Capturing the spirit of a respected research institute in just sixty seconds

Video

Challenge

The British Academy has multiple roles as the UK’s leading organisation representing research in the humanities and social sciences. Showcasing the breadth of what the organisation does was a challenge when it came to designing their new website.

We were tasked by the Academy to produce a short one-minute film to go on the homepage of the new website that would capture the mission and spirit of the organisation, giving visitors an immediate sense of its purpose and value.

Solution

We realised early on that the film would need to be energetic and inspiring in order to showcase everything the Academy has to offer in such a short space of time. We spent a day filming in and around their photogenic London headquarters to give a sense of the space and its people. Then we combined that footage with archive film clips highlighting the global issues that the BA helps to address, such as racial injustice, poverty, climate change and conflict.

In the edit music selection was just as important as the visuals. We chose a stirring, fast-paced classical piece that helped tell the story of an organisation doing inspiring and urgent work across the globe.