The 1916 Bursary was set up to encourage participation and success by students from sections of society that are significantly under-represented in higher education. Piquant worked with the Irish Universities Association (IUA) to produce a series of videos which show the variety of student experiences and the diverse range of students who have received the 1916 bursary award nationwide. We also created informative videos which guide viewers through the application process and explain the bursary in depth.
What we did:
- Video and Photography Production
- Concept Development
- Script Writing
- Storyboarding
- Camera Operation
- Video Editing
- Motion Graphics Design
- Voice Over Recording
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT — The vision for this series of videos was to create personal testimonials from bursary recipients, told in a documentary style in their own environment and around the people they are close to – be that their home, housing estate, university. We wanted to touch on their past, why it would have been difficult for them to achieve or remain in higher education, how the bursary has helped them, and what this means for not only them, but for their family, community and those around them.
VIDEO PRODUCTION — We travelled across the country to film with 13 different recipients of the bursary. They represented a large cross section of people and came from vastly different backgrounds and circumstances. They spoke about their prior struggles, the positive personal impact of the bursary, and the impact it has had on their community, friends, family.
It was important for us to not just film interviews with the recipients, but to have an insight into their lives – so we filmed out in the world with them, and documented the things that are important to them. This all contributed to the viewer being left with a rounded impression of the recipient’s life, where they came from and how important the bursary is to them. Our aim with this approach was also to increase connections between the viewer and the recipient – so that a viewer may see similarities in background and circumstance and be encouraged to apply for the bursary.
MOTION GRAPHICS — For the informational and promotional videos, we implemented easy to understand but informative and engaging motion graphics to illustrate aspects of the bursary application, information about the various tiers, and the target groups eligible to apply.
IMPACT — At the end of the project, we had produced 13 videos which showed the diversity of 1916 Bursary recipients, both geographically within Ireland but also in their stories and backgrounds. The videos have been used by IUA to show the success of the bursary and also regionally by Universities across the country to encourage student applications and increase awareness. The goal throughout was to give examples of people in a variety of circumstances who have succeeded and benefited through applying for the bursary. The most rewarding sentiment of the project has been when people watched these videos, and said “well if they can do it, so can I”.
