The British Council

Brief:
To produce 14 education films to be shown to over 500,000 youngsters worldwide learning English as a foreign language.

Background:
Octopus Films were delighted to win the bid to create 5 films for British Council courses. Following successful completion, we were commissioned to produce a further 9.

These 5-minute mini-documentaries played to our factual backgrounds and strength in straightforward storytelling. We planned, executed and produced every aspect of the videos, including casting presenters, concept development, scripting, sourcing locations and everything in between.

Our approach
Effective audience engagement was crucial, so we devised visually arresting locations, with a very busy Tower Bridge, an indoor surfing centre and a noisy, fast powerboat all proving no problem for our expert crew. We used inventive graphics, funky editing, sound effects and snappy camera moves to create a ‘young’ and vibrant feel.

Outcome
The British Council has fed back that the reception from teachers and students from all corners of the world has been incredibly positive – making this a hugely gratifying project. We’re also proud of our proven ability to produce content of broadcast quality on a competitive budget.

Production breakdown
Budget per film: £3-7K plus VAT, including all presenter and location fees
Days work per film: 4 days preproduction, 1-day shoot, 1.5 days edit.
Crew: Presenter, Camera op, Sound op, Director, Producer

As the films are a part of a premium paid for course, only streamed in British Council partner schools, we can’t feature them on our website. However, please check out our showreel for a flavour of our work.