WHAT MAKES
YOU
STAND
OUT?
Everyone's favorite blonde, from the 2001 film, "Legally Blonde" - designed to make us laugh - and it did! But this is how long college video essays have been around.
43,330
That's the number of students that applied to Harvard last year.
ONE school.
According to Harvard's own published statistics, only 4.6 percent of those who applied for admission last year were accepted.
Almost EVERYONE applying to the most elite schools has a near perfect GPA, test scores, and lots of activities ... but only a small number get in.
So what makes a student STAND OUT? It's what make them UNIQUE. Something that will add to the diversity of that school's next freshmen class. That person likely has an interesting .... STORY.
UCLA?
OVER 137,000!
Although applications dipped slightly this year, UCLA remains the most applied to college in the US.
HELLOOOO
VIDEO!!!
So, how do you TELL your story? Your written essay is important, but TECHNOLOGY has provided a way to share one's unique story and personality, through the most effective form of advertising: VIDEO. When colleges and universities first started accepting videos, it was a well received idea ... EXCEPT ... the videos were, unfortunately, BORING.
An example of a real TYPICAL college video essay. (not produced by us!) .She doesn't know how to make the video compelling., or even know that she should. She's not supposed to - she's just a girl with a camera.
The New Apple iPhone 11 - takes beautiful video.
EVERYBODY'S GOT A
CAMERA,
RIGHT?
Today, camera picture quality has improved significantly ... but the story telling has not. Even the brightest high school student can't be expected to know how to do what professionals have been doing for decades. Most reviewers give the student's videos 10 SECONDS (videos with bad sound will get even less.) If it doesn't grab and hold their attention, they hit the STOP button and move on to the other 300 applicants on their "to do" list. Luckily, no one cares if the video is self-produced or not - just that it's THEIR story, told BY them, with AUTHENTICITY.
HOW WE CAN HELP
The most important person in film is the DIRECTOR. He or she must get the BEST out of the talent. When most people get in front of the camera to do their video essay on their own, they often tend to get nervous, sound like they're reading, or come across disingenuous. That's normal. But with a professional director, they will be COACHED to sound more confident, sincere, and totally at ease - being themselves and telling their unique story. No one will tell them what to say, but they will be prepared ahead of time with questions designed to help them tell their story.
To get the best quality, we provide:
1. Professional lighting and sound (very important!)
2. A professional makeup artist (everyone should wear on camera)
3. At least 2 professional cameras (for multiple angles)
4. Professional editing - using only the best moments
5. Supporting video ("b-roll") to reference the story
6. Graphics to make the essay as eye-catching as possible (the "icing on the cake")
These things tend to make a video line up more with what reviewers see on television, and will be more likely to grab and HOLD their attention. They tend to be impressed and REMEMBER an outstanding video.
This is the only type of video we do: video essays and video resumes. When you specialize in one thing, you tend to get good at it.
Here's one of the first video essays we produced. Jenesis, a high school junior from the Washington DC area, was applying for scholarships to elite Religious Universities. She got a full scholarship to her first choice school. In ALL her interviews, they remarked on the impressiveness of her video essay.
WHO IS THIS SERVICE FOR?
Some high school students have their own Youtube channels, create videos every day and don't need any help.
Then some people are brilliant, but aren't great at expressing themselves (blame texting!) They may be a bit shy in front of a camera, so they might not even CONSIDER doing a video essay. But there are those who want to be COMPETITIVE ... either to get a scholarship, to get in to the school that's almost IMPOSSIBLE to gain acceptance, or to score a high paying job: if that's you, or your son or daughter, then YOU could use our expertise to help tell a story WAY BETTER than the rest. That's competition.
We have different packages for every need - from shooting and producing everything, to giving feedback on homemade video essays. visit our "packages" page for more info, and contact us to get your Pro Video Essay today.
YouTuber Taylor Reneau started making videos in high school. She's now a senior at Harvard.