Floating Harbour is a Bristol film production company making corporate films for businesses across the UK. We make pretty much any kind of film you might need, including customer stories, explainers, internal communications, recruitment films, annual reviews, event highlights and leadership messages, helping companies to, for example, explain complicated things, persuade audiences or report on the work they are doing.
A case study a sales team carries for three years, an explainer that stands in for a site tour, a recruitment film that brings engineers to a company they had never heard of, a chief executive's message that has to land with two thousand people. These films have a job to do, and they need to do it well. We have been making them since 2001, for companies from Sage, Vattenfall and ZeroAvia to Network Rail, Severfield, Petplan and Ryobi, and we are particularly good at films where the subject is complicated, there are several people to satisfy and the finished film has to be useful.
Explainer films. A product, a process or a system made clear, in live action, animation or both. The Vattenfall heat network film was made because demand for site tours outstripped what the team could host, so it walks businesses and residents through the energy centre, the substations and the harbour it draws heat from. EMEC Hydrogen explains green hydrogen production through a real application, and the ZeroAvia technology deep dive has the company's own engineers walking through a fuel-cell powertrain.
Internal communications and leadership films. Messages from leaders, change programmes, results and plans, made so people watch to the end. The Network Rail NEET films put colleagues who came into rail through the King's Trust in front of senior executives to make the case for the pathway; for Petplan we used drama, set builds and a cast to bring the company's customer profiles to life for its own staff; and the ZeroAvia CEO's company vision was built from five years of archive without a new shoot.
Recruitment films. What it is like to work somewhere, told by the people who do. For Nova Systems UK, recruitment films and a Meet the Teams series help an aerospace engineering company attract engineers; Meet the ZeroAvians and the HydroGen graduate cohort film do the same for a company hiring fast across three countries.
Annual review and progress films. A year's work in three minutes, for boards, investors and partners. ZeroAvia's 2022 round-up recaps a landmark year in one film, and Innovation Across Our Locations tells the company's growth story from archive as work began on its next powertrain.
Event highlight films. The energy of a conference, an awards night or a launch, cut for the people who were not there and to sell next year's event. The Sage Summit round-up captures the atmosphere of a day at ExCeL London; the World Biofuels Conference films, shot in Rotterdam with a crew of six, were used to sell the following year; and Meet South West is a sizzle reel for the region's event-industry showcase.
How a corporate film gets made
Brief. We start with the purpose, the audience, where the film will be seen and what it has to achieve. Ten minutes on the phone is usually enough to get started.
Plan. We propose an approach, a length, a shoot plan and a budget. For interview-led films we help you choose contributors and prepare them; for scripted films we write with you.
Filming. In your offices, on site, on location or in our own studio in central Bristol. A crew sized to the job, with our own kit, lighting and sound.
Post-production. Edit, graphics, colour and sound in house, with review links at each stage so your team can comment from wherever they are.
Delivery. A master and the versions you need: subtitled, cut down for social, in the aspect ratios your channels use, and in the formats your intranet or platform accepts.
Frequently asked questions
What does a corporate video cost?
A straightforward corporate film, such as a half-day interview shoot finished into a short film, starts from about £2,000. Multi-site case studies, series and films with animation cost more, and a retained arrangement starts from about £1,000 a month. Tell us the purpose and the audience and we will recommend an approach and a budget.
How long does it take?
A single-shoot film is usually delivered within three to four weeks of filming. Series and multi-location projects take longer, and we plan around your deadline.
Who do you usually work with at the client?
Marketing and communications teams most often, sometimes the managing director directly. If the film is for training rather than communication, our learning films page is the better place to start.
Do you film in our offices?
Yes, anywhere in the UK. We bring the crew, kit and lighting, and we know how to make a meeting room look good. Our own studio is available when you would rather not.
Can you make accessible versions?
Subtitles and transcripts are standard. Audio description, BSL and other-language versions are available.
Can you make a series rather than one film?
Yes. Much of our corporate work is a programme of films over a year, planned so that each shoot serves several outputs.
Who we make corporate films for
Mostly businesses: technology and engineering companies, renewable energy, finance and accounting, transport, retail and manufacturing and the events industry. Public bodies, universities, the NHS and charities commission the same kinds of film and are just as welcome here; their own pages show more of that work. If your film is for learning rather than communication, see training and learning films; if it is about who you are rather than what you do, see brand films. For the full range, see all the films we make.
Have a corporate film in mind? Tell us what it needs to achieve.