‘The timeless aspect of a whiteboard video really appealed to us’

The culture coordinators of 5 secondary schools in and around Utrecht wanted to draw attention to arts and culture subjects. How better than with a creative whiteboard movie? Bord&Stifter Astrid spoke with Joost Overmars, music teacher and culture coordinator at Cals College in Nieuwegein.

Why did you want to have a video made?

‘Together with the culture coordinators of the Oosterlicht College, Amadeus Lyceum, O.R.S Lek & Linge and De Werkplaats I meet a few times a year to throw around ideas. We recently discussed how we can better convey the importance of arts and cultural subjects to students and their parents. Not only do you benefit from such a course if you intend to do an art course, but also if you have a different career path in mind. Art subjects enrich your life and develop you as a person. They teach you to express your thoughts, experiences and feelings in a different way, to be creative, to research and to experiment, with your head, your heart and your hands. We wanted to capture that message in a video.’

Why did you choose a whiteboard video?

‘We wanted to do something extra to promote art and culture as cultural profile schools. Much of society has become visual, so videos are an attractive way to convey something. You can cover the content in a short time, it’s not dependent on a person, but a more neutral way of imagining. We first thought of a video with real people, but then you’re immediately confronted with all kinds of privacy rules and hassle: what is allowed to be in the shot, what isn’t. We also liked the timeless aspect of a whiteboard video. We want to be able to use the video for a long time for open days.’

How did you experience the production process?

‘I have experience with audio and video production myself, but it was nice to outsource the process. The collaboration with Bord&Stift went well. The communication lines were short, we had good contact with each other during the feedback rounds. That is important if you want to get a product that really suits you.’