The hype video for Ithaca College’s 125th anniversary worked. So well, in fact, it caught the attention of a major software company, which featured the video—and its creator—on its blog.
Giovanni Santacroce, multimedia producer in the Office of College Relations and Communications, produced “Planet Ithaca” as a stylized and sometimes surreal highlight reel of Ithaca College. It features stunning shots of scenery, familiar landmarks, and students, regularly morphing those images into rotating spheroids to transition the scene—all set to a chill yet funky bed of music.
Santacroce was interviewed by Kolor, the company that creates much of the software he used to create the video. In the Q&A, Santacroce outlines the tools and techniques he and his team utilized, which include a 360-degree GoPro Omni camera to capture the video used for the “planet effect.” He also discussed the impetus for the piece.
“Our stories are usually driven by the perspectives of the subjects we interview, and this became more of a hype video for the 125th,” he told Kolor. “It was a fun experiment in repurposing footage to create an entirely different narrative.”
The Kolor blog has featured the work of content creators for National Geographic, automaker Honda, and the European Museum of Modern Art.
In the interview, Santacroce also shared his thoughts on the rise of virtual reality (VR) experiences and the use of drones to capture footage. He and his colleagues in the Creative Strategy and Development group have made ample use of both in their work.
“It’s been exciting to see the reactions from our viewers when they’re wearing a headset during those shots,” he said. “It’s a neat way to view IC’s campus – it’s gorgeous on the ground in Ithaca, so seeing it from the sky is a unique and awe-inspiring perspective.”