Video interviews and documentary
Video can be visually engaging and intellectually rigorous. It can transform the communication and value of research.
In recent years we have demonstrated the importance of video in research dissemination. Good video enables researchers to:
- engage directly with a wide audience (and a potentially global online audience) to communicate personally the research motivation and findings;
- communicate core concepts from the research, and also show visually the contexts of the research and its use, with visual detail and relevant examples;
- include the voices and complementary perspectives of researchers, policy-makers, practitioners, citizens and others to identify issues and priorities.
The vital role of video in research dissemination / impact is to offer a visual and concise conceptual understanding of the research. We set out to show the significance of the research, offer an understanding of the key findings and inspire people to find out more. Video can be designed to be watched individually, professionally and publicly, with supporting information and detail online.
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PublicSpace.ac.uk Video p2
An example documentary
‘QSARs in REACH? Uses, issues and priorities’
- Introduction and Regulatory perspectives (8 mins)
- What makes a good QSAR
model? (9 mins)
- Click on the images to watch the videos
- Industry perspectives
(8 mins)
- Future directions and
list of contributors (4 mins)
- Careful analysis and informed expert editing of 20+ interviews means that this video communicates the key issues and perspectives effectively in minutes.
This 2011 documentary was produced by PublicSpace as part of the current EC-FP7 ORCHESTRA project, based on 20+ interviews with regulators, industry and developers. It is intended for industry and regulators concerned with chemical toxicity, though the concepts are explained to engage and inform non-specialists including industry shareholders, managers, NGOs and interested citizens. It was reviewed and approved by participants, including the European Chemicals Agency.
The design has enabled it to work effectively in four ways:
- as a continuous installation in the SETAC Europe 2011 conference;
- as a self-contained DVD for use by professional organisations;
- as online video in four short sections;
- in PowerPoint, to bring diverse expert voices into presentations.
View this documentary on the project website and on our .eu platform.
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PublicSpace.ac.uk Video p3
Other example documentaries
We rarely see such a good audio-visual elaboration of a concept.”
University marketing consultants commenting on one of our videos.
In each documentary, we work hard to ensure that it is visually and intellectually engaging for the intended audience, as well as being authoritative and succinct. We try to show the relevant contexts and use the language of practice. This can be achieved in varied ways.
- ‘Why teach?’ (2009) Interviews with past and present students of education at Stirling.
Watch it on the University site.
DVD and shorter online video.
About the project…
- ‘Regeneration Games’ (2007)
Interviews with local people in East London experiencing a certain redevelopment…
About the video…
- Click on the images to watch the videos
- ‘Literacies for Learning in FE’ (2007) The visual and narrated opening for our first video documentary, produced for the ESRC TLRP LfLFE project.
About the project…
- ‘ORCHESTRA News’ (2011)
Simply images, text and music to show the presentations, interactions, hands-on demonstrations and video installation at a conference.
About the project…
It was great to have you both filming at the event. You were impressive at staying in the background, and somehow the cameras helped the event. We’ve had great feedback.”
Dr Will Medd
Lancaster Environment Centre
The value of a good interview on video
A good interview with a key stakeholder can have great value within a research and dissemination project. For example, after interviewing Professor Wim de Coen, Head of Evaluation 1 at the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) in Helsinki for the ORCHESTRA project, we created a 20 minute version for project partners (including his helpful advice for the project). We then created a looped 12-minute edit to screen on the main platform at the opening of the 2011 ORCHESTRA workshop for 100 regulators and industry representatives in Milan. That video is now on the ORCHESTRA website to be seen by a wider audience. We also used selections from the interview in the main documentary above. (All three edits were reviewed and approved by Professor de Coen and ECHA.)
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PublicSpace.ac.uk Video p4
Conference and other presentations on video
- Click on the images to watch the videos
- ‘How to improve the safe use, explanation and acceptance of QSAR models within REACH’.
Presentation (2011) by
Dr Emilio Benfenati
Istituto Mario Negri, Milan.
- ‘How can the cautious policy of acceptance ‘case-by-case’ become a mechanism of progress towards the rigorous and extensive use of QSARs within REACH?’
Presentation (2011) by
Dr Simon Pardoe, PublicSpace.
Conference presentations can be moments of concise explanation and cross-institutional discussion, and are of value to others beyond the conference. Yet as too many examples online show, academic and policy presentatons can make extremely dull and unwatchable video.
We therefore set out to demonstrate a new standard for showing academic and scientific presentations on video. For example, we filmed five platform presentations from partners in the ORCHESTRA project at the 2011 SETAC Europe conference, so that these could be viewed online as part of the dissemination. The carefully edited presentations are on the ORCHESTRA website; there are two examples above. (Dr Emilio Benefenati of the Istituto Mario Negri in Milan is the lead partner in the ORCHESTRA project.)
View the presentations on the project website and on our .eu platform.
If you would like us to help to generate wider understanding and impact from your research using video, please contact us.
Lancaster UK