When a school film becomes something you explore

How Bear House Media and Clifton College turned a traditional school film into an interactive experience that generated more than 21,000 video views.

Most school films ask viewers to sit back and watch. For The Spirit Within, Clifton College wanted to do something more ambitious. They wanted to invite prospective families to explore.

Created by Bear House Media in collaboration with Clifton College, The Spirit Within is a narrative-led interactive film that follows a pupil named Jemima as she discovers an unusual ability to ‘port’ into the lives of other students.

At key moments, viewers choose whose story to follow. Each decision reveals a different part of school life, from academic subjects and creative opportunities to sport, friendships and the wider Clifton community.

The result is not simply a promotional film. It is a world that rewards curiosity.

Building a story around choice

Clifton College needed to communicate the breadth of an experience that runs from Pre-Prep through to Sixth Form. A conventional linear film would inevitably have required some subjects, activities and voices to be prioritised over others.

Interactive storytelling offered a different solution.

The central narrative gives the experience an emotional thread, while the branching structure allows each viewer to pursue what interests them. Rather than being shown one fixed version of Clifton, families can create their own journey through the school.

The project was filmed over five days, with pupils and staff participating both on screen and behind the scenes. Their involvement helped the finished film retain the energy and authenticity of the community it represents.

Viewers can also return to discover alternative routes, characters and hidden scenes. Repeat viewing becomes part of the experience rather than an afterthought.

Engagement measured in minutes, not seconds

The most revealing part of the project is what audiences did after pressing play.

The latest performance data tells an encouraging story.

• 5,014 project starts

• 21,302 individual video views

• 836 hours of total viewing time

• An average session of ten minutes

• An average of four different clips explored per visit

That total watch time is equivalent to almost 35 continuous days.

More importantly, the average viewing session has risen from seven and a half minutes to ten minutes. In a digital environment where conventional promotional videos often struggle to retain attention beyond the opening moments, viewers are choosing to spend meaningful time with the experience.

The average of four clips per visit also suggests that people are not simply starting the film and leaving. They are making choices, following different paths and actively exploring Clifton College.

That was the purpose of the format from the beginning.

More than a technical novelty

Interactive video works best when the interaction serves the story.

For The Spirit Within, choice gives prospective pupils and parents a way to focus on the subjects, activities and experiences that matter most to them. At the same time, it gives Clifton College insight into the areas audiences are choosing to explore.

This turns a school film from a passive showcase into something closer to a personalised open day. It is available at any time, from anywhere, and designed to be revisited.

It also demonstrates a broader opportunity for organisations with complex stories to tell. When an audience can choose where to go next, detailed information no longer has to compete for space within a single, fixed film. Different viewers can follow different routes while remaining part of one coherent experience.

For Bear House Media, The Spirit Within shows what can happen when cinematic storytelling, imaginative production and interactive design are developed together from the outset.

The numbers matter, but the real achievement is that thousands of viewers did more than watch.

They explored.

Could your organisation’s story become something audiences explore rather than simply watch? Visit bearhouse.media/contact to talk to Bear House Media.