EXT: Convocation day – University of Toronto campus. Everywhere you turn, happy parents are hugging capped graduates holding framed diplomas. Tears flow freely. The culmination of such a huge amount of time & effort is a glorious day, indeed.

U of T Engineering wanted to capture this day and create a video that would highlight the international nature of the student body, a mix that mirrored the diversity of Toronto itself. They wanted to demonstrate the pride, sacrifice and pleasure parents experience when their son or daughter graduates from U of T Engineering – to have those watching the video imagine themselves in each parents’ spot.

For this project we melded the flexibility of a news crew with the cinematic style of film. Shot as graduation was unfolding – and with only one day to capture all the footage – we had two separate teams capture the action. One focussed solely on interviews from our outdoor studio while the other took the time to establish location and set up more complex shots, such as inside Convocation Hall as students lined up and prepared for their cross-campus march.

As recruitment of university and college students becomes ever-more sophisticated and competitive, it’s important that University faculty come up with increasingly creative ways to reach potential students. Most are using video as a tool because it allows prospective students to get a feel for the campus they are considering – and video is also a perfect tool to establish an emotional connection.

All in all, it was one of the most fun and challenging shoots that Double Barrel has ever done. Thanks to U of T for letting us be a part!