In 2025, The University of Reading was named ‘Sustainable University of the Year’ by the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide, a reflection of its ongoing commitment to sustainability across every department. As part of a wider campaign showcasing the university’s green initiatives, I worked with the catering team to produce a short, engaging video on how they’re tackling food waste by creating nutritious dishes from leftovers.

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Bringing Sustainability to Life on Screen

We transformed a small demo kitchen into a professional set, rigging up studio and fill lights to create the perfect look and feel. This was my first time producing a cooking video, and I quickly realised that showing the audience the right things at the right time was key. After spending far too many hours watching Sunday Brunch, MasterChef, and Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares, I appreciated the art of camera placement, getting those close-up, immersive angles that make food come to life on screen.

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Capturing the Sights, Sounds and Story

Once the cameras were set, it was all about the chef, and this turned out to be one of the most enjoyable shoots I’ve worked on. We used a combination of Sennheiser lapel mics and a shotgun mic to capture those signature sizzling, chopping, and stirring sounds that make cooking videos feel so real.

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But some projects are all about the edit, and this was one of them. Cooking takes time, and sometimes that time is slow. The challenge was keeping the video concise (under 5 minutes) while ensuring the narrative flowed smoothly. Pacing was everything, the right cuts, the right transitions, and the right shots made the difference between something that just works and something truly engaging.

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The Key to Engagement: A Story That Hooks You

A great video should draw the audience in instantly and keep them engaged until the very last frame. Whether it’s a cooking video, a documentary, or a promotional piece, the way a story unfolds is what keeps people watching. For this project, that meant making sure every shot, every transition, and every sound worked together to create something that felt seamless, engaging, and full of energy.