Open day and open evening videos for schools

Why an open evening film works

Most families now look at a school online before they decide whether to visit. A short film is often the first time they see your classrooms, hear your pupils and get a feel for the place. A good open evening film answers the questions parents and carers have before they arrive, and gives them a reason to come and see for themselves.

When people search, they usually type “open day video” or “school open day video”, whatever your event is called. The film is the same: a short, honest look at your school, made to be shared in the weeks before your doors open.

The Coleshill School: an open evening film

The Coleshill School wanted a short film to bring families to its open evening on Thursday 8 October 2026. We filmed an ordinary school day with students and staff and turned it into a social media video of just over a minute and a half, made to be shared on the school’s channels in the run-up to the evening.

The film follows the day as it happens: students arriving, music, PE, lessons and the hall. It is cut to keep moving, so it holds attention on a phone, and it shows families what an ordinary day looks like before they visit. You can watch it above, and read more in the case study.

When to film

Timing matters more for an open evening film than for almost anything else a school makes. We suggest filming four to six weeks before you want to start posting. That leaves time for a first version, your comments and the final film, without a last-minute rush.

Film on an ordinary day rather than a special event, so families see what their child would actually experience. If your open evening is in September or October, the end of the summer term or the first weeks of the autumn term work well, once routines have settled.

The formats you will need

One day of filming can give you everything for your admissions season:

• A main film of one to two minutes for your website, your social channels and to play on screens at the open evening itself.
• Short vertical versions of 15 to 60 seconds, each focused on one thing, such as music, sport, science or the first day of Year 7.
• A version with the date of your open evening and how to book on screen, so it works for people scrolling with the sound off.

Where to post it

Put the main film on your website’s admissions page, where families who are already interested will look for it. Share the short versions on Facebook and Instagram over the four weeks before your open evening, once or twice a week, so they appear more than once in people’s feeds.

It also helps to send the film to your feeder schools and local community groups, include it in your newsletter, and play it on a loop in your reception area on the evening. After the event, keep it on your website: families who missed the open evening will still watch it.