Fundraising film for medical research
The Florey wanted a fundraising video that showed potential donors why brain research needs long-term support and the difference it can make to people’s lives.
Dream Engine produced the film for the Florey Future Fund, featuring researchers, donors and Rachel Vella, who shared her experience of living with epilepsy.
We worked with the client on the concept and script, then filmed in laboratories, offices and public spaces around Melbourne.
The client and challenge
Explaining why long-term research needs funding
The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health studies conditions including epilepsy, dementia and stroke. The Florey Future Fund was set up as an endowment to help fund that research over the long term.
The film needed to explain what the fund would support, introduce the people doing the research and show why it mattered to those living with these conditions.
As with other healthcare video production projects, we needed to explain the science accurately in language people outside the field could follow.
Planning the film
Developing the script with the client
The client came to us with ideas for the film after seeing our previous work. We helped develop those ideas into a concept, then worked together on a script for the fundraising appeal.
The script needed to introduce the Future Fund, explain the research and include the experience of someone living with a neurological condition.
The client valued having guidance through that process while still feeling the film was theirs.
- A script explaining the Future Fund and asking for support
- Interview preparation for researchers, supporters and Rachel Vella
- Locations for interviews and footage of researchers at work
- A filming plan covering the different people and locations
The interviews
Researchers, donors and Rachel’s story
The film featured Craig Drummond, then CEO of Medibank and a Florey donor; Harold Mitchell AC, then Chair of The Florey; and Emeritus Professor Fred Mendelsohn AO, a former Director of The Florey. Researchers and Board member Ross Oakley AM also took part.
Rachel Vella spoke about living with epilepsy and how brain surgery had changed her life. In the film, she described being free of seizures and studying to become a teacher after surgery. Those details helped viewers understand what advances in treatment can mean in someone’s daily life.
The researchers described the questions they were investigating, while the supporters explained why they backed the Future Fund. Their contributions connected the appeal for long-term funding with the work taking place at The Florey.
Filming and editing
Filming across Melbourne
We filmed interviews and supporting footage in laboratories, offices and public spaces around Melbourne. Inside The Florey, footage of laboratory work, microscopes and images of the brain accompanied the researchers’ explanations. Viewers could see where the work took place and some of the tools involved.
The edit opens with Rachel’s experience of epilepsy, introduces the research and the people supporting it, then ends with a request to contribute to the Future Fund. By that point, viewers have heard from a patient, the researchers and people who already back the work.
Client perspective
The client’s experience with Dream Engine
Dream Engine is a team of professionals. They care immensely about the work they do. They’re gentle, patient, very kind and intuitive. And I’d work with them again in a heartbeat.
The result
How The Florey used the film
The Florey published the film on its website and used it to communicate with donors and supporters. The client reported that it was already having a strong impact with donors.
For more on planning a film for your charity, see our not-for-profit video production service.
Planning a fundraising or medical research video?
Tell us what you’re raising funds for, who you want to reach and when you need the video. We’ll help you work out the approach and provide a quote.
Ryan Spanger is the founder and managing director of Dream Engine, a Melbourne video production company established in 2002. Over the past two decades, he’s produced hundreds of videos for businesses, government departments, universities and healthcare organisations across Australia. Ryan specialises in helping organisations explain complex ideas through clear, engaging video content, with particular experience in corporate communications, training and education.
