Educational Organizations
Long-form videos, short-form vignettes and interactive campus maps
Here’s a very typical situation at any quality school: the admission office needs a presentation that speaks to prospective students and their parents, the development office wants a video to take “on-the-road” to show to potential donors, and the marketing/communications office wants to utilize video in an interactive campus map for all types of audiences.
Instead of going with three different companies, it’s far more cost effective to combine resources and work with Message Matters. We collaborate with you to strategically plan the various messages you want to convey and the people and visuals to best portray them. We shoot and catalog these various video “assets” in ways that allow them to be re-purposed, time and again, in ways that fit the intended audience.
With 20+ years of experience, we know how to interview presidents (of universities, and the US!) and we know how to talk to ninth grade boarding school students. We know our way around college campuses and can advise you on how to schedule the most productive day of shooting to fit your needs. We understand the content that needs to be included in effective presentations tailored to specific audiences.
We can guide you on the appropriate length of video presentations designed for viewing on the Internet or on DVD in the home. We can even recommend ways to put your presentation in the hands of viewers (literally!) via smartphones. No matter how you distribute your story, we always keep in mind that it’s the message that matters.
Message Matters grew out of a previously established company, called VIDEC, which was known for producing and distributing recruiting and fundraising video presentations for colleges, universities, and college preparatory schools. VIDEC was the creator of the “Campus Video Visit,” a term we coined to describe in-depth, content-laden video presentations distributed directly to the homes of prospective students and their parents.
Today, Message Matters still distributes college and university DVDs directly to prospective students’ homes. If you’d like information on how your institution can participate in our direct mailing program, please contact us.
1. Video Visit: a broad-brush overview of your institution, with a number of interviews from current students and faculty. This presentation includes lot of visuals of campus, academic situations, residential life scenes, facilities and athletics. Whether it’s sent to the home on DVD or viewed from your website, this presentation is designed to encourage students to “take the next step”: seek more information, visit, apply. Schools also use these presentations for faculty recruiting.
2. Video Vignettes: highly focused, topical, short video presentations designed to be viewed on the web. These projects take less time to shoot, produce and edit, and can serve as an economic way for schools to take the plunge into video production.
3. Admitted Student Presentations: a more personal, “slice of life” presentation for prospective students who have already gained some knowledge of your institution and have been admitted to your school. These productions address the issue of “will I fit in here?” in a casual yet meaningful way.
4. Campaign/Fundraising Presentations: versatile presentations that can be used in many ways, including campaign kick-offs, direct mail, as a “scene-setter,” as an information vehicle. We plan for ways to easily update the presentations as campaigns evolve over time.
5. Image Presentations: productions viewed by a wide-ranging audience that address fundamental aspects of the institution… who are we, what do we stand for, what are we known for?
6. Interactive campus maps: a high-tech, on-line vehicle for all audiences to learn about the facilities available on a campus. Of course, as we are “Message Matters,” our interactive maps are far more than just a campus tour. We blend in interviews with students, faculty and administrators about their personal experiences and the value they’ve gained from being there.
