h10 Behind the Scenes of LSBU ‘Our Home’

Overview

This case study explores the behind-the-scenes process of creating OUR HOME, a flagship promotional film for London South Bank University (LSBU). Designed to go beyond a traditional campus tour, the film captures the emotional and personal journey of university life through innovative storytelling techniques and the use of technical transitions. From concept development to complex logistical execution, the production team blended creative ambition with human-centered narrative, resulting in a cinematic piece that resonates deeply with students and audiences alike.

Concept

The concept behind the film evolved from a campus showcase into a deeply personal, narrative-led piece. This fictional space served as a metaphor for the university journey—where a student begins to imagine independence and gradually steps into the responsibilities of adulthood, the story became an introspective yet universally relatable depiction of university life. The protagonist’s journey of learning, growth, and connection mirrors that of countless students. The result is a project that is both visually innovative and emotionally grounded—an inspiring example of what happens when human storytelling meets techincal filmmaking.

To maintain the sense of a single continuous movement, we carefully mapped out camera motions, scene changes, and drone handovers. We conducted multiple location recces and test shoots, allowing us to refine our approach before full production.

Logistics

From the beginning, the production team understood the complexity and scale of the shoot. True to the adage of Murphy’s Law, unexpected hurdles emerged, most notably during one of the film’s most complex scenes—a long, choreographed one-take sequence through a university hub. With only 40 minutes’ notice, the team had to re-plan and execute the scene, requiring absolute synchronisation between extras, camera operators, and set pieces. Also navigating British weather, student timetables and an active campus all played a part in making sure the production was planned out seamlessly.

Drones

Drone footage played a vital role in elevating the cinematic quality of the film. The drone team, led by Harry and Josh from Drone Scope, were instrumental in translating the director’s ambitious vision into reality. Their adaptability and creativity stood out— making the aerial shots not only possible but remarkably dynamic. The team embraced challenges and brought energy and excitement to the project. This attitude transformed what is often a logistical burden into one of the production’s most exhilarating components, significantly enhancing the visual storytelling.

Transitions

A key innovation in the flagship LSBU film project lay in its use of seamless transitions to guide the viewer through a fluid, narrative-driven experience. From the outset, the team integrated transition planning into the scripting phase, ensuring the editing process would support the creative vision. A particularly ambitious example was the transition from the architecture studio to the lobby, which required careful pre-planning and reverse shooting to allow for post-production blending. To test and visualise these transitions, an animatic was developed early in the process using a mix of live footage and traditional animation, enabling the team to iterate on the narrative flow before full-scale production began. This forward-thinking approach allowed for smooth movement between scenes, visually reinforcing the emotional journey of the protagonist.

The film received outstanding internal and external praise. Early engagement metrics are strong, and LSBU sees this as a defining piece of content in their marketing strategy.