Case Study

How to get the most
from your video productions

Graduate profiles

Graduate profiles are a way to substantiate your brand promise about what your school offers families. This example from Abbotsleigh Senior School (NSW) is a beautifully shot explanation by the students about their school from their perspective.

Abbotsleigh Senior School (NSW)

PLC Perth (WA)

Introducing a new Head

Introducing a new Head is almost a no-brainer in the time between the announcement of a new Head and them taking up their role. It stands in for the personal contact that is not yet possible, kickstarts relationships and can set expectations. This example from PLC Perth (WA) has creatively used students to introduce their new Head.

School life

School life can be a mystery to prospective parents who have not experienced what you have to offer first hand. Crystal Springs Uplands School (California, USA) allows students to tell their story with supporting vision, while Knox Grammar School (NSW) elegantly tells an emotional story without a word of dialogue.

Knox Grammar School (NSW)

Crystal Springs Uplands School (California, USA)

Personal stories

Personal stories are a powerful way to bring your school brand to life and substantiate your brand promise. This example from Guildford Grammar School (WA)* tells the story of a young boarding student and his family as they talk about their feelings when Barclay leaves the farm and returns to school.

Guildford Grammar School (WA)*​

Knox Grammar School (NSW)

Virtual reality

Virtual reality probably still falls into the novelty category and certainly takes more pre-production planning but, when executed well, it has the potential to pull viewers in and immerse them in your story. With Me Now from Knox Grammar School (NSW) is a story told by students, but the ability to pan around and explore each shot is the hero.

Humour

Humour is notoriously hard to pull off well in any medium, but especially in video. This David Attenborough parody titled Planet Wellington is an epic of over six minutes from Wellington College (Berkshire, UK) that lets the personality of the Wellington brand shine through.

Wellington College (Berkshire, UK)

Wellington College (Berkshire, UK)

Events​

Events can almost always be enhanced with creative use of video to support your message and build anticipation. In another example from Wellington College (Berkshire, UK), their clearly talented Head, staff and students star in an entrance video for their 2016 Speech Day.

Advertising

Advertising in cinemas or television is often too expensive for schools to consider. Online paid advertising on social media or YouTube can be targeted and financially viable. These examples from Hills Grammar (NSW) and Wilderness School (SA) get straight to the point in 30 and 15 seconds.

Wilderness School (SA)

Hills Grammar (NSW)

The Lovett School (Georgia, USA)

Program promotion

Program promotion is sometimes required within your school to build confidence with parents and students, particularly if the program occurs out of sight. The Junior Outdoor Expedition at The Lovett School (Georgia, USA) has been beautifully captured on video. Who wouldn’t want to be part of it?

Promotional

Promotional videos are the jack of all trades in the video toolbox. Designed to give an insight into the school, its values and key differentiators, they can be used anywhere you have a screen and an audience. This includes as a parent information session opener at The Scots College (NSW)*, or as a website landing page like The Windsor Boys’ School (Berkshire, UK).

The Scots College (NSW)*

The Windsor Boys’ School (Berkshire, UK)​

Explainer

Explainer videos are often animations and exist to highlight a point of difference or to quickly build understanding of a topic. St Andrew’s Episcopal School (Maryland, USA) has used simple animations to explain the key differences in their school with facts that set them apart from their competition.

St Andrew’s Episcopal School (Maryland, USA)

The Scots College (NSW)*

Fundraising

Fundraising videos should be more than an architectural fly-through of a proposed building project. They are an opportunity to build your case for the reason behind the project. The Scots College (NSW)* met their fundraising goal in 18 months using their story-based video across all touch points.

Musical

Musical videos allow the creative staff and students at your school to shine while engaging your audience with a message that is worthy of playing again. Western Reserve Academy (Ohio, USA) goes big with budget and original music while Eastern Christian School (New Jersey, USA) parodied Disney’s Moana with almost no budget, two staff and a talented student vocalist.

Western Reserve Academy (Ohio, USA)

Eastern Christian School (New Jersey, USA)

Brand statements

Brand statements are intended to embody the big brand picture and deliver deep messages in a powerful way. Christ School (North Carolina, USA) did this in their mega production, Your Future is Coming for You. The Scots College (NSW)* followed up ten Old Boys to create a series of mini-documentaries, The Scots Advantage.

Christ School (North Carolina, USA)

The Scots College (NSW)*

Informational

Informational videos do a humble but essential job in schools. They take topics that need to be highlighted and, by their very existence, show that this message has been deemed worthy of a video. PLC Sydney (NSW)* used this technique to inform parents and offer an alternate view to media commentary about independent schools.

PLC Sydney (NSW)*

Enrolment

Enrolment videos have one purpose: to drive enrolment enquiries. Trinity-Pawling School (New York, USA) does this by inviting students to “join the pride” and be part of something bigger than themselves. Forman School (Connecticut, USA) invites parents of students with learning differences to “be transformed”.

Trinity-Pawling School (New York, USA)

Forman School (Connecticut, USA)