Our Work with the University of Surrey
A lively, engaging approach
This was a different approach to video for the University of Surrey. For the first time they wanted to create faculty videos aimed at potential students with a lively, engaging approach that was a departure from their more traditional corporate style.
“From The Hip were brilliant; they managed the quantity of films, put all the students and academics at ease and delivered within our tight timescale.”
A different approach
“This project was different to any other videos we had commissioned before,” says Codie McKenzie, Marketing Manager at the university. “We had quite a tight brief and budget and knew what we wanted to achieve. We spoke to several video production companies and From the Hip stood out from the rest because they clearly understood how to work with our staff and students to get the most natural and comfortable results on screen.”
“It was really important to us that the videos were as engaging and natural as possible,” adds Jo Calverley, who was Marketing Co-ordinator for the university when the videos were shot. “Not only that, but the logistical side of things was pretty complex, so we needed to be confident that the video company was aware of the challenges of scale presented by the campus. For that reason, it was very useful to have a local company who could turn up and shoot when we needed them to.”
Sticking to the Ultimate Brief
Our Ultimate Brief process is great at developing a one team approach when we work with clients, because it means we all know exactly what’s happening, when it’s happening and how things will work to get the best results. This time the Ultimate Brief worked even harder, guiding us through complex logistics and planning to deliver eight videos, with associated footage, self-filming and individual messages.
“This process makes life so much easier for everyone,” says MD Dan Neatherway, our Creative Director. “We made sure we agreed exactly how the planning, shoot and post-production would work, and we didn’t deviate from that plan, so the University knew what to expect every step of the way.”
The project took just under three months to complete once we were on board. The University team worked to find suitable students and academics from each faculty and pulled together notes to make sure that all aspects of university life were covered – from the modules students take to the opportunities for placements and wider student life.
“We had a tight timescale,” says Codie. “We wanted to get all the videos live before Christmas, because the UCAS deadline for applications is at the end of January. So From the Hip planned in 3-4 days of shooting and then went straight into editing. And that was incredibly quick, given the amount of footage they filmed and the number of videos we wanted.”
Putting people at ease
“The whole team at From the Hip were brilliant during the shoot,” says Jo. “They were brilliant at managing the sheer quantity of filming we needed, whilst also putting all the students and academics at ease so they look completely relaxed and comfortable on the screen. We also asked students to do some ‘selfie’ filming on their phones, and Dan was really helpful – giving them advice on the best way to do things so that the student films could be seamlessly integrated into the final videos.”
“We were also really impressed that From the Hip were able to pull out the exact soundbites we wanted, even in the first edit,” says Codie. “In previous video projects, we have been expected to do most of the selection and editing, but From the Hip really understood the brief. So when we got the first edits, we could see that they had nailed it”
“Everyone who has seen the video across the Uni has been really impressed with the quality – they have said how nice it is to see something new and different to our previous videos. We would definitely use the team again, and we have recommended them to other departments in the University already. Most importantly, everyone had a great time during filming – the whole process was actually a lot of fun and far less stressful than we had been expecting.”