High-Impact Media using Innovative Technology

In 2023, Stanford launched a new seed grant program: Generative AI for the Future of Learning. $625,000 were awarded to 16 project teams co-funded by the Stanford Accelerator for Learning (SAL) and the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI).

The 2024 Stanford AI+Education summit was hosted by HAI and the SAL. The summit brought together Stanford faculty and students along with leaders and participants from academia, industry, civic society, PK-12 education, and government.

During this summit, a video was played to showcase an overview of the seed grant program. It featured grant administration and project leads.

Obstacle

A high production value video was requested that could summarize the AI+Education seed grant program, highlight some of the grant recipients, and generate excitement around and an emotional connection to the content. GSE IT was tasked with producing an 8-10 minute video within two weeks of the event featuring interviews with nine individuals.

GSE IT was contacted by the executive director of the Stanford Accelerator for Learning and their colleagues requesting media services. Within a week, the IT Media Lead had organized planning meetings and creative brief documents to set the scope of the project. Potential interview participants were identified and scheduled for recordings while filming locations were secured.

Within two weeks of the summit event, production began. Two days were reserved for recording, with interview subjects scheduled back-to-back for efficiency. Leveraging cutting-edge technology, GSE IT employed a dual camera setup, recording in both 4K and 6K resolutions, which ensured exceptional image quality and flexibility during editing. Crystal clear audio was captured using discreet lavalier microphones, while Adobe Premiere AI technology polished the final sound. Three-point lighting using adjustable LED panels achieved professional illumination without excessive heat when compared to traditional filament bulbs.

During the editing process, the project was entered into a custom Airtable base. This project management system allowed each interview to be tracked as it went through various stages of post-production. From file management, to rough cuts, all the way to publication, the media team was able to monitor the status for all parts of the video.

Simultaneously, drafts of the video were posted to Frame.io for collaborative review. This platform provides an easy way for stakeholders to watch and comment on each edit of the video. When needed, team members marked points of the video for requested changes that sync directly with the working sequence inside the Premiere Pro video editing software. During the final stages of editing, customized graphics created in Adobe After Effects were added to increase the production value, and music was included and adjusted with Adobe AI.