The featured film above is the Institute of Water social wrap-up. The wider commission also included a separate two-minute conference highlight, around 15 recorded interviews and further edits for the programme.
The brief
The Institute of Water came to DS Media looking for a video partner who could do more than document one conference. They wanted to showcase what they had already built through their events, celebrate the work happening now, and create content that could help improve attendance for the rest of the conference programme.
The programme included a major conference in Plymouth, building on the relationship we had established while filming the Institute’s earlier Newcastle conference. After that first project, the Institute kept DS Media on to cover the rest of the programme. The opportunity was to make each day useful long after the room had emptied: capture the atmosphere, but also capture the people and ideas that could keep the conversation going throughout the year.
Planning the content
The production plan was built around one question: how can one day create enough useful material for the rest of the year?
Build the content map
We separated the brief into a fast event story and a deeper interview library, then planned the people, locations and supporting shots needed for both.
Capture the room and the voices
Two cameras, clean wireless audio and a dedicated interview space let us film the energy of the conference without losing the detail behind it.
Keep the programme moving
The 48-hour wrap gave the Institute an immediate post, while the interviews and B-roll became a bank of content for future launches and campaigns.
The approach
For the Plymouth conference, we planned two kinds of content. The first was the event film: a polished highlight reel that brought together the speakers, audience, atmosphere and key moments from the day. The second was an interview-led content library that the Institute could use across its wider communications.
We set up interviews in a separate room so contributors could speak properly without interrupting the programme. On other events, the same approach can work beside the stage during breaks, allowing the production to keep moving without taking people away from the conference for long.
The production used two video cameras, wireless microphones and lapel microphones, with a photographer working alongside the video team. We recorded around 15 interviews during the day and captured supporting B-roll to give each conversation context and keep the edits connected to the event.
What we delivered
- A two-minute conference highlight film.
- A 30-second wrap-up delivered within 48 hours.
- Around 15 recorded interviews with supporting B-roll.
- Interview-led edits and source content for future social and campaign use.
- The remaining edited content delivered within two weeks.
Content from the wider programme
These additional edits draw on the wider Institute of Water programme, including the Plymouth conference and anniversary event. They show how planned coverage can support more than one conference film. The interview with Jesie Dyos gives the programme a clear human voice, while the 80-year celebration and wider event footage give the Institute a way to show the scale and variety of its work.
The 80 Years film brings together footage from the May anniversary event and 80th-related shots from the September conference, giving the Institute one celebration that feels larger than any single conference. It was shaped for a year-end post and webinar, so the anniversary content could keep working after the event programme had finished.
The result
The highlight film captured the energy of the conference, while the interviews gave the Institute a library of content it could continue publishing after the event. Depending on the interviewee and edit plan, a three-to-five-minute interview can become around five shorter social pieces, so the value of the shoot continues beyond the original event film.
Working with the same videographer across the conference programme also keeps the footage consistent. The cameras, colour grade and visual language stay aligned from one event to the next, so a future celebration of multiple conferences feels like one recognisable Institute of Water story rather than a mixture of disconnected productions.
The content is being used across LinkedIn, the Institute’s websites, advertising and social channels including Instagram. That gives the organisation material to promote future conferences, raise awareness of its work and keep the ideas from the day in front of its audience throughout the year.
The footage also supported the Institute’s next communications priorities. In follow-up, the interview clips were identified as useful content for the Rising Stars Programme 2026, showing how a well-planned event shoot can support launches and campaigns beyond the original brief. Client feedback on the wrap-up described it as a strong snapshot of the three days, with only a small music adjustment needed to keep interview voices clear.
Why conference content should last longer than one day
Conferences bring a rare group of knowledgeable people into the same room. Capturing their insight while they are already together turns one event into a useful content programme: a highlight for the atmosphere, interviews for the ideas, and short edits for the channels where the next audience is deciding whether to attend.
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