The Royal Society of Chemistry –
A corporate film production at Burlington House, Piccadilly London

Showcasing a historic London venue through cinematic video production

The Royal Society of Chemistry commissioned Paul Bates Studios to create a film showcasing their prestigious Burlington House location in Piccadilly, London. The aim was to highlight the character of the venue, showcase its range of event spaces and demonstrate the facilities available for meetings, conferences and private events.

Filming a historic building in the heart of London presented a unique opportunity to combine cinematic interior filming with dynamic aerial footage that captured the location’s connection to the capital.

Drone filming in central London

To introduce the venue and establish its London setting, we captured aerial footage using the DJI Mini 5 drone above Burlington House.

Drone filming in central London requires careful planning due to the busy streets, surrounding buildings and constant movement of vehicles and pedestrians. Working in such a busy area presented challenges, but it also created opportunities to capture the energy of Piccadilly and place the venue within its iconic surroundings.

The aerial sequences highlighted the relationship between Burlington House and the wider city, incorporating recognisable London details including red buses, black cabs and the movement of the streets below. These shots helped create a strong sense of location while adding scale and prestige to the final film.

Creating an immersive walkthrough experience

Inside Burlington House, we wanted the film to feel more like an experience of visiting the venue rather than a simple room-by-room showcase.

Using a Canon R5 combined with a gimbal setup, we created smooth moving shots through each event space, capturing the flow and atmosphere of the building. Filming at 50fps allowed us to introduce subtle slow-motion sequences, adding a more premium and cinematic feel to key moments.

A wide 14mm lens was used alongside controlled gimbal movement to enhance the sense of space and movement.

For additional detail and contrast, we also captured close-up shots using a fast F1.4 lens. These shots focused on the finer elements of each room, adding depth and a more cinematic visual style alongside the wider moving sequences.

This approach was decided upon beforehand with the client who loved the unique approach.

Planning every space around the viewer’s needs

Before filming began, each area of Burlington House was carefully planned to ensure the final film communicated the key features of every space.

The filming plan was designed around the practical information potential visitors would want to understand, including:

  • Capacity and layout options for each room

  • Catering facilities available

  • Technology and equipment provided

  • The unique character and features of each event space

This preparation allowed us to capture the right visuals for each area while ensuring the final edit supported the Royal Society of Chemistry’s marketing goals.

Allowing flexibility for post-production

The filming approach was also designed with future editing and motion graphics in mind. Composition and camera movement were carefully considered to leave suitable negative space for 3D text elements and additional graphics during post-production.

This helped create a final film that was not only visually engaging but also flexible enough to communicate important venue information clearly.

Celebrating the heritage of Burlington House

Alongside the modern event spaces, we captured the historic courtyard and architectural details of Burlington House to reflect the prestige and heritage of this iconic London location.

By combining aerial footage, cinematic camera movement and carefully planned interior filming, the final film presents Burlington House as both a historic landmark and a versatile modern event venue in the heart of London. You can view the final film below.

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