Pre-production for the film required Uthakhamkong to develop two parallel content briefs that would work together in a single production schedule. The primary output was an internship testimonial reel: a series of interview-driven segments in which Otago students who hold internship positions with the Highlanders spoke about their experience directly to camera, with b-roll footage of them at work within the franchise environment.

The interview framework was developed to elicit specific, personal responses rather than generic endorsements. Questions were directed at what the internship had involved in practice, how the experience had changed the students’ sense of their own capability, what had been the most significant moment of the placement so far, and what they would say to prospective Otago students who wanted to find similar opportunities. The intention was to produce testimony that felt genuinely earned rather than promotional.

A second content strand was developed alongside the testimonial reel: a combined student and player reel addressing the atmosphere and energy of the Zoo, the Highlanders’ dedicated student fan section at Forsyth Barr Stadium. This strand brought together Highlanders players and student interns to speak about what makes the game-day experience at Otago distinctive, what the Zoo means as a social and sporting environment, and why it represents something genuinely unique about being a student here.

The combination of elite athlete voices with student perspectives was designed to communicate the breadth of the Otago student experience in a way that neither group could achieve alone.

A third deliverable was a giveaway reel produced to support the Highlanders’ final home game of the season on Friday 30 May. The reel featured Highlanders players and student interns promoting a ticket and merchandise giveaway in partnership with the University’s Future Students social channels. The mechanics of the giveaway required an entry format specific to Instagram: following both the Highlanders and Future Students Otago accounts, liking the post, and tagging three friends in the comments alongside a note about intended study.

The reel was scripted and shot interview-style, consistent with the wider content approach of the Future Students Instagram presence, with captions applied throughout. Winners were to be announced at noon on Wednesday 28 May ahead of the Friday fixture.

Production took place at Forsyth Barr Stadium, the home of the Highlanders. Filming inside a professional rugby venue introduces logistical considerations around access, scheduling around training and event programming, and the technical demands of a large indoor and outdoor sports facility. Uthakhamkong managed these constraints throughout the production day, coordinating subject availability across student interns and Highlanders players, directing the interview segments, and overseeing b-roll capture of the stadium environment, the Zoo section, and the working context of the student interns.

The edit was completed in post-production with full review and delivery to the University’s Future Students team. The project demonstrates the range of content disciplines the role requires: documentary interview, brand-led social content, and promotional video, produced from a single location across a compressed production timeline.