When Professor Ronan Mccarthy from Brunel University’s Antimicrobial Innovations Centre (AMIC) reached out, he had a challenge that felt all too familiar: how do you make complex, technical research land with real-world impact? The mission of AMIC is ambitious—tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a global health threat that affects everything from hospital infections to food safety and climate resilience. But like many research centres, their story was buried under dense text and academic language. Ronan needed a way to communicate AMIC’s vision that was sharp, succinct, and memorable—something that would stand out to researchers, funders, policy makers, and business partners alike. That’s where 42 South Films came in. A Story-First Approach From day one, we knew this wasn’t about simply showcasing labs or listing off technical achievements. It was about telling a bigger story: one that showed why AMIC exists, what makes it different, and the real-world impact it’s poised to deliver. We started with a clear narrative arc—what’s the global challenge, what’s broken, and how is AMIC solving it? We anchored this around their five research pillars: Lab-based antimicrobial discovery and repurposing AI-guided computational drug discovery Advanced drug delivery and formulation Environmental antimicrobial resistance Societal and legal impacts of AMR Each pillar had its own depth, but the real power was in how they worked together. That interdisciplinary focus—linking science, technology, law, and culture—is what makes AMIC different. So we made that the heartbeat of the script. Execution Backed by Precision We brought in an agile crew, worked flexibly on-site at Brunel over three packed days of filming, and captured a mix of interviews, labs, and aerial shots of the campus. But the real reason this video works? The planning. We pride ourselves on making life easy for our clients. That means nailing the story before the cameras roll. Once we hit record, we knew exactly what we were capturing and why. No fluff. No filler. Just purposeful content that supports the narrative. The Final Product The result is a crisp 2-minute video that Ronan can now use to pitch AMIC’s mission to multiple audiences—academics, funders, government bodies, and industry collaborators. It's a powerful asset that tells a complex story without losing people in the weeds. For a centre like AMIC, where the stakes are high and the mission is urgent, that kind of clarity is everything. At 42 South Films, this is our wheelhouse—telling bold, high-impact stories with precision and polish.  If your team is tackling something big, but struggling to say it right, let’s talk . We turn complex into compelling.

Brunel University in London got in touch with us to create a series of scientific protocol videos. The McCarthy lab had developed a novel breakthrough experiment to help combat infections and wanted our help in creating high quality videos to demonstrate the experiments and help fellow researchers carry out their own experiements. The lab had prodcuced their own videos of the experiment previously but they were not happy with the poor quality of their videos, which not only deminished their brand and credibility, but also made it difficult for fellow researchers to follow along. Our expertise in planning video content along was a key factor in the lab deciding to work with us. It also helped that we are based in Uxbridge, very close to the Brunel University Campus. We reviewed the 3 protocols and provided a quote for the work up-front which enabled the lab to seek funding for the project. Once funding was approved, we started planning the videos in closer detail, ensuring the filming days ran smoothly and we achieved evertyhing we wanted to achieve. In order to create a high quality look and feel for the videos, we shut all the blinds and lit the scene using our own lights. We also rigged a top-down camera with a remote monitor, giving us a great view of the action and enabling us to capture every little detail of the experiments without getting in the way. The format of the videos was a short interview with the researcher introducing the experiement, before going straight into the step by step protocol explanation. The client was extremely happy with the work and they instantly recevied positive feedback from colleagues and peers. It was exciting for us to see how our videos made the researchers excited about their own work. Having the ability to share high quality videos of their work added to their credibility and vastly elevated the impact of their experiments. If you have a scientific experiement you would like to film, please get in touch. We can help you secure the budget and plan the videos to ensure the project is a huge success. Below is one of the protocol videos we filmed at the lab: