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Creating an animated video about administrative data research

We produced a short, animated video to raise public awareness, understanding, and trust in administrative data research among young people. 

Author: Dr Alice Wickersham, King’s College London  

Who carried out this project: This project was led by Dr Alice Wickersham, in a collaboration between the CAMHS Digital Lab, King’s College London, ADR UK, and Really Bright Media, in close consultation with the Young National Children's Bureau Advisory Group and Lambeth Youth Advisory Group. The work formed part of an ADR UK Research Fellowship project with collaborators Dr Johnny Downs, Dr Rosie Cornish, and Professor Stephen Scott. 

Who to contact to find out more: If you would like to find out more about this project, contact Dr Alice Wickersham, alice.wickersham@kcl.ac.uk  

The ‘why’

When consulting advisory groups about my research using administrative data, people have sometimes expressed surprise that information collected about them by public services can be used for research. If the use of administrative data in research is not adequately publicised, this can raise concern that the practice may be secretive or underhand. 

As a step towards increasing public awareness of administrative data research, ADR UK awarded me an Impact Development Fund to produce a short, animated video for online dissemination via YouTube, social media, and the ADR UK website. The target audience was young people. School record data is being collected for this age group now, and is the future of educational research, so it is important to promote awareness, understanding, and support for administrative data research in this younger generation. 

The ‘how’

This project took place in three phases: 

Phase one: Discovery 

  • Identify a production company – we engaged Really Bright Media (RBM) to develop the animated video. 

  • Seek feedback on video plans – we consulted with the Young National Children’s Bureau (YNCB) Advisory Group, who gave recommendations on style, length, and dissemination. 

  • Animated video review – we reviewed some existing animated videos on similar topics and identified key features to incorporate or avoid. 

  • Script and storyboard development – in an iterative process involving me, RBM, ADR UK, and data owners, we developed and cleared a script and storyboard. This was presented to the Lambeth Youth Advisory Group, who suggested additional changes. 

  • Finalise the animatic – RBM produced an animatic (video storyboard). This was screened at the ADR UK Conference 2023, where feedback was gathered from other professionals working with administrative data. It was also screened at a second consultation session with the YNCB Advisory Group, who fed back that their previous suggestions had been actioned well and provided further suggestions. They also voted on which voiceover artist to choose from a selection of samples. 

Phase two: Delivery 

With the script, storyboard, and animatic finalised, RBM produced the final video. This included recording the professional voiceover, full animation, adding sound effects, purchasing the music track, and adding subtitles. The final version of the video was two minutes 14 seconds, with a shorter 54-second version formatted for social media in 1:1 and 9:16 screen ratios.  

Phase three: Dissemination 

A dissemination plan was developed in collaboration with communications teams at ADR UK and King’s College London Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (King’s IoPPN). We led with publishing the Data Insight report from my ADR UK fellowship, then publicised the video, including: 

  • embedding the video on an ADR UK web page, where viewers could answer a series of short Yes/No questions in response to the video: Was it understandable? Was it interesting? Did you learn something new? 

  • dissemination through X, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook (no TikTok accounts were available at this time).

Successes

Engagement with the video was generally positive. There are now plans to screen the video in local secondary schools as a discussion point for pupils to share their views on administrative data research practices and generate further research ideas.

Lessons learned

  • Have a plan: When working with so many stakeholders, it was essential to develop a thorough plan to deliver the project. This eliminated any doubts about the process from the outset, and ultimately saved time. 

  • …but be flexible: Like all projects, we encountered unexpected delays, from re-arranging advisory group sessions to multiple script iterations. It was good to work with a production company who was used to working with multiple stakeholders and could be agile and responsive to changes in the timeline. 

  • Build relationships: Projects like this can only succeed with the help of people from a wide range of professional backgrounds, including creative professionals, advisory group facilitators, communications teams, and more. Being patient, clear and communicative with everyone involved is essential. 

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