Award Ceremony Video Production for the 2023 NERC Impact Awards
Award ceremony video production is a craft we have refined over more than two decades. In 2023, we were proud to apply that experience to produce a compelling and rich series of ten short films for NERC Impact Awards, a prestigious initiative celebrating outstanding contributions to environmental science in the UK.
This inspiring project took us to Plymouth Marine Laboratory, a renowned centre of marine research. There, we conducted in-depth interviews with researchers, captured dynamic b-roll footage, and filmed sweeping aerial shots using the advanced Inspire 3 drone, launched from the Research Vessel Quest. These sequences brought a cinematic quality to the final edits, aligning with our goal to create films that were not only informative, but also emotionally resonant and visually arresting.
Capturing Innovation and Impact
The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) is the UK’s leading public investor in environmental science. It commissions innovative research, supports vital infrastructure, and funds training to improve understanding of the natural world. The NERC Impact Awards recognise scientists and researchers whose work makes a measurable difference, to policy, to communities, and to our collective knowledge of the environment.
The winners of the 2023 awards were announced at a memorable ceremony on Wednesday 29 November, held at the iconic Natural History Museum in London. Our job was to ensure their stories were captured and communicated with clarity, emotion, and impact, both before and during the event.
A Complete Production Solution
For this award ceremony video production, our team managed the full production cycle, from early concept development through to filming, post-production, and delivery. This included scripting support, shoot planning, client liaison, and multi-stage editing across ten separate stories. Our work required coordination across numerous stakeholders from different research organisations, as well as meeting tight deadlines and content specifications.
Filming on location at Plymouth Marine Laboratory provided a unique opportunity to visually represent the real-world environments in which research is conducted. We filmed interviews with award finalists in their labs and workspaces, enabling viewers to connect with their stories in an authentic way.
A standout element was the use of drone footage in our award ceremony video. Capturing high-resolution, stabilised aerial shots of the coastal landscape and the Research Vessel Quest added scale and drama to the films, and underscored the importance of fieldwork in environmental science.
Photography and Cross-Platform Content
In addition to video production, we also provided event photography for the awards ceremony. Our photography team captured key moments throughout the evening, speeches, audience reactions, award presentations, and behind-the-scenes moments, with a sharp editorial eye. These images were used alongside the films across NERC’s digital platforms, forming a cohesive and fully branded visual record of the event.
Client Testimonial
The quality of our work was reflected in the positive feedback we received from UK Research and Innovation. Clemency Girling, who oversaw the project, shared this endorsement:
“The team at Cass Productions did a fantastic job producing ten short films showcasing the stories of the ten 2023 NERC Impact Award finalists. Despite the volume of content being produced—twenty edits in total plus photography—the production process was seamless. Cass managed the process and feedback from all our complex stakeholder groups with great professionalism, and the final content has been extremely well received.”
This feedback highlights our ability to manage high-stakes, multi-output projects efficiently, while maintaining the creative and technical excellence required to deliver compelling storytelling.
Trusted Partners in Science and Education Storytelling
Our award ceremony video production services are trusted by public sector organisations, universities, and scientific institutions alike. We understand how to communicate research in ways that are engaging, accessible, and accurate—striking the right balance between creative storytelling and subject matter expertise, all from our office in Southampton, Hampshire.
This project for the NERC Impact Awards demonstrates our strengths in:
Award ceremony video production Hampshire and across the UK
Scientific and research storytelling
Aerial drone filming
Coordinated multi-stakeholder project delivery
Professional photography
Cross-platform content creation
To see more examples of our work in the education, research, and public sectors, visit our portfolio.
To learn more about NERC and their work, visit ukri.org/councils/nerc.