ECC student showcases new building in video
When Mario Mercado was 16 years old and in high school, his older brother Jonathan started a videography business filming weddings and quinceañeras.
The Carpentersville resident at first tagged along and then got involved in the actual filming. He loved the work of documenting family gatherings and the mood of happy occasions. He does however recall a few interesting moments, as when a bride and groom were dancing on chairs in a Mexican wedding tradition and both fell off in a heap. That taught Mario that even with careful planning, videography can produce surprising, sometimes unwanted results.
Having an interest in art, Mario enrolled in high school graphic design courses. He had the idea to perhaps attend the Art Institute of Chicago. Then opportunities came along to produce music videos for local rock bands. Mario combined his two interests and started looking for ways to make a career out of making videos.
He learned of the videography program at Elgin Community College and decided to enroll. Professors Tim Kaar and Rick Rodriguez have given him valuable instruction to advance his professional skills while still exploring the artistic side of his personality.
Now that convergence is coming to fulfillment as Mario Mercado has been selected to film and produce a video about the Health and Life Sciences building, one of the newest and most progressive additions to the Elgin Community College campus.
"Mario has a great work ethic and he has a great ability to tell a story on film," Rodriguez says.
That story will focus by equal parts on the architecture and the academic programming of the health and life sciences, which specifically recreates hospital settings to train students in nursing, dental, operation room and a broad range of medical technologies. Students in these programs learn how to use equipment and treat patients in real-life settings. The building also houses the life sciences curriculum for biology.
Wendy Miller, EdD and dean of the health professions at ECC, is excited to have the opportunity to showcase the building and its unique programming.
"We're one of a very few community colleges across the country that provides this level of training and preparation for its students," Miller said.
The building's striking appearance and unique programming structure is earning multiple awards from the architectural and construction industries. Schools & Universities Magazine recognized the building with its Outstanding Design Award while Learning By Design magazine included it in its Award of Excellence category, stating in its article about the award, "A flagship edifice, the facility features a central three-story glass atrium meant to be a glittering 'magnet' by day and a glowing beacon by night, drawing newcomers to its entrance."
It will be Mario Mercado's job to combine the architectural and programmatic features into a five-to-seven-minute video featuring interviews with administrators, students and representatives of architectural and construction firms that collaborated with Elgin Community College to design and build the Health and Life Sciences building. These include Kluber Architects + Engineers of Batavia and Lamp, Inc., a construction firm based in Elgin.
Mercado has already been busy planning how to use his video and editing skills to create a narrative that will make a compelling presentation to the ECC board as well as an entry in the Reel Illinois Film Competition, a statewide contest for community college videography students.
"I keep thinking how I can shoot it, how to capture the building and the people using it," Mercado says.
He has toured the building several times with his instructors planning elements to feature in the narrative.
The opportunity to produce the video came about through collaboration between Mary Hatch, dean of liberal, visual and performing arts at Elgin Community College, and Mike Kluber, president of Kluber Architects + Engineers, whose firm also guided the college in earning a Silver LEED Certification for environmental sustainability.