How do you shoot a film that still has to be right three years from now?
A product film shot in the middle of the pandemic and planned so that, three years on, it carries on with a new lens and a new brand — without a second shoot day.
The brief
The RetCam Envision takes images of the retina in newborns and young children. Natus wanted a product film that shows the device where it works: in the clinic, with a doctor, parents and a child. Plus callouts on the device itself and the technology in detail, in English, German and French.
Masks or no masks?
We shot in 2022. Hospitals still required masks, and nobody knew for how long. A film with masks soon looks like a state of emergency. A film without them would not have been true at the time. And a product film is meant to run for years, not months.
What we did
- Developed the storyboard and voiceover script, agreed with Natus.
- Shot the scenes with the doctor and the parents twice — once with masks, once without. Natus could choose instead of having to commit.
- Callouts that hang in the room beside the device, and a 3D view of the camera for the technology you cannot otherwise see on screen.
- Voiceover and versions in English, German and French.
- In 2025 came a new lens and the new Natus Sensory brand. We updated the film: a new edit, new graphics, the same voice for the changed lines. No new shoot day.
The outcome
A film that has been running since 2022 and was brought up to date in 2025 without a reshoot. The response to the update: the whole team was delighted. Natus links the film on the RetCam Envision product page.
Why you think about later on the shoot
A product film usually dates with the first change to the product. Think ahead on the shoot, and years later you swap a lens, a logo and a sentence — and pay for no second shoot day. That is not luck. It is a decision made on day one.
More Case Stories for Natus
What else we do for Natus is on the Natus page. The service behind it: Film & Photography.
Which of these do you actually need?
A conversation settles that faster than a quote. And we will tell you when something is no use to you.
Every enquiry is welcome — including the ones that never turn into a job. We learn something from every conversation. Tell us the problem, we will listen and think it through with you. That is the least anyone should expect.