Stories
News, project launches and thoughts from our team.
Project Launch: McMaster IBEHS Program
“Healthcare challenges are one of the biggest problems facing today’s society”
McMaster University is transforming these healthcare challenges into new learning experiences. Bringing the Health Sciences and Engineering faculties together, into a hands-on, project based 5-year program – the new Integrated Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences Program.
“Biomedical problems are very complex. There is the human element and the technological element and in order to solve these types of complex problems you need experts of many different areas of study and many different backgrounds, this program is going to produce such graduates.” – Colin McDonald, Assistant Professor, McMaster University
McMaster has a world class reputation in both health sciences and engineering. Consistently ranked internationally among the top 40 universities in the world for medicine and health sciences and rated one of the top ten engineering schools in Canada. At Double Barrel, we were thrilled and honored to help McMaster launch this groundbreaking program, which is the first of its kind in Canada!
“Double Barrel helped bring our vision to life. The team’s creativity and diligent work resulted in a stellar product that helped raise the profile of our new Integrated Biomedical and Health Sciences Program.” – Monique Beech, Manager, Public Relations, Faculty of Engineering, McMaster University
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PROJECT LAUNCH: McMaster Faculty of Health Sciences Hall of Fame Video
“World class professors, clinicians, students, researchers and innovators, global leaders in interprofessional education. At McMaster Faculty of Health Sciences, this is who we are.”
How do you pack all the achievements of a world-class health sciences program into one 5 minute video?
When McMaster’s Faculty of Health Sciences asked us to produce this piece for their annual Hall of Fame event, we knew this would be the challenge. For decades, McMaster’s medical program has been a bastion of multi-disciplinary medical achievements and pioneering teaching techniques. Showcasing that to an audience of their peers was no small task – but one that we were so honoured to be part of.
McMaster is continuously proving to be one of the best universities in the world being ranked globally in the top 50 with medical campuses in Niagara, Waterloo and our beautiful city of Hamilton!
McMaster and it’s academic hospital partners are working hard to change patient care in Canada and around the world. We are proud to have been a part of this project, supporting a Hamilton staple like McMaster!
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PROJECT LAUNCH: DeGroote School of Business
Another week, another launch!
For the past few months, Double Barrel has been working alongside the DeGroote School of Business – McMaster University~ helping them add some video to their fantastic new brand campaign, ‘Education With Purpose.’
Our resulting piece ~ this 1:40 cinematic trailer ~ premiered at their Accolades event last week in Toronto, before an audience of distinguished partners and alumni.
Shot by Tyler Tekatch & Christoph Benfey, music composed by Sasha Szlafarski, script by Kitestring’s Holly Gibson, edited by Taylor Heres, audio mixing & mastering by Hive Studios, cameo by Kristel Bulthuis. Proof that it really does take a village to make something great.
Thanks everyone!
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PROJECT LAUNCH: McMaster University
Engineering is the invisible thread that holds so much of our day-to-day lives together. And when it comes to getting teens excited about a STEM career – it pays to reveal just a bit of the science behind their everyday experiences.
We set out in October of 2014 to create a 30 second broadcast commercial that did just that. Using skateboarding as our metaphor – and an extreme slow motion camera – we aimed to capture the forces of friction, momentum and gravity.
The end result is something we’re all so proud of. Screened in theatres from Hamilton to Toronto (in IMAX no less!) and also in Calgary, we hear this piece is on its way to theatres in Hong Kong!
Many thanks to our amazing crew, as always. Shot in slow-mo by Ty Tekatch and Christoph Benfey, with animation assistance from Antenna Visual Communication. Edited by Taylor Heres. Starring skateboarding superstar Alishia Stevens, and Hamilton’s own Arts Awards nominee, Alyssa Nedich. Many thanks to New Line Skateparks for allowing us to shoot at their construction site in Oshweken, Ontario!!
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PROJECT LAUNCH: Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine
Choosing a university is one of the most difficult decisions a young person will make. For pre-med students, a top quality educational experience needs to combine with other elements, like practicum and research opportunities, to be considered truly well-rounded.
McMaster’s Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine is renowned for educational and research excellence. With campuses in Waterloo, Niagara and Downtown Hamilton, virtually every type of educational and practicum opportunity is possible. This creates a marketing challenge all its own – with so many options, how do you adequately showcase the program to potential students? In such a hugely competitive post-secondary market, how do universities stand out?
At Double Barrel, we are grateful to have a long history with McMaster. We were thrilled when the outreach department at the DeGroote School of Medicine got in touch. We love having the opportunity to showcase what makes programs unique – and this was a particularly interesting challenge.
After multiple creative discussions with the team leads from each region, we honed in on one simple fact: the experiences that McMaster’s medical program offers are as unique as the students themselves. Each undergraduate can mix and match the program options to best suit them, their particular specialization and career goals. This is where we took our inspiration.
Through individual student stories, we highlighted specific regions, campuses and the practicum opportunities that exist within. Our three students – Steven Huynh (Hamilton), Kaylyn Merrifield (Waterloo) and Barbara Tatham (Niagara) were documented from home to classroom to work placements, while their personal narratives describe why they feel particularly drawn to the medical profession. The resulting video vignettes are personal, emotive and uniquely entertaining, highlighting just how varied your experience can be through the Michael G. DeGroote School.
Says Program Coordinator Lea Matulovic, “Roz, Lee and the entire Double Barrel Studios team made working on this dynamic project a great experience. They were extremely organized and provided us with the flexibility required to capture a vast variety of individuals and locations. Their professional, yet fun approach made for easy collaboration and their expertise; creativity; and willingness to understand and meet their client’s needs resulted in a finished product that exceeded our expectations!”
Thanks to the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine for bringing us on board!
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ExploreMcMaster.com
High school students considering an engineering degree at McMaster University have a new way to immerse themselves online in student life and their chosen profession.
McMaster University’s Faculty of Engineering and Double Barrel Studios are proud to announce the launch of ExploreMcMaster.com – an interactive 360 degree panoramic microsite combining photography, video, music and soundscapes.
In concert with Helios Design Labs of Toronto, ExploreMcMaster.com represents an innovative initiative in the higher education market. The site goes far beyond just text, hyperlinks and images. Through a series of 26 embedded video vignettes and mini-documentaries, ExploreMcMaster.com enables potential students to meet faculty members and student leaders, look into the university’s facilities, and get a feel for undergraduate life on campus.
“Truly a breakthrough in recruitment outreach, this new communication style allows McMaster’s Faculty of Engineering to speak to the next generation of engineers in an engaging interface they are comfortable with” says Lucy Sheung, Manager of Outreach and Enrolment. “Engineering at McMaster constantly looks for new and modern ways to reach out to its audience. We are confident in the professional knowledge and experience of Double Barrel, and decided to pioneer this unique online presentation. Our prospective students have used computers all of their lives. So for them, the site functions as an online lab, furthering our tradition of experiential education.”
This technology required over-the-top creativity and collaboration from both the Double Barrel Studios team and the interdisciplinary studio Helios Design Labs of Toronto. Inspired by the Gemini Award winning National Film Board of Canada web documentary, “Out My Window,” ExploreMcMaster.com similarly provides an immersive, 360 degree experience. (https://interactive.nfb.ca/#/outmywindow)
Mike Robbins of Helios says, “We used a ‘whatever its takes to get it done’ approach that mixed panoramic photography, html5, javascript and …. gasp …. flash!” The result is a consistent cross-platform experience for smart phones, tablets and desktop computers alike. “We feel the result points the way to the future of small but innovative studios having the tool-sets to create super-engaging content and story experiences for not only the arts but the corporate culture as well. The idea that business must be boring is tumbling fast!”
Lee Hillman, Double Barrel’s Executive Producer, says integrating the new HTML5 standard took weeks of fine tuning. “With every new technology, the learning curve is steep. We’re fortunate to have a partner like McMaster who is willing to take risks and delve into the unknown to create something truly unique in student-recruitment campaigns. We’re excited about the possibilities of taking this interactive technology even further with an eye to building community and enhanced functionality within the microsite.”
Executive Director Roz Allen, who has produced interactive content for the Web almost since its invention, is excited about the artistic and creative possibilities. “Being able to stretch our storytelling capabilities into the interactive realm is a very exciting direction for hospitals, new building launches, tourist resorts… virtually any kind of business that wants their potential customers to have a ‘you are there’ experience. We are just at the beginning of what’s possible.”
The McMaster site can be found here: www.exploremcmaster.com
Double Barrel Studios: www.doublebarrelstudios.com
For more information, contact:
Victoria Fenner
Business Development Director vic@doublebarrelstudios.com 905-745-7462
