Did you recently see what looked like a drone over the Quad? Were you asked to walk toward a film crew while talking and smiling? Were you caught shooting hoops in the gym? Riding horses? Or learning specialized medical training while a cameraman was following your every move right behind your back?
A film and video production crew from NGS Productions recently visited campus to capture video footage – including extensive drove coverage – of WVU Potomac State College.
The visit was a gift from PSC director of strategic communications and marketing, Daina Savage, who had won the day of capture from NGS at a raffle during a professional conference. She decided to use the gift to directly benefit the Keyser campus.
“We met Daina at CUPRAP, which is a conference in Lancaster, PA, specifically for higher-ed marketing professionals to network, learn insights, and bring back takeaways to implement at their own schools,” said Nick Savino, the owner of NGS Productions. “Every year, we do a content giveaway to a school that submits at our booth, and Daina was chosen.”
Savino said prior to visiting the campus, he and his production assistant Nick Mitchell researched the school to get a “feel” for its history and culture.
“We were excited to visit because we specialize in and specifically work with colleges and universities. We have truly done it all in terms of higher-ed content; however, the one thing we haven’t filmed was programs related to agriculture,” he said. “We were really looking forward to seeing this and assumed it would be beautiful based on the pictures we saw of the college’s location in West Virginia.”
Savino’s first stop during what became a 10-hour day of filming was Malone Farm in Fort Ashby. When he arrived, the rain had just started. It cleared, however, in time for shooting. The expansive 364-acre farm was his first impression of PSC.
“We had this film day locked in for a while, so we couldn’t change or pivot the date in case of rain, especially with the semester ending soon. In the morning, a storm had rolled in, and we were nervous we wouldn’t be able to film the agriculture since the majority of it takes place outside,” Savino said. “Thankfully, the rain stopped, and the fog and clouds dispersed right as we finished setting everything up. It was a moment meant to be because the light was nice and diffused, turning out perfect for filming. Everything fell into place perfectly.”
At Malone Farm, NGS used drones and on-the-ground cameras to capture extensive footage of the cattle, partly driven by two volunteer students on horseback.
“It was very evident from that first moment how friendly the students, workers, and faculty were. As an agriculture-heavy college, we really enjoyed the care, passion, expertise, and knowledge provided toward the animals and programs,” Savino said. “We don't like to pick favorites, but agriculture might take the cake, as we had never filmed content with animals before. It was a great experience.”
From there, Savino and Mitchell visited the nursing staff and filmed among the animatronic mannequins used in the lab here.
“We also really enjoyed the nursing program. The impact and learning students received was extremely evident through VR technology and human-like mannequins that actually blink, breathe, and talk,” Savino said. “The passion April has for her students was inspiring to see.”
Savino and Mitchell also filmed inside University Place and Memorial Hall with four students “portraying themselves” in scenes typical of student life on campus. The crew also shot into the dining hall and cafeteria. The horses and goats of Gustafson were next, followed by the greenhouse, the Sugar Shack maple farm, the athletic fields, the Quad, and finally athletics – with the film crew capturing drone footage of practices on two of the fields as well as coverage inside Lough Gymnasium with athletes from the men’s and women’s basketball teams.
NGS Productions was originally scheduled for a “Day of Capture” from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. The crew began filming, however, at 8 a.m. and did not “wrap” until shortly after 6 p.m.
“We had an itinerary and a list of things we needed to get, and I was not leaving Keyser and the campus until all of those items on the list were checked,” Savino said. “Everyone treated us so well throughout the whole day. You could really feel the local community and personability among students, faculty, and staff. We will definitely remember the conversations and experiences we had with everyone we met.”
Savino indicated his production company specializes in capturing footage for institutions of higher learning – from junior colleges to large universities. The footage he and his team collect is then used for everything from social media marketing to television commercials to recruiting efforts and overall image making for schools. The day before arriving at Potomac State, he and Mitchell had conducted a similar day of shooting at a larger school in central Pennsylvania. He remarked he did “feel” a difference between what he experienced at that much larger college and the welcome and the cooperation among students and staff at Potomac State.
“I think what separates Potomac State College from other colleges is its small, local, hometown feel. Yes, there are hundreds of other ‘small’ colleges out there, but when you are at Potomac and see what they’re doing with departments like agriculture, nursing, and athletics, you really get the small but mighty feel,” he said. “The college fosters a ‘we’re all in this together’ mentality, with students who are excited and passionate about what they’re learning from faculty who truly care to see their students thrive and succeed. The campus and location are gorgeous, and it gives you a heartwarming feeling that the students who attend will go out to change the local community and area for the better.”
NGS Productions is based in Phoenixville, Pa- a city of roughly 20,000 people located in Chester County, about 27 miles northwest of Philadelphia and 235 miles from Keyser, West Virginia.