Producing the Optional 3-Minute Video

What the video is for#

The video is optional, but the worksheet calls it the place for your team to show the FIRST Robotics Competition community what matters most to your team. A strong video amplifies your theme and gives the community a memorable picture of your impact.

The hard specs#

• Length: not more than 3 minutes, and not shorter than 1 minute.
• Hosting: the video must be hosted on one of these three file-sharing sites and made public to allow video downloads: Dropbox, Box, or Google Drive. Do not use YouTube or other platforms for the submission link, and confirm the sharing setting allows public download.
• Submission: the only way to submit is through the portal as part of your submission; a USB will not be accepted at the event.
• Consent: you must agree to the FIRST Impact Award Video Consent & Release of Rights Form in the portal.
• Privacy: do not identify minors by full name — use only first names.
• Language/captions: content may be in the team's native language; if it is not English, add English subtitles, and teams are encouraged to include English closed captions.

Creative direction#

The worksheet's video discussion asks two planning questions: "What is the most important message that you want the audience to receive from your team?" and "Brainstorm possible directions to take your video in." Use these to lock the message before filming.

Effective approaches include:

• Show, don't tell. Real footage of students mentoring FLL kids, hosting events, or demoing robots beats narration over stock images.
• Lead with people. The award is about human impact; feature the students and community members whose lives your programs touched.
• Reinforce the theme. The video, essay, executive summaries, and presentation should all echo the same one-sentence message.
• Use real numbers as on-screen text. A clean graphic of "3 teams Started, 90 students, 100% still active" lands hard in three minutes.
• Keep it accessible. Add captions, keep audio clear, and avoid clutter.

Practical production tips#

• Storyboard first so you film only what you need.
• Capture footage all season — you cannot stage authentic outreach moments in February.
• Respect the time limit precisely; an over-length video can be disqualified or cut off.
• Export at a sensible resolution (1080p is plenty) and test the public download link before the deadline.
• Edit with accessible tools like DaVinci Resolve (free), CapCut, or Premiere.

Because it is optional, a rushed, low-quality video can hurt more than help. Either commit to a polished, on-message piece or skip it and invest that energy in the writing and presentation.