adminThis video series is one of my favorite projects I’ve ever worked on as a Director and I’m excited to finally share them. The Ellis School has a profound effect on the girls that go there. Ellis alumnae have made impacts all over the world and knowing that these videos could play a role in helping a potential new student make their decision to enroll in Ellis is incredibly fulfilling.
The Ellis School challenged us with the need for a video series that answers the question “why choose an all-girls school.” The intent was to personify all the lifelong benefits a girl gets from an all-girls environment. We accomplished that by interviewing students, alumnae, teachers, and parents to gain perspective and capture authentic responses that would drive the campaign. Our approach was to separate the audio from the visuals to show that one person’s statement wouldn’t be limited to them or their personal experiences; we knew we’d be able to find multiple visual examples of girls embodying the topics of discussion.
In the Stereotypes piece, we crafted the video to make the viewer think deeply about what society tells girls as well as what we are told about girls. Everyone has experienced bias towards girls in some way or another and this can impact how we think about girls and how they think about themselves. During the piece, we had girls look right at the viewer so that the viewer looks inside themselves and reflects.
In the Empowerment piece, we juxtaposed visuals and motion graphic stats, to display how girls at the school break the trend of these stats by excelling, defying misconceptions, breaking the mold, and showing just how much impact an “all girls” education can have. The ending poetically sums it all up nicely; “It gets easier and easier to ignore the voices that are telling [girls] that they can’t, because everyone they see around them, all of the people who are succeeding, are girls… they can and they do.”