A promotional film for a municipality. How to shoot a project opening in one day

A promotional film for a municipality or public institution has to show residents what public money has paid for, and do it in a few minutes. When a new public project opens, there is usually one day for filming, because the building has only just been handed over and people are about to move in. At that point the quality of the film depends on preparation, not equipment.

We explain how it works using our film for the opening of Preschool No. 7 “Bajkowa Siódemka” in Dzierżoniów. The building cost PLN 22 million, including PLN 18 million from EU funds and more than PLN 4 million from the town budget. We shot it in one day and delivered the film five days later.

What should a project opening film show?

Residents want to know three things. What has been built, what it cost and what they get out of it. The Dzierżoniów film takes them through these answers in the order a viewer looks for them.

• Scale of the project. 200 children, 8 classrooms, two storeys and more than 1,800 m² of floor space.
• Money. What it cost and where the funding came from, in the mayor's own words.
• What makes it special. A passive building, a solar installation of 285 panels with a capacity of almost 110 kW, energy storage and heat recovery ventilation that recovers more than 80% of the heat.
• People. The head teacher, the site manager and the installation contractors.
• Life in the building. Classrooms, the playground and the children's first days, filmed with respect for image consent.

Preparation, or a shoot day planned to the minute

One day of filming means there is no backup day. Before we set off, we prepared a brief with the municipality, a briefing for the preschool and a shot schedule with sun times and shadow maps. The building stands between blocks of flats, so the facade was well lit for only a few hours, and the classrooms with children in them were available from 13:00.

1. Brief. The purpose of the film, the key figures, the list of interviewees and the locations to film.
2. Briefing for the institution. Who is needed and when, which rooms must be ready, and how to prepare the children and parents.
3. Shot schedule. Every scene with its time, location and equipment, arranged around the sun and people's availability.
4. Teleprompter scripts. Statements written in advance and agreed with the interviewees.
5. Image guidelines. Who can appear in close-up and who we only show from a distance or from behind.

Filming ran from 5:45 to 16:00. The crew had a camera, a drone for aerial shots and an FPV drone for flights through the interior, which shows in a single shot how the rooms connect.

Teleprompter interviews let the mayor speak fluently on the first take

Public figures have little time, and nerves in front of the camera make recording take longer. A teleprompter lets the speaker deliver a prepared text straight to the lens without learning it by heart. In Dzierżoniów we recorded the mayor, the head teacher, the site manager with the CEO of the building contractor, and a representative of the company that installed the electrics and the solar panels.

Image rights of children and residents

When you film at preschools and schools, the consent list matters most. In Dzierżoniów, seven people had consent for their faces to be shown in close-up, so we planned the shots so that the other children were seen from a distance, from behind or out of focus. Rules like these have to be agreed before the shoot day and given to the editor in writing.

Editing and social media versions

Editing started the day after the shoot, and we delivered the finished film on 14 October, five days after filming. There is a main version in 16:9 and shorter vertical 9:16 versions for reels on the municipality's Facebook and Instagram. Plan the vertical formats at the shot schedule stage, because not every horizontal frame crops well.

What to remember with EU-funded projects

A project paid for with European funds comes with information and publicity obligations. The rules for labelling materials, films included, are set out in the grant agreement and in the handbook of the funding scheme the money comes from. Check them with the council before editing, so the film does not need changes after sign-off.

You will find the whole project, with stills and reels, in the Bajkowa Siódemka film case. Our film work is described under services, and if you are preparing a project opening, get in touch.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to shoot a promotional film for a municipality?

With a well-prepared plan, a project opening film can be shot in one day. The Dzierżoniów preschool film came from a single shoot day, and editing the main and vertical versions took five days. Films covering several locations or seasons take longer.

Can a preschool film show the children?

Yes, but only those whose parents have agreed to their image being published. The other children are shown from a distance, from behind or out of focus. The consent list and framing rules have to be agreed before the shoot day and passed on to the crew and the editor.

What should go into a project opening film?

The scale of the project, its cost and funding sources, what makes the building stand out, statements from the people responsible and shots of the building in use. Figures shown on screen, drone shots and short vertical versions for social media work well.

Does a film about an EU-funded project need logos?

Materials promoting projects funded by the EU usually have to be labelled in line with the funding scheme's rules. The exact requirements are set out in the grant agreement and the applicant's handbook, so check them with the council before editing.