SFU
ROLE | Multimedia Coordinator and Videographer
Overview
At SFU Career and Volunteer Services, my primary focus revolved around crafting an inspirational video. Tailored for the CVS website and suitable for presentations during classroom visits and campus events, this video aimed to expand students’ outlook on career education and highlight the diverse array of services offered by our department.
Memorable Contributions
Brand Awareness Video
- Directed and produced an inspirational video tailored for the CVS website and suitable for presentations during classroom visits and campus events, this video aimed to expand students’ outlook on career education and highlight the diverse array of services offered by our department.
Standup Banner Design
- Refreshed CVS’s stand-up banners with a new design, enhancing brand representation and communication by better reflecting the center’s identity.
Instagram Page Creation
- Established an Instagram page from scratch, elevating brand visibility by effectively showcasing its identity and offerings. Implemented a strategic content calendar and post templates to ensure consistent and engaging communication. Achieved an impressive milestone of 1000 followers within just one month, demonstrating rapid growth and strong community engagement.
Brand Awareness Video
Stage 1
In order to prepare for the video creation, I had to do a needs assessment. I created a spreadsheet using excel and gathered, reviewed and documented all of the videos that existed either on CVS channels or in the CVS shared drive. I used criteria to curate and rate them, such as “educational, entertaining, and relevant” categories. From there, I brainstormed the potential videos (content, style) that CVS could benefit from, in order to meet their objectives, which were: they want to have a contemporary video that adds “heart” to their otherwise fairly corporate, standard website outlining services, they want to represent their philosophies, and they want to let students know who they are. Since they already have a video that is still very popular – but is getting somewhat outdated – this video could compliment it and potentially replace it, in a shorter, more modern and more versatile format. My research findings determined the direction for the video script, and footage that would support the story.
Stage 2
Before writing the script, I researched videos that matched my vision for this video: clips included sport related commercials, music videos, educational videos, etc. After closely evaluating them, I started writing the script and the things I thought that would be necessary for this video. For example, I wanted to include myths related to career and school such as “you don’t belong in the academic world” or “you are defined by your degree”, which a majority of students possibly have thought of at one point in their academic years. I created a questionnaire about this and shared it amongst our staff, to collect the myths they hold, which along with a popular tool used in the CVS office called “challenge cards” informed the structure and the narrative that I wanted to create (samples):
original script
final script
Stage 3
The writing and visioning process led into gathering and assembling the footage. I sketched a rough storyboard to communicate my vision to the team, which included seeing students in action, working on something that they are passionate about, on and off campus. My supervisor connected with Jason Margolis, at SFU’s Creative Studios to ask about pre-existing footage in line with what we were looking for, and he provided us with a lot of what we were looking for, from their library and archives. From there, I created a list of all the footage that I wanted from the clips he had sent me, and I was able to start editing and cutting the parts I wanted in Premiere Pro to create a rough cut.
I created the following table to organize the footage that I wanted to capture.
I also started looking for a background music at this stage. I was looking for something subtle, positive, mellow but also upbeat that would give a sense of motivation and encouragement to our audience. I looked for background music on a website called “Thematics”, which is a website that provides background music for YouTube users, where I found the artist “Ninjoi”, who makes melancholic music, which brings up a lot of emotions both positive and negative for the audience and chose the ideal music for the video called “Where do I Go”.
Stage 4
The rough cut was supported with feedback from my supervisor as well as the director of our department, and from Jason Margolis, from Creative Studio. One of the central ideas was that we could shorten the beginning of our video in order to quickly communicate the primary message of the video to our audience, places where we could make sure it was on SFU’s brand and ideas about how to shape the script differently again.
At this time, we were also booking time with a couple of staff members to record the voice over for the script. We worked with Duane Woods from the Centre for Educational Excellence to record. I booked space in the library to initiate some sample recordings there as well.
Also, at this stage, we were casting some students to shoot further footage that we didn’t get through searching SFU’s library. I used a Sony A7 camera and a stabilizer that we rented for this.
Stage 5
This project took around a year and a half to complete as we had some hiccups throughout our process. We were finally able to finish it on September 2020 and upload on Career and Volunteer Services YouTube channel.
Here is the final video:
Results & Takeaways
Even though we had to share the script and the vision of our video with other staff, it was very important to me to hold on to my vision as a student as well as a co-director because I wanted to create a video that was different from what already exists out there. I insisted on keeping some of the script because I knew that the students would fully relate to and connect with us. By saying my opinion out loud and having supportive reasons, I think that I was able to have the competing voices on board with myself.
Standup banner
As part of my responsibilities, I was tasked with creating a standup banner for the SFU Career and Employment Centre. This banner was intended for display both in front of the centre and at various events they attended. My approach was to craft a message that resonated with students and addressed common concerns around career and employment.
Process
1. Identifying Student Concerns: I began by researching common myths and questions students have regarding career and employment. This included topics such as feeling stuck with their major, uncertainty about career options related to their degree, and lack of experience and transferable skills.
2. Message Development: From the list of common concerns, I selected the top three and created three different copies for the standup banner. After presenting these options to the team, “One Major, Endless Possibilities” was chosen as the final message. This message aimed to convey the idea that students’ majors offer diverse career opportunities.
3. Image Selection: For the imagery of the banner, I wanted to showcase a diverse range of occupations and students engaged in various activities at SFU. I browsed the library of images provided by SFU to find suitable pictures. The challenge was the limited availability of images that accurately represented the diversity of students and occupations.
The standup banner featured the message “One Major, Endless Possibilities” accompanied by images of diverse students and occupations, highlighting the range of career opportunities available to SFU students. The banner served as a visually engaging and informative display for the Career and Employment Centre. This banner was then adapted into a Facebook banner as well as an artwork for the screen displays across SFU campuses.
digital artwork
final standup banner
Results & Takeaways
This project emphasized the importance of understanding the target audience and addressing their concerns effectively through design and messaging. It also highlighted the value of utilizing available resources, such as image libraries, while creatively overcoming limitations to achieve the desired outcome.
Instagram Page Creation
Upon joining CVS, I recognized the importance of establishing a presence on Instagram, a popular platform among youth, to enhance awareness of the center and its events. With the aim of fostering collaboration with other SFU departments and engaging students, I spearheaded the creation of the SFU Career and Volunteer Services Instagram page.
Process
1. Identifying Content Themes: To ensure the Instagram page resonated with students, I brainstormed potential topics for posts. These included inspirational quotes, news updates about workshops and panels, and educational tips related to career and volunteering.
2. Content Calendar Development: I organized the identified content themes into a structured content calendar, outlining the posting schedule and ensuring a balanced mix of content types. This facilitated consistent posting and engagement with followers.
3. Page Launch and Growth: Following the creation of the Instagram page, we focused on building a following by promoting the page through various channels. Within the first month of launch, we successfully gained 1000 followers, indicating a positive response from the student community.
The SFU Career and Volunteer Services Instagram page served as a hub for engaging and informative content, including inspirational quotes, workshop announcements, and educational tips. Through strategic planning and consistent posting, the page garnered significant traction and engagement from students, contributing to increased awareness of the center and its offerings.
Instagram Page: SFU Career and Volunteer Services
Results & Takeaways
This project highlighted the importance of leveraging social media platforms to connect with target audiences and promote organizational initiatives. It underscored the value of strategic content planning and consistent engagement in building a robust online presence and fostering community engagement.
