The job is done
Junior Spencer Bowman, a student trip leader, is proud of the work his group did for the National Park Service.
IU’s Media School is one of the top in the nation for a reason. The endless opportunities it makes available for students help put their education into practical use and strengthen their creative skills by utilizing them in real-world projects. This alternative spring break trip is just one of these opportunities.
Eight other students and I have spent the past eight days in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, shooting promotional videos for Gulf Islands National Seashore. This national park is filled with beautiful animals and wildlife that really connect visitors with nature, and we got the incredible chance to capture this beauty by creating six videos that the park will use to promote its opportunities.
From the day we got here, we have been surrounded with beautiful flora and fauna and have been able to connect with the park in such an intimate way by living right in the middle of it. Our house was just steps away from a quiet boat dock that has the most serene sunsets, and we were able to walk less than five minutes to multiple hiking trails that provided peaceful escapes.
As our objective was to portray the beauty of the park and the opportunities it gives visitors to connect with nature, living in the middle of the action helped us all get a much better perspective and experience. Our week was filled with video shoots, nature hikes and meetings with the park’s director of communications, Brent Everitt, to create exceptional and compelling videos that put you right into nature. This trip has been an amazing experience, and it has taught us all valuable lessons about video production and working in a group to craft products to a client’s specific needs. The opportunity to create videos for a national park from start to finish was incredible practice for all of our future careers, regardless of what path we are headed down.
This project has helped me grow so much professionally, and I’ll be able to use all the skills I learned in this short week throughout my entire career. I’m so thankful for what this trip has given me and for everything I have learned from the other students. I strongly recommend everyone to take advantage of the incredible opportunities The Media School offers.