The RFP Problem

02 — Script Structure

The Arc

Seven acts in two minutes. Built from actual interview footage — the emotional shape moves from credible authority through absurdist indictment to warm, human invitation.

Changed

One Thing

The Thesis

The Cost

The Forms

Admission

Invitation

The Industry Has Changed

But One Thing Hasn't

The Core Indictment

What It Actually Costs

The Form Sequence

The Admission

The Invitation

THE INDUSTRY HAS CHANGED

Title card, then JOB establishes credibility: "I've been in this business for 20 years, all agency side." B-roll of late-night RFP misery — the infinite scroll, the war room, the endless printer. His VO: "I remember the days of actually faxing a pitch to a reporter. The industry has changed so much. But the processes for acquiring an agency have lagged."

15–20s

BUT ONE THING HASN'T

JOB on camera, tight framing: "The one thing I would change about this industry is the RFP." Beat. Then the thesis: "The RFP is a communications exercise without communication." This is the pull-quote line. Hold on his face. Let it land.

12–15s

THE CORE INDICTMENT

JOB's VO over B-roll: "Two entities work in isolation without getting to know each other." "It limits free thinking and the flow of ideas." Visuals: Word formatting chaos, Ken Burns on the RFP cover page, the trophy, the rubber stamp.

20–25s

WHAT IT ACTUALLY COSTS

"Build a team, answer every question, build a presentation deck, fly people from all over the country… work through procurement, which can take weeks." Over B-roll: war room inserts, printer LCD, proposals stack, overflowing bin. Then: "A very antiquated process in a world that's moving faster than ever."

15–20s

THE FORM SEQUENCE ★

The new comedic hinge. JOB on camera, building rhythm: "No document, no slide deck can encapsulate nine years of work." Beat. Then the rapid-fire: "You send the form. We fill out the form. You review the form. You ask us about the form. We present the document. Or the form." Pause. "It's boring." Each 'form' lands on a visual beat — RFP cover, Word doc, stack, stamp, cut back to JOB for 'It's boring.'

12–15s

THE ADMISSION

"At some point you have to ask — who is this actually serving?" Hold on JOB, prestige-TV stare. Then: "No one likes RFPs. We're just finally saying it out loud." Direct to camera. Laptop closes. RFP email dragged to trash.

15–18s

THE INVITATION

"Anyone can fill out an RFP with promises. If you're considering other agencies, ask them what they did for their clients last week." The warmth arrives. Real conversation over coffee. JOB picks up the phone: "Send a plain English email. We'll do a vibe check." End card.

18–22s

Section	Shots	Duration
The Industry Has Changed	01–04a	15–20 sec
But One Thing Hasn't	05–07	12–15 sec
The Core Indictment	08–10a	20–25 sec
What It Actually Costs	11–14	15–20 sec
The Form Sequence ★	08, 09a, 11, 12a–b, 15	12–15 sec
The Admission	15–18b	15–18 sec
The Invitation	19–21	18–22 sec
Total	~2:00	~2 min

Paper Edit — Interview Footage Assembly

Timestamped selects from the interview session. All Speaker A/B references are the same person (JOB). Best take selected when multiple attempts exist.

ACT 1 — THE INDUSTRY HAS CHANGED

          [00:40] "I've been in this business for 20 years, all agency side."

          [00:02–00:22] "I remember the days of actually faxing a pitch to a reporter. The industry has changed so much in 20 years. But a lot of the processes — in terms of acquiring an agency — have lagged."

Visuals: Title card → Infinite Scroll (01) → War Room (03) → Printer (04, 04a)

ACT 2 — BUT ONE THING HASN'T

          [00:24] "The one thing I would change about this industry is the RFP."

          [02:17] "The RFP is a communications exercise without communication."

Visuals: Hold tight on JOB. Let the thesis land. This is the pull-quote.

ACT 3 — THE CORE INDICTMENT

          [01:06] "The RFP is a process in which two entities work in isolation without getting to know each other."

          [02:45] "When an agency receives an RFP, it normally has a list of questions in which we have to go through line by line. The problem is — it limits free thinking and the flow of ideas."

Visuals: Word doc animation (09a) → Ken Burns on RFP (08) → Trophy (10, 10a)

ACT 4 — WHAT IT ACTUALLY COSTS

          [03:13] "On the agency side, we would build a team, go through the RFP line by line, answer every question, build a presentation deck, fly people from all over the country to do a pitch, work through procurement, which can take weeks…"

          [04:07] "The RFP is a very antiquated process in a world that's moving faster than ever. It's a very bureaucratic form-filling exercise — when the right process would be about creativity and the ability to think on your feet."

Visuals: War room inserts (03a–03f) → Printer LCD (04a) → Stack (11) → Overflowing bin (14)

ACT 5 — THE FORM SEQUENCE ★ COMEDIC HINGE

          [04:34] "In SBS's case, no document, no slide deck can encapsulate nine years of work."

          [04:45] "You send the form. We fill out the form. You review the form. You ask us about the form. We present the document. Or the form."

          [05:04] "It's boring."

Visuals: Each "form" on a visual beat — RFP cover (08) → Word doc (09) → Stack (11) → Stamp slam + reveal (12a, 12b) → Cut to JOB for "It's boring."

ACT 6 — THE ADMISSION

          [04:34] "At some point you have to ask — who is this actually serving?"

          [06:24–06:25] "No one likes RFPs. We're just finally saying it out loud."

Visuals: JOB stare (15) → Direct to camera (16) → Laptop close (17) → RFP to trash animation (18b)

ACT 7 — THE INVITATION

          [05:39] "Anyone can fill out an RFP with promises. What we want is for our clients to judge us on our work."

          [06:00] "If you're considering other agencies, ask them what they did for their clients last week. Not what they'll do in some hypothetical future."

          [06:30] "It's not that we don't want to participate. It's just that we don't want to participate in a way that is so bureaucratic and out of date."

          [07:27] "If you want to work with SBS — send a plain English email. Give us a call. We'll do a vibe check."

          [08:21] "We'll have a conversation about what would work for you."

Visuals: Real conversation (19) → JOB picks up phone (20) → End card (21)

OPTIONAL — POST-CREDIT STING

          [08:31] "God. The only thing worse than an RFP is trying to talk like this on camera."
        

Cut to black → SBS logo animation. Self-deprecating, authentic, shareable.

04 — Music Direction

The Score

Single piano throughout. Minimal and deliberate. The score should feel like it wandered in from a documentary about something that actually matters.

Musical Arc

Opens with a single sustained piano note — sparse, somber, minor key
Felt-piano texture, intimate and close-mic'd, like Nils Frahm
Gently builds at the midpoint — a second voice, slight movement
Brief emotional swell at the "human cost" section (~1:15)
Recedes, then shifts to major key for the final 30 seconds
Ends warmly — quiet resolution, like a breath finally released

Reference & Constraints

Think: Nils Frahm, not Hans Zimmer
Also: Ólafur Arnalds, Dustin O'Halloran
Piano only — no percussion, strings, or synths
Should never tip into overt comedy
Let the audience find the humor on their own
The key comedic beat: dead silence after "RFPs" (~0:35)

986 / 1000 chars

Suno Generation Prompt

Solo piano. Minimal, contemplative, Nils Frahm-inspired. Begins with a single sustained note, sparse and somber in a minor key. Slow, deliberate pacing--each note placed with intention and space between. The tone feels like the opening of a serious documentary, as if something important is about to be revealed. Gentle felt-piano texture, intimate and close-mic'd. Around the halfway point, the melody begins building slowly--adding a second voice, slightly more movement, still restrained. A brief emotional swell at 1:15--the fullest the piece gets, with overlapping sustained chords that feel heavy and resigned. Then it recedes. In the final 30 seconds, the key shifts to major. The notes become warmer, more open, with quiet resolution. The piece ends gently, like a held breath finally released. No percussion, no strings, no synths. Piano only. 2 minutes total. The mood walks the line between genuine emotion and the subtle absurdity of taking something mundane very seriously.

ambient piano minimal documentary score contemplative Nils Frahm felt piano cinematic solo piano somber intimate

Generated Score

Generated with Suno using the prompt above. Solo felt piano, ~2 minutes, minor-to-major key shift.

06 — Director's Notes

Tone & Execution

Tone & Performance

JOB isn't performing outrage — he's a veteran speaking honestly about something he's lived with for two decades. The gravity should feel slightly disproportionate to the subject, but his delivery is credible, not satirical. By the end, the argument should feel genuinely constructive. He's not burning a bridge — he's building a better one. The joke is in the framing. The substance should land.

Visual Grammar

The more you treat mundane office behavior with the visual grammar of a serious documentary, the funnier it gets. Ken Burns effect on a PDF. Somber piano over a mail merge. Slow dolly shots of someone adjusting table borders in Word. Every B-roll moment should be lit and composed like it belongs in a prestige crime series.

Pacing

Run tight at around two minutes. Resist the urge to rush. The pauses between JOB's statements are doing real work. The "Form Sequence" in Act 5 is the comedic hinge — the rapid-fire rhythm building to "It's boring." needs tight, percussive editing.

The Key Comedic Beat

Act 5's form sequence: "You send the form. We fill out the form. You review the form. You ask us about the form." Each beat should land on a different visual — rapid cuts synchronized to his delivery. Then: "It's boring." Hold on his face. Two full seconds. That's the punchline. Everything before it is setup. Everything after it is resolution.

Meet JOB

JOB