UK Atomic Energy Authority is based at Culham Campus near Abingdon in Oxfordshire, with a second site in Rotherham, South Yorkshire. They asked us to create an engaging recruitment film that would not only entice new talent to apply for jobs, but would explain why working towards the goal of sustainable renewable energy (using fusion) is such a good career!
Fusion is the process that powers the sun and stars; it works by combining light elements into heavier ones and releasing energy. If we recreate those processes on Earth, we can produce limitless electricity without producing greenhouse gases, which is what UKAEA strives to do – and they need people to join their team.
Our recruitment film project began with a series of meetings with UKAEA to determine who would be good spokespeople for the wide range of opportunities and career steps that exist there – apprenticeships, student placements, work experience, a graduate scheme, postgraduate opportunities, management roles and everything in between. Once this was determined, interview questions could be worked out and time with each person scheduled.
Filming took around 3 days. Firstly we interviewed each subject one by one around the vast sites, ticking off the topics we wanted to cover. We used engaging , open-ended questions and a relaxed atmosphere to capture genuine, friendly testimonials. Once we had done this, their answers and information allowed us to think of what would make the best illustrative shots for their stories. So we then also captured footage of the interviewees going about their daily tasks which we could use as cutaways to illustrate the points made, and some general footage of each site including aerial shots using our drone, ground-based beauty shots and lastly all the important signage.
The resulting film was a huge success and is now widely used by UKAEA as part of their recruitment drive.
