Achieving connectivity

evo rail, a spinout from FirstGroup, wanted to explain its rail-5G technology, which delivers over a gigabit of internet onto a moving train, and the benefits it provides for passengers and rail operators to potential customers around the world.

It commissioned Happen to make six films, to use online, on its website and social media, and in meetings: a five-minute explainer film, and five shorter films focusing on particular aspects of its technology and business.

Rich visuals

Trains are obviously a visually-rich subject, so we took full advantage of this by filming with a drone as well as onboard a train and from ground level. Having worked for evo rail for a number of years, we were also able to use footage we have previously shot, from earlier technical trials, on the Isle of Wight and at the Melton Rail Innovation and Development Centre in the Midlands.

Four-part structure

With so much to convey, we structured the film in four-parts: an introductory section, providing the background to evo rail’s rail-5G solution; a section on how it works; one on its benefits; and a final one on how it is delivered. For clarity, we included chapter-headings, to help the viewer take everything in; 3-D animation, to illustrate how the bandwidth is beamed onto the moving train; and on-screen bullet points at the end to summarise. We also used interview clips and voiceover, so we could cover a lot of ground in the five-minutes.

Two story devices

We also used two types of storytelling: first, as a framing device in the introduction, describing how rail-5G was born out of FirstGroup’s frustration that it couldn’t deliver the bandwidth it wanted onto its trains, and how it trialled the technology on the Isle of Wight and Spain before its commercial deployment. Second, following a passenger travelling into London on South Western Railway to illustrate passenger demand and give the film a visual beginning, middle and end.