How we filmed a whole library of hospital clips in one day

A Creo crew sets up lights and cameras beside the hydrotherapy pool at Prince Court Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur
The hydrotherapy pool, once the last patient had finished
The short answer
Plan lots of short moments that each work on their own, frame them so they fit any screen, and add a couple of long takes that can be reels by themselves. That's what we did for Prince Court Medical Centre in Kuala Lumpur.

One shoot day. Footage needed for reels, lobby screens, presentations and maybe even an event opening. If that sounds like your brief, here’s how we handled it.

Short clips were the client’s call

This one was the client’s idea, and a good one. The IHH Singapore branding team and the Prince Court marketing team wanted clips they could mix and match into different reels, each with its own message. We added two long takes of about 40 seconds. Those work as reels on their own, and might even open an event.

We planned moments, one job each

We mapped out 24 moments of 5 to 8 seconds and gave every one a job: an expression, an interaction or an act of care. Each clip had to make sense on its own, fit any screen shape and leave a bit of room for a headline. Most scenes show one patient at a time, and a few show patients together. We kept it generic, so every clip can carry a different message.

The Premium Lounge host chats with a patient on a sofa while the crew films
A scene in the Premium Lounge: the host chatting with a patient

A shot you don’t often see

Most hospital footage shows a doctor with a patient, or a nurse with a patient. We also filmed a doctor and a nurse sharing a laugh over coffee between rounds. It’s a small moment, and it shows a healthcare team that gets along well.

A real hospital, a small cast

Patients always come first, so we started early and waited for the hydrotherapy pool to clear before setting up. We had seven people for more than 24 clips. The staff carried the warmth, and close-ups and outfit changes did the rest. Honestly, it matters less than you’d think.

Since these are snippets, most of the footage is there to carry a message. It won’t all be used at the same time.

Danny

Room for the extras

We filmed the arrival as one long take instead of five separate set-ups, and kept a buffer in the afternoon. That freed up time to grab extra shots on the day, and they turned out just as good as the planned ones.

Want to see more of our film work? Have a look at what we do, or Generations of Care, another film we made with IHH.

Got a shoot coming up?

Tell us what it's for and where the footage needs to go. We'll help you plan the moments.

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