It looks like higher ed Youtube videos are really starting to become a genre.
This new video series I’m posting about today really reminds me of Real Nebraska – presented by David Burge – with a twist. Here, the host isn’t a bald funny guy (no offense, David), but Veronica, a student whose long brown hair is reminiscent of the now famous YouTube star, LonelyGirl15.
Last week – as I was busy wrapping up a big research project, hence the blogging-emailing-twittering-facebooking hiatus – I received this tip from Jessica Robertson, communication manager for the C. T. Bauer College of Business at University of Houston about their new series of YouTube videos, That Bauer Girl:
We were looking for a way to better market our classes and programs to current and prospective students, and we came up with the idea of “That Bauer Girl,†a student character who goes to events and interviews members of the college community on video. We’ve produced three videos so far and had great response within the university. We’re looking to do even more with “That Bauer Girl†in the coming semester.
Jessica’s pitch managed to pick my interest, so I went to the YouTube channel they created for this series and watched the three episodes in a row.
Around 4-minute long each, the videos might be a tiny bit long, but the editing is fast-paced and Veronica, That Bauer Girl, is definitely a talented young woman.
After watching the videos, I asked the following questions to Jessica Robertson from the CT Bauer College of Business who provided a bit more information about the series.
How long did it take to produce each videos – on average?
The first video took about a month to produce, from the time we created the concept to the time we uploaded to YouTube. The second and third videos came together a bit quicker. Those are both from events that took place the same week, so they were shot at the same time and split into two four-minute videos, as opposed to one eight-minute video. Altogether, with pre-production planning, shooting and editing, those videos took about two weeks to come together.Who produced the videos? What was the budget?
We’ve been lucky because we’ve been able to film all of the videos in-house with student interns shooting and editing, so we didn’t have to spend anything to outsource. We have partnered with the university’s Student Video Network for the use of equipment and studio space, and the on-campus TV station in turn features That Bauer Girl. It’s been a dream working with incredibly creative students who are able to really tune in to that “YouTube†feel. We’ve since hired a full-time videographer/editor so we can do more That Bauer Girl videos along with other video projects.How did you choose the main character, Victoria? Do you plan to continue the series with Victoria next semester?
Our main character, Victoria, is a student intern, too. She works in the college’s communications office, and we used her in photo shoots and ads that we were producing. When it came time to do something with video and to create a character, she was a natural choice because she’s a student here, and we were able to make this one of her assignments as part of her internship. She’ll be a student throughout the next semester until she graduates, and we plan to continue using her as That Bauer Girl until then. We’ve talked about having some sort of online vote for who will replace her. That Bauer Girl has become very popular within the college, and several people have said they’d be willing to step in after Victoria graduates (That Bauer Guy? That Bauer Professor? We’ve had all of those offered!).
No time to watch the 3 videos?
The following 90-second long video is also available on the YouTube channel and offers a combination of the best takes and some bloopers:
So, what do you think?
Offended by the bald? Or the funny?
I am jealous of Victoria’s hair, that is for sure.
You know I’m one of your biggest fans, David ;-)
I am wondering about the use of pop music. Though personally I feel it should fall under fair use if not for profit, I don’t think I would take that risk for my employer. Maybe they were able to arrange licensing? If so, I’d be curious to know what the budget for that was and how much work it was.