Last week, each member of my Capstone class pitched their respective ideas to the Broadcast Communications Department—seeking that legendary “green light” to move ahead.  Personally, I spent a great deal of semester’s beginning simply thinking about my project, with no noteworthy improvements.

However, I still had a pitch to make (last week), and was able to successfully do that after finally determining my project’s foundation.  Briefly, here was my starting point:

We’ve all seen them—not only terrible commercials, but terrible college commercials.  The first two here speak for themselves (or, ironically, do not).  The last one, from Ohio University where I attended my freshman year, may be of higher production quality, but the story remains empty and hardly any more motivational than the others.

At Westminster, we have our own shoddy work, thankfully not by fault of the Broadcast Department.  For some reason, we as a the College, find it valuable to run what is effectively a slideshow, set to classical music, during Pittsburgh Penguins games.  I apologize I couldn’t find the commercial online, to include here for your enjoyment.  Frankly, it’s a poor attempt to drive traffic to westminster.edu, or to interest high school students in visiting campus.  It not only lacks a defined target audience, but fails to successfully represent the spirit of Westminster—a leader in liberal arts education, while employing a family atmosphere.  In my opinion, the commercial style and story should echo that theme.

Given my video production experience, appreciation for story, and ability to politely and respectfully question authority after gaining its respect, I found it appropriate to produce a new College television commercial as the pinnacle of my Capstone project.  I plan to use focus groups, made of defined target audience members.  I’ll show them examples of current ads, from both Westminster and neighboring schools, and use their feedback as guidance.  I’ll work with the President, his Cabinet, Admissions, and Student Affairs as clients, while attempting to win their support in my efforts.

Though this project may require most of fall semester, I envision the process to be both rewarding and inspiring.  I will have the opportunity to develop my production, story-telling, and negotiating skills.  I will become a producer, director, cinematographer, editor, writer, and the like.  I suppose this truly reflects the one-man-band theory.

In the end, I hope to produce a professional, polished, and effect commercial for the College.  One that not only will serve as my Capstone project, but more importantly become a more appropriate representative of Westminster.