How to create engaging built environment videos with impact through storytelling
Last year I got to co-host an event with Ben Richardson from The Capture Agency for Build Up, a networking community for built environment marketing communications professionals. The panel event took place at Hoare Lea's London office in Coal Drops Yard, King's Cross. The session brought together diverse voices to share films, and discuss how the built environment sector can make engaging films through storytelling.
The expert panel included Kirsty Kelly (Hoare Lea), Rob French (JonesMillbank), Gersende Giorgio (Freelance Filmmaker), and Lawrence Barraclough (You See Media). What made this panel particularly interesting was their relatively recent entry into our sector, bringing fresh perspectives from fashion, education, music, and the arts.
Cross-industry innovation: breaking built environment marketing conventions
While our sector has traditionally taken a conservative approach to video marketing, the panel highlighted how learning from other sectors can elevate content quality. As Gersende noted from her experience in fashion and arts: "It taught me how to actually be visually enticing." However, she emphasized that built environment storytelling offers unique opportunities: "It's so much more meaningful to work with people who actually build things simply because they do it for people."
The power of storytelling through film
During the event, four distinctive built environment films were showcased, each demonstrating different approaches to built environment storytelling:
1. Hoare Lea RHS Bridgewater Film
This film is not your typical engineering project film, there are no talking heads in sight. This film is much more human and focused on evoking feelings rather than the in-depth technical aspects of engineering.
The brief was developed by Kirsty Kelly, part of Hoare Lea’s in-house marketing team, along with Rob from their agency JonesMillbank who shared how the project came about. The concept and script was designed to spark emotions and what they wanted to feel about the project, with an overriding concept of the building being the backdrop to nature. The narrator is one of the principal engineers from the project who is also a poet and another lead engineer and his family are featured in the film too.
2. 'Welcome to Lewisham'
Gersende Giorgio produced the film and explained that when she initially started shooting on the streets of Lewisham on a normal professional camera equipment set up, it just didn’t work. People were cautious and didn’t want to be filmed. So, Gersende thought she’d try something different, and shot it on her new as yet unboxed iPhone 15 camera phone and a handheld gimbal. People in the community were much more relaxed and enthusiastic to be involved in the resulting dynamic and joyous film.
3. Arup - Outside of the Box with Florence Lam
This is a series of 20 films commissioned by Arup globally to showcase the diverse technical specialisms of the Arup Fellows. The concept was developed by producer Michael Orwell with the UK films being filmed by Gersende Giorgio. They had to develop a concept and style that could be translated and recreated globally by different marketing teams and also consider cultural differences such as not turning your back to the camera in China, where that is considered to be rude but was how the film concept started.
4. Stephen Melville - Reconnecting with nature
The original brief was for a talking head video of the architect outside the project. But Lawrence Barraclough from You See Media challenged the brief to be more ambitious and created a concept which has since gone on to form a series of conceptual films for the architect, conveying a much more aspirational way in which they help to bring their clients ideas to life.
Smart Budget Management and Pre-Production Planning
The panel emphasised that impactful content doesn't always require huge budgets, and with careful planning and scoping you can really stretch your budget further and produce content and edits for a number of uses. Key considerations for effective video projects include:
Understanding platform-specific requirements (social media vs. website vs. LinkedIn)
Clarifying primary objectives (community engagement, business development, recruitment)
Setting realistic timelines and budgets upfront
Gathering reference materials (both liked and disliked examples)
Building internal stakeholder buy-in early
How to find the right creative partner?
When selecting a videographer, Kirsty Kelly encouraged looking beyond the usual suspects: "We weren't afraid to look outside of maybe the key videographers in the sector... not being shy about feeling like we deserve to work with an agency that has done some really awesome work." She emphasized the importance of being upfront about budgets and letting creative partners propose solutions within those constraints.
The impact on marketing communications
From a marketing perspective, video offers unique advantages. As Kirsty noted: "Marketing fundamentally is about trying to get as close to that historic sitting around a campfire, telling stories, sharing emotions and sharing experiences, as we can get in 2024 in a building. Film does that in a way that I don't think any other medium really can."
The panel particularly emphasized how video can help technical professionals connect with their audiences. Lawrence observed that "clients like to know that people are thinking about their work and that the person they're working with thinks about and is passionate about what they do."
How to create effective video briefs
Success in video projects often comes down to the quality of the brief set right from the start. Key elements should include:
Platform and distribution strategy - where will you be sharing the film
Target audience and objectives - really think about who you want this video to reach and why.
Budget parameters - don’t hide this. Be honest about how much you have in mind, even if it’s only from and to.
Desired emotional response
Reference materials of films and. styles you like and that inspire you
Timeline expectations share your honest deadlines and any particular obstacles that you think the team should know
The event showed that video marketing in the built environment sector is changing and moving towards more emotionally resonant storytelling. As our sector continues to embrace these new approaches, we can expect to see increasingly innovative and effective video content that better serves our marketing objectives while maintaining technical credibility and authority.
For those considering in-house video production, the panel recommended starting with basic but quality equipment like a good microphone (available for around £20 on Amazon) and focusing on making subjects comfortable on camera. However, they emphasised that the most important consideration is whether your team has the time and expertise to deliver the quality your brand deserves.
FAQs
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Budgets vary significantly based on complexity, duration, and production requirements. However, rather than starting with a fixed budget, the panel recommends first developing your brief and objectives, then being transparent with potential partners about your available resources. Quality agencies can often adapt their approach to different budget levels while maintaining impact. It’s about creating a partnership.
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A: The social media platform and feature determines duration. Consider:
- Social media: 15-30 seconds – getting simple messages across
- Website hero content: 1-2 minutes to capture website visitors attention
- In-depth technical or educational content: 3-5 minutes
Don’t forget to always prioritise engagement over arbitrary video length targets.before they move on.
- Detailed project case studies: 2-3 minutes to share the key message, story and final outcome/transformation.
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A: Not necessarily. The Hoare Lea RHS Bridgewater film demonstrated how you can convey technical expertise without traditional talking head interviews. Consider creative alternatives that showcase your expertise while maintaining viewer engagement.
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A: The panel suggests:
- Show examples of successful creative approaches from other firms
- Present clear objectives and expected outcomes
- Start with smaller projects to build trust
- Demonstrate how creative approaches can better connect with target audiences
- Use data from previous video campaigns to support your case
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A: You can use basic equipment like an iPhone and cheap microphone but it’s worth thinking about whether you have:
- The time available for learning and production
- You can replicate a level of quality level that you want associated with your brand
- The team capacity for pre and post-production
- The rigour to keep up with the consistency of output needed
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A: Define success metrics based on your objectives:
- Engagement metrics (views, watch time, shares)
- Lead generation
- Website traffic
- Brand awareness
- Internal engagement
- Client feedback
- Project win rates when video is used in pitches
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A: The frequency you choose should align with your:
- Marketing strategy and objectives
- Available resources
- Content calendar
- Project pipeline
- Platform requirements
Remember quality matters more than quantity - focus on producing meaningful content that serves your audience's needs.
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A: The panel suggested:
- Focus on human impact and outcomes
- Use creative visualisation techniques
- Include user/client perspectives
- Balance technical detail with emotional connection
- Tell stories about the problem-solving process
- Show real-world applications
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A: According to the panel, it's focusing too much on technical features rather than human stories and emotional connection. Remember that even in technical projects, the human element - why it matters and who it impacts - should drive the narrative.
