For a non expert audience

Research explainers.

A white paper, a technical deck or a set of results, built into a film a non expert follows to the last line.

Book a scoping call See the work

A research explainer turns a white paper, a technical deck or a set of results into a film a non expert follows to the last line. Lumen Narrative handles research explainer video production in Toronto for universities, life sciences and pharmaceutical teams, with every finding stated exactly as the data supports it.

The script does the heavy lifting. We build the narrative from the source material and get it approved before production, then use 3D, motion graphics and data visualization to show what words cannot.

Explanatory by design.

Published studies, trial results and ongoing research turned into film a clinician, a patient or a funder can follow.

  • Mechanism of action and scientific animation
  • Research communication and public outreach
  • Clinical trial recruitment
  • Grant, funder and board presentations

Where research has to reach people.

Sectors where the finding only matters once someone outside the field understands it.

Institutions
Film production for

Universities and Research
Life Sciences
Film production for

Life Sciences
Pharmaceutical
Film production for

Pharmaceutical Companies

Research, made public.

York University's microplastics installation is research communication outside a video. GNQ Insilico shows complex science made clear on screen.

Directed by Justin PoulsenPublic installation

York University

Micro-Lectures on Microplastics · Our role: technical producer, facilities, equipment and lighting
The problem
Dr. Shooka Karimpour's research on microplastics needed to reach the public, not only a journal, and stop someone walking past in a public space.
What we made
A two part public installation: two plinths, each holding a miniature York classroom with 300 printed students, a working screen playing the full lecture, and a base built from beach plastic.
Why it works
The medium argues the point. The audience looks at the waste while listening to the research about the waste.
Cinematic platform film

GNQ Insilico

Bio Avatar · Flagship brand film
The problem
A digital twin of an individual patient's biology, running on multi omics data, causal AI and quantum simulation. Category defining, and almost impossible to explain in a meeting.
What we made
A fully in house cinematic brand film with a custom CGI look grounded in the real science, style frames approved before animation, and motion built on GNQ's own brand system.
Why it works
The science was locked before the look, so it can be shown to a molecular biologist and a generalist investor without changing a frame.

The script does the heavy lifting.

Every finding is checked against the source before anything is animated.

01

Discovery

We learn your world: the product, the audience and what the film has to achieve. Papers, demo and time with your experts, so the facts are right before a word is written.

02

Story and script

A story a newcomer can follow from start to finish. You see the outline, then the script, and nothing is filmed or animated until you approve it.

03

Production

Filming, 3D, motion graphics and data visualization, planned around your schedule and your people's time, with style frames and early cuts along the way.

04

Revisions

Review rounds agreed up front. Your team leaves notes directly on the film in Frame.io, and every change is tracked until the cut is signed off.

05

Delivery

The master plus every version you need: website, social, events, sales and archive. Captions, transcripts and source files included.

06

Support throughout

One point of contact from the first call to final delivery, and after it. A new cutdown, an updated number, a version for the next event.

Research explainers, answered.

What is a research explainer video?
A film built from a white paper, a technical deck or a set of results that a non expert follows to the last line. Published studies, trial results and ongoing research become film a clinician, a patient or a funder can follow, with every finding stated exactly as the data supports it.
Can you show data and mechanisms on screen?
Yes. Once the script is approved we use 3D, motion graphics and data visualization to show what words cannot: mechanism of action, pathway maps and trial data, built from the real science. We do not use stock footage or generic AI generated video.
What do you need from us to quote?
The audience, the goal, the deadline, and whatever technical material exists. A white paper, a deck, a product page or a fifteen minute scoping call is usually enough for us to scope the production and come back with a plan.
How does review and approval work?
Review rounds are agreed up front, so there are no surprises. You approve the outline and the script before anything is filmed or animated, then your team leaves notes directly on each cut in Frame.io, and every change is tracked until the film is signed off.
Is everything done in house?
Yes. Scripting, production, 3D, motion design, sound and finishing are handled under one roof, so there is one standard from first frame to final delivery and one point of contact from the first call to the last version.
Where are you based?
Lumen Narrative is a film and video production studio in Toronto, Ontario. We serve clients across Canada and the United States, and plan travel, crew and site access around wherever the production needs to happen.

More of what we make.

All eight formats

01

Flagship brand films

Two to five minutes that make a complex platform land in a single viewing.

 04

KOL and leadership films

On camera work with the people whose credibility carries the message.

 06

Interview series

One shoot day engineered to produce a quarter of content.

Send us the paper.

Tell us the audience, the goal and the deadline. A white paper, a deck or a fifteen minute call is usually enough to scope it.

Book a scoping call hello@lumennarrative.com