An inside-out view of science video communication | FROM THE FIELD E04
The MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research (CVR) is home to an internationally leading team of virologists, entirely focused on the study of human viral diseases and viruses.
FoSho Overview:
The centre has received increased interest since the Covid-19 pandemic and wanted to capitalise on this opportunity to build brand awareness.
CVR had limited existing video so they needed new footage that would capture the scale of the professional facilities, the expertise of the researchers, and the impact of the work.
A key focus with the new content was speaking to a broad external audience, not just CVR’s peers within academia and research. We needed content that was professional but also communicated the technical scientific aspects of the work in an accessible way.
Planning and pre-production
We chose video content because of its ability to convey a lot of information in a short space of time. Our team worked closely with Faye, CVR’s Engagement & Communications Coordinator, to translate complex scientific information into digestible scripted copy.
In addition to a flagship brand video overviewing the facility, our solution centred around the ‘CVR Shorts’ – short video featurettes introducing the facilities, the research and the equipment. This allowed us to actual staff working in the facility day-to-day which heightened the authenticity and broad appeal of the content.
Filming in a high containment environment
We needed to ensure all our content was precisely scripted ahead of time to ensure it was concise, easy to understand, and free of jargon. The nature of the lab facilities meant we didn’t have space for a teleprompter so we opted to have key staff deliver their pieces to camera in sections.
We only had 1-3 hours per lab area to get all the content we needed – so organisation was key. We built a lot of planning and risk assessment into pre-production – working closely with the CVR team to ensure we were maximising the time we were inside the facility and minimising disruption to staff.
We needed to capture content for 9 ‘CVR Shorts’ and 1 featured video – all within 3 days and keeping to budget. We communicated directly with the researchers in the lead up to filming – helping us scope exactly what we needed to say and how we were going to visualise it.
Making content with real impact
The ‘CVR Shorts’ content has been CVR’s most successful video content to date. It allowed them to share an authentic insight into what goes on within the labs (an inside view rarely seen by the general public) and communicate research work by the key staff involved.
The shorts were snappy and highly digestible online. Being able to focus on one topic also allowed audiences to watch content tailored to their specific interests – a great introduction for people considering a career with the CVR, or students looking to develop a future in research.
“I have worked with FoSho STUDIOS for nearly 18 months now and I wouldn’t use another production company again. From start to completion of every project (and they are working with us on many now) I cannot fault them.
I work in an academic setting with folks who are more used to being behind a laboratory bench than a camera, and everyone comments on how relaxed Fynn and the team make them feel, and how they actually end up enjoying being in the limelight!
I also trust them implicitly with the vulnerable folks we work with, and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them for any project no matter how big or small.“
Faye Watson
Engagement and Communications Coordinator
MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research (CVR)
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