This blog serves as Austin's artist statement for the project, where he will blog weekly about his progress on the implementation of the plan.
Week 7
This week, the three of us were given an assignment by our adviser. For the assignment, we needed to critique the implication of our social media and video changes to Interview Day. Here was my report:
The implication of social media and video into Interview Day gave a new, interactive dynamic to the interview process. Prospective and current students participated in an online story of the day by joining Twitter conversations as well as viewing blog posts from previous Miller College of Business activities. The videos, which were used as a new teaching medium for the visitors, streamlined the informational portion of the day into a simplified, short presentation.
The videos served one overall purpose: to narrow the timeframe of the informative section of the day. Rather than having department chairs and professors spend hefty amounts of time explaining the inner workings of the college, the condensed yet concise video presented the same information in only seven minutes. It also gave current MCOB Honors students the chance to display their feelings towards the program, giving prospective members a more personal touch with the happenings of the college.
Again, the overall execution of these new mediums was a success; however, there are a few areas of improvement to focus on.
Exposure of the blog
The blog was present in each waiting room for prospective students to view; however, it was not located for convenience – mainly due to the inaccessibility of technology in the classrooms. Students did not seem very engaged with the blog, which, I believe to be caused by the inaccessibility. Next year, it may be beneficial to send the blog URL to the students and parents attending prior to Interview Day. This would give them a better understanding of the program’s offerings before they even visit.
Utilization of the Twitter feed
The Twitter feed saw plenty of traffic; however, most of the tweets came from current MCOB students and not incoming members. I feel this was, once again, largely due to inaccessibility by visitors. The Twitter feed was mentioned and involvement was encouraged at the beginning of the day, however, with so much information thrown at them, I suspect the prospective students did not retain the Twitter information when it was originally presented to them. Keeping the Twitter handle available on screens throughout the building or on fliers posted in the building will remind students to tweet and will also give them the information to do so.
Lack of footage for videos
The videos ensured that all information concerning the college was presented to students in a brief, yet thorough synopsis. The videos accomplished this; however, there was a lack of footage to use for each of the four videos. Because pictures and video clips of Wally Miller are not available, it was difficult to provide on-screen representations during the biography portion of the main video. This was also a problem concerning the break out session videos. This difficulty should be taken into consideration when (and if) videos for next year are made. I also believe faculty should be included in the main College of Business video along with the students.
These simple changes and upgrades will help the already successful implementation of social media and video at Interview Day even better. I believe the Miller College of Business should continue utilizing these technological additions to enhance student involvement in the day.
Week 6
The videos came together nicely (for the most part), and the overall reaction to them during Interview Day was positve. The day's events ran (from a technological standpoint) without any glitches.
The social media aspects of the day were also a huge success. The blog was featured on computers in every room prospective students and parents spent time in, and Twitter received an impressive amount of traffic throughout the day.
Overall, this part of our thesis project went tremendously well. The College of Business seemed to appreciate the changes we made to Interview Day, and it looks as though these changes will be incoprorated in future years.
Week 5
Editing and compiling all of the footage has brought some challenges to the surface; mainly, the absence of b-roll footage for the Wally Miller story and departmental overviews.
Because there are no videos/pictures available of Wally Miller, creating a two minute video segment about his life is proving to be difficult. My best option, as of now, is to use a combination of text, general College of Business b-roll, and photos of miscellaneous "Miller connections". As for the departmental videos, my only real choice is to create simple text videos with voiceovers.
We'll see how this turns out.
Week 4
The filming begins.
After last week's complete overhaul of our initial filming plan, I have spent the majority of this week collecting b-roll footage to use for the five videos being shown at Interview Day.
This past Friday, I set up camp in the Student Services office to shoot interviews with current MCOB Honors students. From 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., students slowly shuffled in to give their input on the programs classes, workshops, networking opportunities, and study abroad trips.
After reviewing the footage from Friday's interviews, I feel that there is not enough sufficient material to make the "interview day reaction" video we originally planned on making. With that being said, we will only be producing four new videos (Wally Miller/College of Business overview video and three different departmental videos) to show along with the Study Abroad Promo video.
Next week promises to be a busy one!
Week 3
This week changed pretty much everything concerning my portion of the thesis project. After meeting with one of our faculty advisers, Dr. Byers, we decided to scrap our original idea of a 20 minute long interview day video.
Instead, as per Byers suggestion, we are going to break up the content of the main video into smaller, more focused videos. Our first video, which will be shown at the beginning of interview day, will highlight the story of Wally Miller as well as the College of Business overall. However, the portion of the video that will feature the various departments in the college will now be separated and shown at each individual break panel. We will also have a looping video of current honors students' reactions to their interview day experiences to be shown while the prospective students wait to be interviewed.
After discussing this, we feel that this format will be more enjoyable for those attending interview day. Rather than keeping them in one place for 20 minutes, we feel that breaking the video up will help attract student interest and keep the day moving smoothly.
Week 2
My main objective for this project will be making the videos used to help promote the program; therefore, my first plan of action should be deciding when each video will be completed (I have a tendency to procrastinate, so setting up due dates is probably a good idea.)
As of right now, it looks like I will be making three videos (for a total of four videos including the Study Abroad promo). The first and largest video, the Interview Day video, will be my main objective up until Interview Day (February 18th). To ensure this video is done on time, I would like to have it completed by February 15th (the Wednesday before Interview Day).
After that, I can concentrate on the two remaining promotional videos. I would like to have the first one completed by March 16th, and the second one completed by March 30th. After both videos are completed, I will assist my fellow group members in utilizing them via Facebook, Twitter, and the website, to attract future students.
So, to recap, my timeline for the videos is as follows:
Week 3: January 23 – 27
Week 4: January 30 – February 3
SPRING BREAK
Week 9: March 12 - 16
Week 11: March 26 to 30
Week 12: April 2 - 6
Week 13: April 9 - 13
- Meet with Dr. Byers to discuss Interview Day Video
- Write artist statement
- Draft storyboard for Interview Day Video
- Write script for voice overs
Week 4: January 30 – February 3
- Begin filming for Interview Day Video (static shots)
- Write artist statement
- Record all voice overs
- Film all need interviews for Interview Day video
- Write artist statement
- begin editing for interview day video
- Finalize editing for Interview Day and have full video completed by Feb. 15th
- Write artist statement
- Write artist statement
- Upload Interview Day video to website
- Write artist statement
- Lynda.com training session (After Effects)
SPRING BREAK
Week 9: March 12 - 16
- Edit first promotional video
- Write artist statement
- Lynda.com training session (undecided)
- Write Artist statement
Week 11: March 26 to 30
- Edit 2nd promtional video
- Write Artist statement
Week 12: April 2 - 6
- Upload both promotional videos to website
- Write artist statement
Week 13: April 9 - 13
- Lynda.com training (undecided)
- Write artist statement
Week 1
Although the semester has only just begun, we haven't wasted anytime in prepping for our project. This week, with met with one of our faculty advisers to begin planning our main filming project: the Interview Day video. During this meeting, we created a "rough draft" of what should be included in the video. Because the video will be the main source of information for the potential students, it must highlight the College of Business overall as well as the benefits of the Honors Program.
After brainstorming, we have created a list of topics to include in this video:
- A history of Wally Miller
- An overview of the College of Business, including it's accomplishments, new resources, etc.
- Summaries of the different departments within the college
- Student reactions to their experiences within the Honors Program
- Highlights of internship opportunities
- A brief look at the Honors study abroad trip
This video will include an enormous amount of filming, including interviews with faculty and students, old pictures/footage to highlight the life of Wally Miller, and footage of classroom interactions.
To gain a better understanding of the best methods to use for the video, we will be meeting with our other faculty adviser (who belongs to the College of Communications, Information, and Media), to the best route in creating this film.