Institute of Art, Design + Technology: CAO Cinema Ad

Institute of Art, Design + Technology Dún Laoghaire is Ireland’s only institute of art, design and technology with a specific focus on the creative cultural and technological sectors. Piquant worked with the IADT marketing and communications team to develop the You+ promotional campaign.

As part of this campaign, we were commissioned to produce IADT’s first ever cinema advert, targeted towards students who are applying for higher education through the CAO system. The brief was to deliver a 30 second video for the IADT CAO recruitment campaign; for use in both cinema advertising and social media applications, and for it to be in line with the You+ identity.

CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT — We developed a concept where the camera continuously and seamlessly moves forward through space, passing through a multitude of scenes which show the commute, the social life, the active learning environments, the ‘in the field’ experiences, and the future that awaits after IADT. The transitions from scene to scene are practical in many instances – people walking through the frame, a flare from a light or projector, a flick of a coat or a bus passing by. Our central character carries the forward movement through scenes, interacting with others, diverse in their ethnicities, genders, and styling.

Our voiceover script is poetic, sharp, concise. Told from the perspective of our main character – a student at IADT, it speaks to future students and communicates what the essence of IADT is, and what life here is all about. It invokes confidence in the expertise of IADT. It hammers home the You+ messaging and call to action – Make IADT your CAO choice.

VIDEO PRODUCTION — Production took place over 3 days on location in IADT, in Dún Laoghaire and South Dublin. We took our time to stage, light and choreograph each scene with intention. The movement from one scene to the next was mapped out in advance to make sense in the edit; and we used a track and dolly to carry the movement forward throughout. A cast of over 50 people in total were required, the majority being IADT students!

3D COMPOSITING — To emphasise and aid with the messaging surrounding the campaign, we employed 3D-modelled typography composited into scenes. We developed textures for these models informed by the institution’s environments, such as concrete walls, lighting and glass. This approach embedded the campaign into our footage in a naturalistic manner that created standout and memorable moments.