USW Creative Industries Open Day Video Ads
Helping future creatives picture themselves at university. The University of South Wales partnered with Carnival Content to produce a series of vibrant open day video adverts.
Designed to inspire future creatives to visit campus and explore courses in subjects like music, film, photography, animation and fashion.
Filmed across three years of real open days, we built a library of high-energy video assets with a distinctive creative look and feel, tailored for paid social media campaigns.
This project is an example of our university video production work, combining subject-specific storytelling with social-first execution.
Music Open Day Video Promo Cymraeg (16×9)
The Challenge: Promoting Creative Industries Open Days
USW needed to increase promotion of the Creative Industries open days to increase attendance and applications.
Creative students tend to have a clear idea of what they want from a university course. They don’t just want to know that an open day is happening, they want to see:
- The facilities and equipment
- What a real day on campus feels like
- Whether the environment is right for them
There was also a clear emotional challenge: relieving anxiety about going to university, while increasing excitement about taking the next step.
Media Production Open Day Ad (16×9)
The Strategy: Subject-Specific University Open Day Videos
As Kate at USW highlighted at the start, a generic “Creative Industries” video risked missing the mark.
- A music applicant wants to see studios and production
- A fashion applicant wants workshops and making spaces
- A film applicant wants cameras, lights and edit suites
So instead of one video for everyone, we needed to show exactly what happens on the day, subject by subject.
Fashion Design Open Day Ad (16×9)
The Execution: Social Video Content That Drives Attendance
We created a series of individual, subject-specific open day ads. Each designed to act as the backbone of its own paid social campaign.
We planned a documentary-style approach, shooting handheld for intimacy and immediacy. Integrating the USW brand campaign aesthetic with retro grain and camera flicker effects for continuity.
Each film was edited into a fast-paced, story-led sequence.
To future-proof the content and maximise value, all footage was shot in landscape at 4K resolution. Then reframed and edited into multiple formats, including:
- Vertical 9:16 for Reels and TikTok
- Square formats for other ad placements
- Landscape for YouTube & presentations
This gave USW a flexible asset library optimised for each platform, without compromising quality or composition.
Photography Open Day Ad Promo Cymraeg (16×9)
The First Shoot: Music
The first open day we covered was Music, a subject particularly close to home.
I (Stephen) almost studied music production at university myself, so I was genuinely excited to capture this one. Shooting entirely handheld gave the cinematography a more immersive, energetic feel, putting viewers right in the room.
I recorded all ambient audio throughout the day, talks, room tone, applause and performances. During the music production workshop attendees created an original track with the course leader.
For the final edit, we used the music created by the students as the backing track for the ad, layered with the ambient audio from the day itself.
This doubled down on the authenticity.
Music Open Day Video Promo Reels (9×16)
The Outcome
The resulting ads became the core creative assets for each subject area’s open day campaign.
They clearly showed what happens at a USW Creative Industries open day. Helping prospective students visualise themselves on campus. Giving each subject a tailored, relevant narrative, rather than a one-size-fits-all message.
We provided USW with high-quality, multi-format video assets they could publish confidently across platforms.
Most importantly, the content didn’t just promote the events, it connected with the right prospective students.
Explore more of our university video production work →
See how we approach international video campaigns for universities →
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Or email us: hello@carnivalcontent.com