The Challenge – Course Marketing For International
The University of South Wales required a promotional video for its BA Advertising degree, to support international partnership engagement and student recruitment, with a focus on prospective students in Malaysia.
The video needed to bring the course to life by showcasing the campus, teaching approach and industry connections, while helping international audiences understand what studying Advertising at USW was actually like.
Because Stephen guest lectures on the course and delivers filmmaking workshops to the third-years, Carnival Content had an in-depth understanding of the course structure, student experience and creative outcomes. This allowed us to approach the project with a high level of insight.
BA Advertising Course Video (16×9)
The Strategy – Student Storytelling
Filming took place at the start of summer, when student availability can be limited. Rather than see this as a constraint, we used it as an opportunity to carefully design a shoot that represented every element of the course.
The creative approach reflected the wider USW brand campaign, using handheld, energetic cinematography to create a sense of pace and authenticity.
At the heart of the film was student-led storytelling. We wanted students to explain, in their own words, how the degree supported their creative development and career goals.
The objective was to produce a video that showcased academic expertise, industry relevance and the community around the course, while inspiring both prospective students and international partners.
BA Advertising Social Media Edit (9×16)
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The Approach
We planned an ambitious shoot across multiple campus locations to reflect the breadth of the course.
Interviews were deliberately in depth, with about ten questions per contributor. This allowed students the time to speak honestly about their experience of studying in Cardiff, at USW and on the BA Advertising degree.
The edit was structured around an interview with Lee Thomas, the course leader, supported by student soundbites and a section featuring the industry placement partner.
Fast paced b-roll was used throughout to reflect the collaborative nature of the course and to convey the sense of community and creative energy within the programme.
The Project Included:
- 1 & 1/2-day shoot including five interviews and extensive b-roll
- One course film with a full edit under five minutes
- Thirty second social media edits in landscape, square and vertical formats
- English and professionally translated Welsh subtitles
Behind The Scenes
The Outcome
The final video was extremely well received by international partners, particularly in Malaysia, and is now featured on the course page as it effectively communicates every aspect of the degree.
While the original brief was for a two-minute promotional film, we made the strategic decision to deliver a full five-minute edit to properly capture the depth of the course and the student experience.
Both the international recruitment team and the course leadership were delighted with the result.
Explore more of our university video production work →
See how we approach open day campaigns for universities →
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