Nerd moment alert. I recently rewatched one of my favorite movies, The Island. I tend to revisit it every spring—it gets me in the mood for summer and for my southern travels this time of year.
If you’ve seen the movie before, you’re probably judging my movie taste (fair enough). If you haven’t (spoiler alert), the story is set in a futuristic world (filmed in 2004 taking place in 2019…so maybe not futuristic anymore?) where clones are created to serve as living organ donors for their wealthy counterparts. The catch? The clones have no idea they’re clones. They believe they’re living regular lives until they’re “selected” to go to a paradise called The Island-aka the moment they’re killed for whatever body part their sponsor needs. It’s part sci-fi, part action thriller, and for some reason, it never gets old for me.
There’s one scene that hit differently this time around. The clone, Lincoln Six Echo, ends up face-to-face with his original, Tom Lincoln. A mercenary is sent to kill the clone, but when he finds both versions in the same room, he can’t tell which is which. Both men are shouting, “I’m Tom Lincoln!” and accusing the other of being the clone.
Tom Lincoln—the original—is panicked, defensive, and aggressive. Lincoln Six Echo—the clone—is calm but clear. He holds his ground without overacting. The mercenary studies both, trying to decide who’s real and who’s not.
Eventually, he shoots Tom Lincoln.
That scene immediately made me think of how many private schools market themselves.
If families can’t tell what makes your school different, it won’t matter how well you say it.”
Parents scroll through websites, watch the highlight reels, and it’s the same lines over and over: “small class sizes,” “whole-child approach,” “strong community,” “academic excellence.” It becomes a sea of clones—each school claiming they’re the real deal, using the same phrases, showing the same glossy shots of students smiling in hallways.
In the film and video world, we have a saying: show, don’t tell. According to researcher Albert Mehrabian, only 7% of communication is words. Tone of voice makes up 38%, and facial expression? A full 55%.
So yes, parents are paying attention to the message—but what they’re really evaluating is the feeling. The tone. The human element. They’re trying to figure out what actually feels like the place their child could belong.
When your messaging sounds just like the school down the road, families are put in the same position as the mercenary trying to figure out what’s genuine and what’s just a performance.
The fix isn’t being louder and aggressive (see what happened to Tom Lincoln?) in your marketing but rather being honest, authentic, as well as having the conviction to establish your value.
We tell our students all the time to just be themselves. Maybe our marketing should do the same. But “being yourself” also means knowing what makes you different from everyone else.
That’s where school storytelling in video production makes a real difference. Not a script. Not a highlight reel. Just real voices, real moments, and the unmistakable tone of your community.
You want to break the clone pattern? Give families content that feels unique to your school—and reaches them on a deeper level. Let them see what sets you apart, not just what fits the mold.
Use student testimonial videos where kids aren’t reciting lines—they’re sharing stories and experiences that only happen at your school. Use b-roll footage to show the real-life rhythm of your hallways—not a pristine, silent campus walk-through anyone could copy. Capture the unscripted moments during your school events. Let your faculty, your coaches, even your head of school show up as themselves—not as spokespeople.
The best school marketing video content doesn’t hide behind polish. It shows what’s honest—and what’s different.
When a parent is choosing between two, three, or four schools—and they’re all shouting “Pick me!”—they’ll trust the one that doesn’t sound desperate. The one that feels real and can show it. That school will be impossible to confuse with anyone else.
If you want to chat about how to differentiate your school with video feel free to reach out joe@monzomediapro.com
