Scientific Brand Video Production for Q Labs of Cincinnati
How Barking Squirrel Media Translated Scientific Precision into a Compelling Brand Story
At Barking Squirrel Media, we specialize in telling meaningful stories for organizations whose work impacts lives, industries, and communities. When Q Labs, a respected microbiology and analytical chemistry laboratory in Cincinnati, Ohio, reached out to us to produce a scientific brand video, we saw an opportunity to help them communicate the depth of their expertise, the rigor of their scientific process, and the human commitment behind the work they perform every day.
Laboratories like Q Labs play an essential role in public health, product safety, and regulatory compliance. Yet, the nature of their work—highly technical, process-driven, and deeply precise—can be difficult to translate into messaging that resonates outside the scientific community. A scientific brand video production bridges this gap by combining cinematic storytelling with accurate representation of laboratory environments, creating a narrative that both informs and inspires.
This film was designed not just to show what Q Labs does, but to reveal why their work matters—to their clients, to consumers, and to the greater marketplace of science-driven innovation.
Understanding the Client: Who Q Labs Serves and Why Their Story Matters
Q Labs provides microbiological and chemical testing services for a wide range of products—from food manufacturing to consumer goods to pharmaceuticals. Their work helps ensure that the products people use and consume every day are safe, compliant, and trustworthy.
This means the stakes are high. Decisions in the lab impact public safety.
However, for organizations evaluating laboratory partners, it is not enough to simply claim accuracy and reliability—every lab claims that. Differentiation comes from showing:
Rigorous quality systems
Highly trained and passionate scientists
Real commitment to client collaboration
Efficiency without compromising precision
A culture of integrity and care
Q Labs knew their work spoke for itself inside the lab—but prospective clients outside the scientific environment needed to see and feel that same level of excellence.
This is where storytelling becomes powerful.
The Challenge: Translating Technical Expertise into a Scientific Brand Video
Many scientific and technical organizations struggle with the same challenge:
How do you communicate complex and highly specialized work in a way that is both scientifically accurate and emotionally engaging?
A visually engaging video can easily become too technical and inaccessible.
A simplified video risks losing accuracy and credibility.
The key is balance—and balance comes from deep understanding before storytelling.
This is why at Barking Squirrel Media, every project begins with what we call The Discovery Process.
Discovery: Finding the Heart of the Q Labs Story
We began by interviewing Q Labs’ leadership and scientific team. Over the course of multiple Zoom sessions, we asked questions designed to uncover not only what they do, but why they do it, how they work together, and what differentiates their approach within the industry.
These conversations were recorded, transcribed, analyzed, and structured into a Brand Story Framework—our internal guide that identifies three essential components:
| Component | Purpose | Example Insight Identified |
|---|---|---|
| Mission Truth | Why the organization exists | Q Labs protects consumer safety and product integrity. |
| Competitive Differentiation | How they stand apart | They prioritize collaboration and fast, tailored testing turnaround without compromising scientific rigor. |
| Emotional Core | The human reason their work matters | Every test they perform safeguards real people and real families. |
From these findings, we crafted the narrative spine of the film:
Q Labs is not simply a lab facility—they are trusted scientific partners committed to quality, safety, and human wellbeing.
This message informed every visual, every interview, and every storytelling decision to come.
Scriptwriting: Collaboration that Ensures Accuracy and Meaning
Script development is a collaborative process between Barking Squirrel Media’s creative team and the client’s subject-matter experts.
For Q Labs, the script needed to accomplish several goals:
Accurately represent laboratory testing processes and protocols
Communicate in language accessible to non-scientific viewers
Reflect the culture and personality of the Q Labs team
Create trust and confidence for prospective clients
Our scriptwriters worked closely with Q Labs’ leadership to refine terminology, tone, and structure. This back-and-forth was essential—not to dilute scientific accuracy, but to elevate it into narrative clarity.
The final script balanced clarity, warmth, authority, and professionalism—while always keeping the focus on the real people doing the work.
Pre-Production: Planning for Precision in a Live Laboratory Environment
Filming in an active microbiology and chemistry lab requires careful coordination.
During pre-production, our team handled:
Site tours to understand workflow and biosafety protocols
Storyboarding to determine how best to visualize microscopic work
Shot lists to ensure we captured every essential process and environment
Scheduling with department leads to film without disrupting active testing
Crew PPE and contamination procedures to maintain laboratory integrity
We worked closely with Q Labs to avoid interfering with regulated workflows while still capturing authentic activity—not staged reenactments or artificial scenes.
This level of planning ensured that filming was smooth, respectful, and efficient—and that the visuals were accurate representations of real laboratory practice.
Producing a Scientific Brand Video: Capturing the Science and the People Behind It
The filming itself took place over a full day with a lean, highly experienced four-person crew. Efficiency was essential, and the team operated like a single unit—camera, lighting, audio, and director all moving in rhythm.
We filmed in two adjacent laboratory facilities across two floors, capturing:
Precision testing procedures
Instrumentation in use
Laboratory environments and workflows
Scientists collaborating across workstations
Leadership interviews expressing values and mission
Our approach was to capture the natural rhythm of the lab—not dramatize, not exaggerate, but reveal the beauty and intention present in scientific work.
There is inherent cinematic poetry in:
Steady hands at a microscope
The calibration of precision instruments
The quiet focus of trained scientists dedicated to their craft
Our role is to help viewers feel that significance.
Post-Production: Crafting a Film That Builds Trust
All footage was reviewed, organized, and shaped through a multi-stage editorial process.
Our editors focused on:
Visual clarity: ensuring every scientific action reads clearly to viewers
Narrative flow: guiding viewers from context → process → meaning
Tone and pacing: evoking clarity, professionalism, and confidence
Color grading: emphasizing clinical quality without making the environment feel cold
Sound and music: reinforcing precision, trust, and human connection
Client collaboration was handled through our online review platform, enabling Q Labs to click directly on the video wherever feedback was needed—streamlining revision cycles and maintaining clarity.
This process ensured the final film was purposeful, accurate, and emotionally resonant. This is quintessential to a scientific brand video.
How Q Labs Uses the Film Today
Q Labs now uses their Scientific Brand Video for:
Company website and homepage brand presence
Sales introductions to prospective clients
Trade show booth screens and industry conference presentations
Recruiting new scientific talent
Investor and strategic partnership communications
The film now serves as a visual handshake—a first impression that immediately communicates credibility, capability, and culture.
Why Scientific Organizations Choose Barking Squirrel Media
Producing video in scientific, technical, and highly regulated environments requires more than filmmaking skill. It requires:
Respect for scientific accuracy
Understanding of workflow and environmental controls
Ability to translate technical detail into human narrative
A collaborative process that prioritizes clarity, intention, and trust
At Barking Squirrel Media, we consider ourselves strategic storytelling partners—not just video producers.
We help scientific and technical organizations communicate with the world in ways that are authentic, compelling, and clear.
Because your story is not just about what you do.
It is about why it matters.
Producers: Christine Marque and Dr. David K Bray
Director: Dr. David K Bray
Creative Director: Christine Marque
Director of Photography: Daniel Marque
Gaffer: Louie Suer