University of Suffolk
New Starters Explainer Film
Turning a long new-starter checklist into something watchable
Starting University, Made Simple
Starting university comes with a lot of information. Enrolment. Accommodation. Student IDs. Brightspace. Registration. Course inductions. Parking. Support services. And that’s before you’ve even made it through the front door. The University of Suffolk asked us to create an explainer film that could make that process feel simpler, friendlier and a lot less overwhelming for new students joining in September. The film needed to explain the key steps clearly, while reassuring both home and international students that there would be people there to help them along the way. The challenge was finding the balance between useful information and something people would genuinely sit down and watch.
The brief called for a cinematic film combining talking heads, campus footage, motion graphics, screen recordings and on-screen guidance. Rather than treating those as separate ingredients, we built them into one continuous journey. The film guides new starters through the process step by step, moving between the people they’ll meet, the places they’ll visit and the digital platforms they’ll use before arriving on campus. That meant the practical information could stay front and centre without the finished piece ever feeling like an instructional video. Friendly faces give the information personality. Real campus locations give students a sense of familiarity before they arrive. Screen content shows them what to expect. And animated graphics keep the more detailed parts of the process clear, concise and easy to follow.
A lot of information. One fast-moving film. We filmed across the University of Suffolk campus, building a visual journey around the places new students would soon be experiencing for themselves. The cinematography was designed to make the campus feel energetic, welcoming and lived-in, using movement, carefully framed compositions and fast transitions to keep the film moving through what could otherwise be quite information-heavy material. Talking-head sections were kept warm and direct, with staff and students speaking to the audience rather than at them. That human element was particularly important: the original brief wasn’t only about explaining what new starters needed to do, but making them feel confident about doing it.
In post-production, motion graphics, screen recordings and on-screen prompts were integrated into the live action rather than simply laid over it. The result is a film that can move quickly between enrolment, Brightspace, registration, Student ID collection and support services while keeping each step easy to understand. It’s informative when it needs to be, cinematic wherever it can be!
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