SmartSite Video

Owned by Corey Owens (Unlicensed)
Last updated: Jul 30, 2007Version comment

Here's a more-detailed version of our proposal for the short SmartSite promotional video:

1) The main audience is faculty and staff, and students to a lesser degree. If faculty use SmartSite, so will students. Aiming this video mostly at faculty and staff lets us give this presentation a sharper focus than if we tried to give equal emphasis to all three groups.

2) The goal is to introduce viewers to SmartSite, leaving them with 1) an impression that "this is something for me, it's easy and efficient," and 2) a desire to learn more about it as a tool to help them work. It would be an introduction or overview aimed at people who might have heard of SmartSite, but don't know much about it.

3) We would show the video as an introduction to training sessions, plus post it online for anyone who wants a visual introduction to SmartSite. Other display locations: On the ad monitor in the MU, played on monitors at presentation booths, or as a visual during talks about campus tech.

4) It would run 3 to 4 minutes.

5) The main features to emphasize here: that SmartSite is easy to use, increases efficiency (especially long-term), improves student learning outcomes, improves student-faculty communications, and helps faculty organize their courses online. We would make these points through interviews, screen shots, and footage of people using SmartSite in their work (including teaching in a classroom).

6) Some ideas for people to interview: Milmon Harrison, associate professor in African-American studies; Kristina de Korsak, graduate student/instructor in linguistics; Bob Ostertag, technocultural studies; Jacqueline Romo, assistant director/instructional resources for the Graduate School of Management; and Rick Hayes and Dave Magliano, VetMed.

None has been contacted about this idea; Steve & Leslie suggested them as good spokespeople for SmartSite.

7) We would ask them how they use SmartSite, and why, and to discuss their experiences. We chose these interview candidates partly because they use SmartSite, and for the diversity they represent, but also because they represent different uses of SmartSite that we want to emphasize. We would do some research before we begin filming, so that we have an idea of what they'd say and how their comments would fit into the overall message of the video.

8) The main people engaged in this video so far: me, Corey Owens, Steve Faith, Leslie Madsen-Brooks (who would remain involved as she moves to her new job). We would also need someone to interview the faculty; Andy Jones has been mentioned, but we haven't asked him.

9) We'll model our video on ones Apple has done; Steve used them when he worked for Apple. They feature success stories told by people using the product, with cut-ins or narrations as needed to illustrate a point. (See links to the Apple ads below.)

11) We want this to be a good quality video. Nothing slapdash.

12) Once we line up the subjects to interview, Corey and I will research them further, to write questions and a scenario to frame the interview. We'll circulate that scenario for review. Then we'll tape the video, edit it, review it, and finally post or show it.

13) Corey talked casually with a producer in Mediaworks, to get an estimate of how much time they might need to film and edit a video of this sort. As a result, we estimate a recharge of about $5,000. That, plus the time of the people involved in this video, is the expense of the project.

14) A side goal of this project is to develop expertise in creating videos to discuss and promote campus tech products and services. We can then use that expertise on future projects for IET.

A few questions, for you and others as appropriate:

How important is this video in the SmartSite communication strategy? High, mid or low priority?

Is this recharge cost acceptable?

What's the deadline?

Who's the leader on this project? I've been running the meetings and taking notes, but maybe there's someone better suited to leading the creation of what amounts to a small movie. (I'm happy to give it a shot, though.)

And, of course, we welcome comments on the proposal itself.

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Parsons Design School, http://www.apple.com/education/solutions/creative/video.html

The Coen Brothers on Final Cut Studio 2 http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/action/?movie=coenbrothers

KCAL News on Final Cut Server, http://www.apple.com/finalcutserver/

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