Morten Rustad's Facebook message to the University was simple: 'please have a look at this video I made, I think you will like it'. But the reaction to his time-lapse video has been incredible.

Morten, a first year BSc Business Management student, spent months painstakingly capturing the dramatically changing face of the University on film and created an internet hit which has attracted coverage from BBC Look East, the Times Higher Education magazine and BBC Essex online.

Morten spent five months putting the time-lapse videos together using 15,000 pictures which capture the iconic buildings of the campus and its historic parkland in ever changing weather – from sun to snow. 

Laura Shephard, our Digital Marketing Officer, said: "The video has generated huge interest from students and staff plus graduates from around the world.

"I was aware Morten was a keen photographer, and he had sent me photos of our campus previously - but I had no idea that he was planning on producing a time-lapse video of this scale until we received his Facebook message. When I asked Morten what drove him to create such a huge project he told me "it's just a hobby - it  has become more like a passion, though”."

Morten's video has been widely shared through Facebook, Twitter and Vimeo. The full-length video can be watched below or on our Vimeo channel.