We at University Marketing are excited to kickoff the new school year! As events and activities ramp back up on campus, a few changes have been made in relation to the photo/video request process. These changes will be employed across all departments who utilize the service.
Process Change
A new process for photo and video requests has been established to allow for greater focus on efforts that move forward the strategic plan goals of recruitment, retention, and pride building. When submitting a request, please include, in detail, the utilization of the photos or video and the message the media will convey. Alternative solutions will be provided should the requested event not be covered by University Marketing (UM), as noted below.
Employee Headshots
Beginning Fall 2021 semester, UM will host an open day for employees to have portraits taken in the studio. Portrait sessions will continue to be held for students in the Career Center. Appointments will no longer be scheduled on an ad hoc basis. For the Fall 2021 semester, the first open day for portraits will be Friday, August 13th, from 9 AM to 2 PM. If you have new staff in need of headshots or want to update your headshot, it is an open walk-in. All smiles welcome!
Event Requests
University Marketing requires all events that departments would like covered for the upcoming Fall 2021 semester scheduled in Vcita (https://www.indstate.edu/webforms/multimedia-services-scheduling) by August 17th for the fall and December 1 for spring 2022. This will allow our photographer and videographer to plan for the semester, and allow ample time to put alternatives in place if your event cannot be covered by UM. In the scenario that an event comes to fruition during the semester, UM requires the coverage request scheduled in Vcita two weeks before the event. Any requests made less than two weeks before an event will not be guaranteed.
Alternative Coverage Options
When UM is unable to cover your event, there are alternative options you can utilize to ensure your event has coverage. These options include:
• Student media
-Typically charging less than local freelancers, student media is a great option to get in-house coverage of your events. Should you choose this alternative, UM will refer you to a Student Media contact.
• Student/Staff training sessions
-UM will be hosting several training sessions to teach student workers or available department staff on how to capture high-quality photos on equipment that can be checked out from UM for events. Images captured through this option can be hosted on University databases working with University Marketing. If you have student workers or available staff that you would like to utilize as photographers for events, this would be a great alternative!
• Freelancers
-If you’d like to use a local freelancer to cover your event, UM can put you in touch with trusted agencies that have a history in photographing or recording events both on and off Indiana State’s campus. If this is the option for you, reach out to us, and we’ll put you in touch with a representative from these local agencies. In some cases, UM will share the cost of coverage, but in others, you will be responsible for full cost.
Any questions can be directed to Jake Barton, at Jake.Barton@indstate.edu or at extension x4477. University Marketing looks forward to working with all of you this year!