Creative Student Stories
University of South Wales.
Web & Social
We were tasked by the University of South Wales to create a handful of short, documentary-style snapshots of the creative students, to help promote the University’s arts courses.
The goal for these stories was to entice new students looking for arts degrees to USW through a range of fast-paced, stylish, and exciting mini films. We wanted a strong sense of appeal for young people, so we gave each film its own unique aesthetic and style to help attract both a range of potential students, and promote the range of options available at the University. We tied it all together with an engaging structure and bold and creative camera techniques.
For the fashion film, we knew we wanted an editorial and high-fashion feel to match the work of chosen student, Joseph Thomas.
“Creative, collaborative and cool – On Par nailed the brief…and were a joy to work with.”
University Of South Wales
After meeting with Joseph, we made a shooting script from what he’d shared with us. That script assisted us in the interview and provided structure to the segments of the film. We wanted to celebrate Joseph’s differences, as he’d been candid with us about his sexuality, upbringing and autism.
We knew we needed to convey his involvement in the queer community of Cardiff, so we decided to film him dressing his close friend – and infamous South Welsh Drag Queen – Jolene Dover, as well as supporting her in Joseph’s local gay club. Additionally, we wanted to represent his experience with autism as positively as possible; to show it as a superpower that has helped his focus and drive in the fashion industry.
On the shoot, we used a range of different cameras and lenses; photo bursts, camcorder, and a probe lens for macro close up shots were all used at multiple locations at the University and in Cardiff, to showcase what USW has to offer, as well as the city. We played with high contrast lighting and strobe, juxtaposing this with the soft and natural lighting for the observational documentary style sections.
In the edit, we were able to get really experimental; weaving in creative bursts of archive, filmic transitions, and monochrome grading. The sound design of these films has also been a key detail, helping to enhance the time jumps and location changes, while complementing the use of mixed media.
The four films work seamlessly as a collection; successfully advertising USW as a multidisciplinary creative university, as well as showcasing a range of On Par’s abilities.