MCG: A Closer Look garners awards
by Sharron Walls
An MCG video introducing prospective students to the university has earned two highly respected national awards.
MCG: A Closer Look, filmed and directed by Tim Johnson in the Department of Visual and Instructional Design and produced by Ben Ferguson, associate director for student recruitment and admissions, won the Silver Award at the 21st Annual Admissions Advertising Awards in April, coming in second to Johns Hopkins University. In July, it received another Silver Award from the Health and Science Communications Association “in recognition of excellence in media production.”
Dr. Michael Miller, vice president for enrollment and student services, served as executive producer of the project. “This video presents MCG programs in a positive way,” he said, “and I’m very pleased that the work done by our staff has been recognized by our peers.”
The video departs from the usual narrator-driven format and consists entirely of students talking about their experiences on campus, discussing classrooms, faculty, financial aid, amenities, campus life, Augusta and the challenges and rewards of being an MCG student. “We thought it would be more powerful if potential students heard the message from their peers,” said Mr. Johnson. Nearly 40 students from all five schools are featured.
The video is an integral part of MCG’s monthly Open House visitation day, at which up to 120 potential students receive a brief overview in the Student Center and a short walking tour of campus before convening in the Auditoria Center for program presentations and a viewing of A Closer Look. The afternoon concludes with in-depth tours of major areas of interest.
“By this time, students are further along in the decision process,” says Mr. Ferguson. “They’re narrowing down where they want to go to school.” The video, using the voices of MCG’s own students, is proving to be a very effective way of conveying the MCG experience.
At its premier screening and a later thank-you reception for everyone who participated in the making of the video, A Closer Look was given high marks for creativity and execution. Responses to 200 survey cards were “overwhelmingly positive,” according to Mr. Ferguson, who added that students under 35 “absolutely loved it.”
Creation of the video took about six months, including student auditions. “It was a very collaborative process,” said Mr. Ferguson, speaking of the many hours he and Mr. Johnson spent editing up to 30 hours of footage into a fast-moving, dynamically colorful 13-minute video. Of all the projects he has been involved in for the university, Mr. Johnson says A Closer Look is definitely one of his favorites. “It was a real pleasure to work with all of these students; no one had a bad attitude. All of these kids are highly motivated.”
Dr. Kristy McDonald was one of the students in the video. Now a physician in the Department of Internal Medicine after graduating in May, she found her experience at MCG so positive “that it was great to feel that I was returning the favor. I wanted people who came here to know how great this school is.”
Interspersed throughout are aerial shots of the campus taken during a helicopter flight arranged in cooperation with MCGHI and still photos by campus photographer Phil Jones. Wesley Hobbs provided production assistance.
Mr. Johnson earned a communications degree from Augusta College in 1985. He has worked for production houses in California, Augusta and Aiken, S.C., and spent 10 years in cable television as a video producer and freelancer before joining MCG in 2004. He previously won top honors in the 2005 Telly Awards, given nationally for outstanding local and regional film production, for the video To Teach, Discover and Care, which he produced for the School of Allied Health Sciences. He also won the 2005 award for best short feature and the 2006 award for best local feature in Augusta’s Southern Fried Flicks Film Festival.
For a brief excerpt of A Closer Look, visit www.mcg.edu/students/closerlook.