Case Study
University of Otago Orientation Week 2026 Event Highlights
Event video production across the University of Otago Orientation Week 2026, capturing a broad programme of student events, ceremonial moments, and community activations across the full week. Uthakhamkong led and directed a two-person content team, coordinating daily coverage across multiple campus locations and managing a rapid post-production workflow to deliver both a polished highlight film and supporting social content. The project captured the energy and culture of one of Otago’s most significant student events of the year. Produced in his role as Producer, Brand Content at the University of Otago; content shared via the University’s official channels.
VIDEO NO.1
Welcome to Otago | O-Week 2026 Highlights
This highlight video captures the energy and atmosphere of O-Week 2026, the University of Otago's annual orientation programme welcoming new and returning students to campus. Filmed across a week of official ceremonies, cultural events, student activities, and social experiences, the video documents key moments including the Vice-Chancellor's Welcome, Tūraka Hou Pōwhiri, the International Student Welcome, Clubs Day, the International Food Festival, Tent City, and the iconic Toga Party. Bringing together footage from across the University's campuses and student events, the film showcases the diversity, vibrancy, and sense of community that define the Otago student experience.
VIDEO NO.2
Afternoon Tea with the VC 2026 | Welcoming Otago Whānau to Campus
Hundreds of parents and caregivers of first-year tauira gathered on the Clocktower Lawn for a special afternoon tea hosted by Vice-Chancellor Grant Robertson at the University of Otago. Held for the first time in 2026, the event provided a warm and informal way to welcome whānau into the Otago community. Guests took part in campus tours, kōrero with student support services, and conversations over tea, offering reassurance that tauira are supported throughout their time at university. Representatives from Student Health, Career Development, and the Māori and Pacific centres were available to answer questions and share how Otago helps students thrive academically, socially, and personally.
Orientation Week at the University of Otago is one of the most well-known student events in New Zealand. It is the week in which a new cohort of students becomes part of the Otago community, and the events and ceremonies of that week carry genuine significance for the students living through them. Video content produced during O-Week serves a dual purpose: it documents a moment that matters to the students who are there, and it communicates the character and energy of the Otago experience to prospective students who are watching from outside.
Uthakhamkong led the 2026 O-Week video production, directing Logan and Jensen across the full week of programming. The coverage was wide, spanning ceremonial events including the Vice-Chancellor’s welcome address, the formal afternoon tea welcoming students to campus, and the Pōwhiri held at Ōtākou Marae, as well as the social highlights of the week including Toga Party, Club Day, and the International Food Festival.
Managing a two-person content team across a week of events at multiple locations requires clear direction and an ability to prioritise in real time. O-Week programming runs across the full campus and into the evenings, and the team had to make constant decisions about where to be, what to capture, and how to divide coverage between locations to get the footage the highlight film required. Uthakhamkong provided that direction throughout, briefing Logan and Jensen on each event in advance and remaining available to redirect their focus as the programme evolved.
The outputs from the 2026 O-Week production included the Welcome to Otago Highlights Video, a full O-Week highlight film published on the University’s YouTube channel, and the Afternoon Tea with the VC recap video. Together, these pieces give the University a rich record of the 2026 Orientation Week and a set of brand content assets that communicate the warmth, energy, and sense of community that defines the Otago experience in its first week.
Event video of this kind requires speed as well as quality. Students and families who attended O-Week want to see content while the experience is still fresh. The University’s communications team needs content in time to support ongoing recruitment conversations with prospective students who are deciding whether Otago is right for them. Uthakhamkong delivered on both timelines, producing content that met the University’s brand standards while keeping pace with the rhythms of a busy and compressed event programme.
Producer
Best Apisit Uthakhamkong
Team
Jensen, and Logan
Disciplines
Video Production
Scriptwriting
Direction
Post-Production
Distribution
Published through the University of Otago’s official channels.
Copyright
University of Otago.
Note
This project is shared on best.org.nz as part of Best Apisit Uthakhamkong’s professional portfolio. It is included to document and showcase selected work produced during his role as Producer, Brand Content – Team Leader at the University of Otago.