The Problem
Despite its crime rates significantly lowering since the 1980s, Harlem hasn’t been able to shake its reputation as an unsafe neighborhood. As a result, tourists consistently ignore Harlem when visiting NYC.
The Insight
When in Harlem, you can tell it has a rich culture and history just by looking and listening to the things around you. It’s even referred to as a “Black Mecca” for its role in Black history, arts, music, and food.
Line graph showing the decrease of crime in Harlem from 1990-2021 (as reported by the 28th and 32nd Precincts of the New York Police Department on nyc.gov).
The Result
Playing to the audience’s senses of seeing and hearing, we filmed and edited a tourism video for Harlem. In our video, we show some of the sights and sounds of Harlem through the lens of a young woman who’s forced to pay attention when her earbuds run out of battery. Instead of outside noise, she listens to Harlem.
A selection of our storyboard frames and corresponding video screenshots.
Our tourism video, "Listen to Harlem". Entirely shot by us in Harlem, New York.
The Achievements
Student Silver Cube in Motion / Film Craft / Cinematography (2022 Young Ones Awards)
Student Bronze Cube in Advertising / Television / Film / Online Video (2022 Young Ones Awards)
All the FIT winners (including my team and I) at the 2022 Young Ones Awards.
School: Fashion Institute of Technology
Client: NYC Tourism (conceptual)
Year: 2021
Student Creatives: Seamus Deegan, Alice Garsia, Brandon Murillo
Professors: Craig Markus, Robert Kahn
Actor: Ashleigh Simpson