Call for Applications – Online Talk-Show Production - Lebanon

1. About DRI
Democracy Reporting International (DRI) is a non-partisan, independent, not-for-profit organisation registered in Berlin. It has been established in Lebanon since 2016. DRI promotes political participation of citizens, accountability of state bodies and the development of democratic institutions worldwide. Democratic discourse is the basis of our mission and vision.
In our work, we facilitate discussion and exchange about democratic government and the need for a continuous discourse adhering to democratic rules.

In the framework of its project entitled “Expanding civic space for political change in Lebanon”, DRI is working to expand the democratic space for a civil society-led debate on systemic change in Lebanon.
2. Project Overview

Ahead of the 2022 elections, we aim to launch the second season of Nafas Jdeed, an online political talk-show that introduces new faces to the media landscape and amplifies civil society voices, with the support of young media makers (“young media fellows”) based in Lebanon.
The talk-show will discuss political change in Lebanon and the way it can be achieved through the coordinated effort of local stakeholders. In parallel, we aim to empower young media makers by expanding their skills to tackle policy problems and jointly collaborating on the talk-show.

3. The Talk-Show
Nafas Jdeed is an online political talk-show created and owned by DRI. It is structured around thematic queries that cut across the various project outputs and activities.

Tentative thematic queries include the following:
1. How to re-shape the Lebanese political system based on a new social contract, secular citizenship, through the voices of youth?
2. How to change the electoral system for a fair representation of Lebanese society?
3. How can the electoral system ensure the empowerment of youth, women, and marginalised groups?
4. How can a value-centric political model rebuild a dignified Lebanon? The scope may include the identification of values (e.g., meritocracy, inclusion,
sustainability, stewardship, accountability, social justice, transparency) and the alignment of target audience on rethinking the political culture of Lebanon.
5. How to establish the Rule of Law, Accountability, Ethical and Responsible good governance practices?
6. How to boost the role of civil society, particularly youth and women, in effecting political change?
7. What is the role of civil society, and how can they shape the political system?

Your Deliverables

DRI is interested in receiving applications from production companies. The crew should include a director of production, camera operators, a sound engineer, a light engineer, a stage manager, a 2D/3D animator, and a video editor. After the final cut of each episode, English subtitles should be provided after being translated from Arabic.
We have planned for 30 episodes of around 45 minutes each to be produced between January and December 2022. The episodes will be recorded rather than livestreamed. The assignment consists in providing all the necessary technical know-how and guidance to produce all episodes from end to end in close coordination with DRI. The concept design, research, writing, and guest selection will be the exclusive responsibility of DRI, with the assistance of the young media fellows and the talk show presenter.

Under the supervision of and in close coordination with DRI, you will

Inception Phase (within four weeks into the assignment):
• Develop a workflow for the production process within two weeks into the assignment in coordination with the presenter and DRI, with the possibility to amend when needed
• Advise in the uplifting of Nafas Jdeed’s visual branding identity
• Prepare the rundown of each episode
• Advise the presenter on the development of a content time-codes sheet to facilitate the editing process of each episode
• Create animated graphics package (logo animation, intros, outros, graphics bumpers, lower-thirds, end credits)

Talk-Show Production and Post-Production:
• First and foremost: Bring the show to life!.
• Coordinate with DRI to deliver the production process from end to end on time and on budget for 30 episodes (45 minutes each).
• Be responsible for the technical editorial phase by managing, supervising, and fine- tuning all technical aspects and steps of the pre-production, and post-production phases of the talk show-show (30 episodes); the presenter may advise, while the finaldecision is taken by the production team and DRI.

• Create two general promos (for the launching campaign of Season 2).
• Adhere to the workflow prepared in the inception phase among the production team members, presenter, and the DRI team throughout the production process of 30
episodes (45 minutes each).
• Coordinate with the presenter the filming time onset, and make sure not to exceed 75 minutes of camera rolling.
• Manage the stage during the filming for all 30 episodes.
• Advise the presenter on content editing in consultation with DRI.
• Create three teasers for each episode (1 general with the presenter, 1 for the guests, and another focusing on the fellows).
Teasers are 30–40-second segments taken from the episode (formats: wide 16:9 and square 1:1); they should be catchy, creative and encourage viewers to watch the full episode.
• The video codec format should be H.264/H.265, preferably PRORES HQ/PRORES 422, full HD 1920x1080 progressive.

• Produce and edit one vox pop per episode with the support of the Young Media Makers and the presenter.
• Take portrait photos of all the participants in each episode, to be used as thumbnails on social media and for media/press enquiries.
• Archive the high-resolution recorded raw footage and the final episodes on external hard drives and provide copies to DRI (hardware will be provided).
• Translate each episode from Arabic to English and submit the subtitles as a separate file that contains the text of what is said in the video, to be used on YouTube and Facebook. The file should contain the time codes for when each line of text should be displayed.

• Ensure accurate, timely, and high-quality completion of all requested deliverables.

Ongoing technical monitoring and guidance:
• Hold regular check-ins after every 5 episodes with DRI to assess production progress, take stock of lessons learnt, and ensure that production objectives are continuously met to the highest standard.
• Coach and mentor DRI on the choice of technical requirements where necessary.

Equipment use and storage:
• Assume full responsibility for the equipment provided by DRI to be used for filming, this includes safe storage and ensuring that the equipment is not damaged or lost.

•Lost or damaged equipment will be at the full expense of the company or will be deduced from the instalments.

List of equipment provided by DRI:
DRI will send the winning company a list of audio/video equipment to inform the production workflow.

Your Skills & Experience
Interested applicants (registered companies) should demonstrate that they can fulfil all the requested tasks and have the following profile:

Required:
• At least 8 years of experience and demonstrable skills in production
• At least 5 years and demonstrable skills in direction, sound engineering, video editing, and camera filming (experts proposed can fulfil more than one skillset)
• Relevant experience in online/WebTV talk-shows, video podcast creation, or similar productions
• High creativity and sense of ownership of the project
• Strong communication, presentation, and negotiation skills
• Excellent time management skills
• Problem-solving and troubleshooting abilities

• Fluency in English and Arabic

Preferred:
• Track record working on democratisation, human rights, political reform, and civic engagement, political topics
• Familiarity with DRI’s work, approach, and thematic focus areas in Lebanon
 

DRI is committed to diversity and does not discriminate in employment based upon gender (including pregnancy), race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, age, ability, socio-economic status, or any other status protected by the laws in the locations where we operate.