to stay involved during this stage, I think Andy did a great job with it.
