Readvertisement-Production of Animation Videos on Strengthening Pre-service Teacher Education (STEM) Programme in Myanmar At UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

Call For Proposal (Readvertisement)

Organization/Institution/Firm Only

Production of Animation Videos on

Strengthening Pre-service Teacher Education (STEM) Programme in Myanmar

Date Issued: 1st March 2024

Organization: UNESCO Yangon Project Office

Unit: Education

Type of contract: Contract for Services (Video and Film)

Tentative duration: April to September 2024

Application Deadline: 18th March 2024 at 17:00 Hours (Yangon Time)

1. Background

UNESCO’s support to teacher education in Myanmar is delivered through the ‘Strengthening Pre-service Teacher Education in Myanmar’ (STEM) programme which has been in existence for approximately 9 years. Phase I was launched in July 2014 with support from the Government of Australia; the second phase, funded by the Governments of Australia, Finland and the United Kingdom, commenced in January 2017 and came to an end in June 2020. On 01 July 2020, STEM entered Phase III, extending the programme through December 2024, under a multi-partner trust fund (MPTF) with the Government of Finland joining a basket fund with a contribution of EUR 5,000,000. To date, Finland remains the sole contributor to the MPTF.

Through STEM, UNESCO’s assistance is generally executed via the following four (4) key areas. According to the approved programme document for STEM Phase III, these outcomes cover the period July 2020 to December 2023.

• Outcome 1 – formulate a policy framework of pre-service teacher education and providing technical advice on developing teacher policies and teacher competency standards framework;
• Outcome 2 – improve the system and operations of pre-service teacher education by restructuring and redesigning the curriculum and building networks amongst them for knowledge and experience sharing;
• Outcome 3 – develop institutional and human resource management capacities of pre-service teacher education; and
• Outcome 4 – mainstream inclusion and equity issues in teacher education.

Since its inception, STEM has contributed significantly to changing the landscape of pre-service teacher education, although prior and future achievements are threatened by the unravelling political situation in Myanmar. With Phase III of STEM ending in December 2023, UNESCO is seeking an Organization/Institution/Firm to develop animated videos to document the successes of STEM from Phases I to III as well as highlight the programme’s impact on beneficiaries over the years.

1. Scope of Work

Under the overall authority of the Director of UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok, the direct supervision of the Head of the UNESCO Yangon Project Office and in close collaboration with team members of the STEM Project, the Contractor shall specifically perform the following:

2.1 Create three (3) high-quality, 4 to 5-minute animated videos highlighting STEM’s achievements with a focus on the programme’s key output areas, namely curriculum reform, ICT in Education, and equity and inclusion. These videos will be broken down as:

1. 3 videos with a runtime of 4 to 5 minutes each that will document the successes of individual outcome areas under the STEM programme.
   1. Submit a list of potential narrators (male and female) to UNESCO and select a final narrator/s in agreement with UNESCO;

The videos will serve to publicize the work of UNESCO through STEM and its donor partner (the Government of Finland), and will feature short text outlining personal stories of beneficiaries, quotes from representatives of UNESCO, the Government of Finland, as well as indirect beneficiaries.

2.2 Develop a work plan for the assignment based on the concept provided by UNESCO and provide special attention to details such as cultural context, political sensitivity, appropriateness of actions, and gender mainstreaming;

2.3 Meet with the UNESCO STEM team to understand the concept and scope of the animated videos, and get accurate data to be adapted by the Contractor for the animation;

2.4 Develop professional concept storyboards (character illustrations, infographics, static samples of character placement);

2.5 Edit and finalize the storyboards, and animations as per the feedback provided by UNESCO, and get UNESCO’s approval;

1. Record the voice-over narration in Myanmar language based on UNESCO’s final decision;
2. Present draft animated videos to UNESCO for comments on content with voice over/narration in Myanmar language with English subtitles, as well as sign language interpretation;
3. Edit and finalize the animated videos according to UNESCO’s comments, with a minimum of 2 revisions being provided.
4. Submit the final versions of the animated videos with high quality and get UNESCO’s approval;
5. Suggest a choice of background music to UNESCO and obtain necessary usage rights on the final choice.
6. Provide all original files to UNESCO Myanmar and submit in different formats with various resolutions to be able to disseminate to different multimedia platforms such as television, websites and social media in line with Item 3 – Technical Considerations for Content Production.
7. Technical Considerations for Content Production
   1. The Contractor may choose the application most suitable for the animation and production of the videos. However, it is recommended the Contractor utilize applications requiring minimal calibration and interface mastery, especially in terms of repeated editing during the later stages of development.
   2. Industry standards for video animation and editing such as Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe Edge Animate, Final Cut Pro are best for delivering final product in various application formats for seamless sharing on web and social media.
   3. Secure the required owner authorization using a Grant of Rights form (permission from original source of work) when any photo, illustration, icon, music is used as part of the videos that is not owned by UNESCO. Ensure appropriate credits are applied.
   4. Include the UNESCO video outro: https://trello.com/c/ieHy4KQR/74-english by adding the donor’s logo scene first, followed by UNESCO at the end.

Technical specifications

Item – HD Video

Ratio – 16:9

Codec – H.264

Frame Rate – 24-30 fps

Audio bitrate – 160-192 kbps

Video Format – MP4

Video Size – 1920×1080 (HD)

Item – SD Video

Ratio – 16:9

Codec – H.264

Frame Rate – 18-20 fps

Audio bitrate – 96-128 kbps

Video Format – MP4

Video Size – 1280×720 (HD)

1. Deliverables

All deliverables must be submitted with original, editable files, as well as high-resolution and different versions of final products specified in technical consideration to UNESCO. The assigned tasks must be submitted by the following deadlines.

Deliverable 1 – Concept design and work plan for animated videos by 22 April 2024.

Deliverable 2 – Draft storyboards and draft video scripts for each video to be developed by 24 May 2024.

Deliverable 3 – Final versions of storyboards and video scripts for each video to be developed by 19 June 2024.

Deliverable 4 – Illustration of characters, animation and other elements for UNESCO’s feedback by 24 July 2024.

Deliverable 5 – Submit 4 draft animated videos with voiceovers in Myanmar language with English subtitles by 30 August 2024.

Deliverable 6 – Final animated videos and Post-production (editing, music, sound effects and subtitles) by 30 September 2024.

1. Conditions of Payment
   1. 100% of this assignment will be authorized for payment upon the approval of the UNESCO project officer who will determine if the assignments meet the required quality standard.
   2. Any possible bank charges of the Contractor by the intermediate bank(s) and/or the Contractor’s bank shall be borne by the Contractor and charged within the amount of the contract.
   3. UNESCO reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if the quality is unsatisfactory and/or if they are not delivered on time to the required standard of quality.
2. Intellectual Property Rights

Ensure that the production is in full compliance with the international copyrights policy to avoid any illegal violation of copyrights and related issues as outline in Item “24: Video and Film Production” at the General Terms and Conditions of this contract as per below.

This cession of rights concerns all showings in radio and in television forms –by satellite, cable or hertzian waves- or cinematographic form, all publishings in the form of videotape, videodisc, compact disc, audiocassette, or vinyl disk as well as by any other means known or to be invented as well as on all devices and in all formats. This cession of rights is granted worldwide for the maximum period permitted by the law. If the Contractor incorporates in the programme any library material, published or unpublished scenario, dialogue, musical composition or other work, the copyright of which is vested in a third party, he shall obtain, free of cost to UNESCO, written permission from the owner(s) of the copyright therein for the Contractor and UNESCO to translate, reproduce in whole or in part, publish, communicate to the public, including communication by public projection, distribute, adapt or otherwise use such works in all versions of the programme in whatever form or language it is produced. The Contractor will prove evidence of the grant of this authorization. The Contractor warrants to UNESCO that it has the right to grant the rights mentioned in this Contract and that the programme contains nothing libelous or otherwise unlawful. The Contractor warrants that:

(a) The Work made under this contract are created by the Contractor and the Contractor is the sole and unrestricted owner of the exclusive rights in the works;

(b) The Work made under this contract is free from encumbrances and no third party is entitled to any intellectual property rights with regard to the Work; and

(c) No third party rights have been infringed in the making of the Work.

1. Qualifications, Experience and Competencies

7.1 Organization

Eligible organizations are local video animation service providers who have extensive work on video animations, particularly in international development contexts, used across various platforms. Some criteria for application are as follows.

Required experience:

• Holding the necessary permission/license to provide the services as outlined in the TOR under this Call for Proposal;
• At least 5 years of experience in producing video animation and related fields;
• Demonstrated competency with developing and producing video animations and infographics for multiple social media platforms and video infomercials;
• Highly developed communication skills, including ability to draft/edit texts and to articulate ideas in a clear, concise style to a variety of audiences;
• Ability to provide voiceover/narration in Myanmar language with English subtitles, or to be able to procure such service with high quality.

Desirable experience:

• Experience producing animation videos for the UN system and/or government agencies (i.e. government ministries, local governments, etc.).

7.2 Personnel/staff who will implement the activities

Required experience:

• At least 3 years of experience in video animation and related fields;
• Excellent planning and organizational skills;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in Myanmar and a good working knowledge of English; and

Desirable experience:

• Familiarity with Myanmar education and/or development context.