As restrictions of in-person gatherings were still in place in late 2021, educational institutions were significantly challenged in being able to keep the connection and the sense of community amongst students and their tutors. This has led universities to find new ways to deliver their sessions, lectures, and ceremonies.
We understand that graduations represent a turning point in the lives of students but are also important for the University itself. It is the highlight of the year; a cause for celebration and praise as well as a moment to remind everyone of the university's mission and goals as it embraces graduands, alumni, parents and all the academic staff.
The Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine is a higher education institution with degree awarding powers and registered charity located in Liverpool, United Kingdom. Established in 1898, it was the first institution in the world dedicated to research and teaching in tropical medicine.
LSTM decided to deliver an online graduation; this meant creating a high quality video and broadcast it on Zoom to students and staff. The online event focused on gathering graduands from all corners of the world to watch together and celebrate.
By now, we know well that an in-person event does transcribe well when it is simply copied and pasted on an online platform. An online event should be designed anew and avoid being a repetition of what works well in-person.
To achieve this, DXM proposed the creation of an 1-hour video that focused heavily on the students and their tutors as well as maintaining the formality and celebratory feel a graduation should uphold. The video production focused on the high-quality graphics, specifically sources music soundtracks and most importantly, focused on an upbeat and fresh perspective, fast editing and a variety of content to keep the audience engaged.
We worked closely with the client, LSTM, to identify which were the most important elements of the in-person graduation, which ones were unnecessary, which ones were a must to be introduced and work out the how. DXM worked on the creative vision the video should have in order to facilitate the desired outcome and we planned and organised the whole process from the mood board to the final product.
The concept of the video was focused on the history of the institution but also looking to the future and what the 2021 graduands would bring along with their experiences and contributions. Extensive filming was planned in Liverpool in order to get the most current images of the campus, external and internal, as well as landmarks of the city. For many of the students, it has been a long time since they last visited the campus and the city and it was important to include this footage.
At the same time of the filming, students were encouraged to send their videos and photos, share their stories and their perspective on what they have gained by studying at LSTM and also their fond memories and aspirations. Professional and academic staff were also asked to submit their videos sending their wishes and celebrating with the graduands.
Gathering and managing the student and staff videos was not a mean feat, and it was extremely important that we engaged people to submit their personal video, categorise and manage the materials with confidentiality and a certain process that no names were mixed up or no video was missed.
"All stories were presented so lively , highlighting students and their stories and focusing on the celebratory and excitement a graduation day holds for us." LSTM Student
Finally, we ensured specific high profile speakers were filmed on campus, with high-quality equipment, showcasing them and the school's facilities while showing the necessary attention to the importance of their message.
The editing of the video with graphics, aspiring and inspirational music accompanied by the upbeat editing rhythm created a memorable video that all students and staff watched on demand on the school's channel and celebrated the moment.
As many commented, it was very emotional to watch and the sense of connectivity amongst the graduands and tutors was certainly stronger on that day.
The traditional calling of the names at the end of the ceremony is a seminal moment and DXM applied a memorable yet efficient way to present the names of the graduands avoiding the processing from becoming long and arduous; by applying a variety of contemporary and celebratory visuals, music and graphics, the names were not only presented but managed to keep the audience emotionally engaged until the end!
Get in touch to discuss with DXM and find out more about our video production services.
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