Video production
Institutional video: what it is, how it differs from corporate video, and examples
Updated October 21, 2026
An institutional video presents an organisation as it is: who it is, where it comes from, what values drive it and what it contributes. It differs from a corporate video in that it does not try to sell a service but to convey identity and trust. Companies, councils, schools and foundations use it, mainly on their website and in presentations.
What an institutional video is
An institutional video is a piece that tells who an organisation is. It does not talk about a product or a specific offer, but about the entity as a whole: its history, its mission, its values, its people and what it brings to those around it.
Very different organisations use it. Companies that want to introduce themselves to clients, investors or partners. Councils and public bodies explaining a public service or a city project. Schools and universities showing how they teach. Foundations and associations telling their cause. Hospitals, sports clubs, cooperatives.
Its main job is trust. Anyone who watches a good institutional video comes away knowing who they are dealing with and why they can rely on them. That is why it is often one of the first pieces seen on a website, in a sales presentation, at a trade fair or at the start of an event.
The name comes from "institution", and for years it was associated with solemn videos, with epic music, aerial shots and a voiceover reading lines such as "committed to excellence". That model no longer works. Today, an institutional video that connects looks much more like a short documentary: real people, real places and a story that makes sense.
Institutional video and corporate video: the difference
It is the most common question, and with good reason, because the terms are used almost interchangeably. But there is a difference in focus.
Corporate video is a broad family: any video a company makes to communicate. It includes the company presentation, product videos, success stories, training, events and employer branding. Many of these have a specific commercial goal. We explain it in what a corporate video is.
An institutional video is a specific type within that family, or next to it, that focuses on identity. Its question is not "what do we sell" but "who are we and why do we exist". It has no call to buy; it has an invitation to trust.
In practice, the difference shows in tone and content. A company presentation video can explain services, processes and clients, as we describe in how to make a company presentation video. An institutional one puts the focus on history, values, impact and people.
The term institutional is also used more when the organisation is not a commercial business: a council, a university, a foundation or a public body makes institutional videos, not corporate ones.
For a company, the practical decision is simple: if the video has to help sell a service, it is corporate. If it has to convey who you are to any audience, it is institutional.
What a good institutional video should say
An institutional video does not have to say everything. It has to say just enough for someone who does not know you to come away with a clear idea and a sense of trust. These are the pieces that should not be missing.
The origin. Why the organisation exists. One sentence about the moment it all started is worth more than a list of dates.
The mission, in normal words. What you do and for whom, said the way someone from inside would say it over dinner, not the way it appears in the annual report.
The people. Real faces and voices: leadership, staff, users, students, neighbours. A minute of someone speaking sincerely conveys more values than any slogan on screen.
The place. Where the work happens: the office, the lab, the school, the factory, the neighbourhood. Showing the space helps people picture themselves there.
Proof. Something specific that backs up what is said: a project, an achievement, a verifiable number, a moment.
And a final idea that sticks. Not a slogan, but a line or an image that sums up who you are.
What is almost always unnecessary: the generic voiceover, the stock phrases, epic music for no reason and stock footage. Audiences instantly recognise a video assembled from interchangeable parts, and they stop watching. If you do not know where to start, the first step is writing a good brief, as we explain in how to write a video brief.
Institutional video examples by type of organisation
An institutional video changes depending on who makes it. These are the most searched cases, with what works in each.
Company institutional video. The company's story told by the people who lead it and make it work. For Qilimanjaro, a European quantum computing company based in Barcelona, we filmed a short documentary of about three minutes with its CEO, Marta Estarellas, explaining why the company exists. It is an institutional piece in its purest form: it does not sell a product, it explains a mission. Alongside it, the thirty-second recap of their year shows at a glance everything that happens inside.
School or university institutional video. What works best is showing a real day: classrooms, playground, teachers explaining how they teach, students and families speaking naturally. Families want to picture their children there.
Estate agency institutional video. The risk here is turning it into a property ad. The institutional version talks about the team, how they support buyers and sellers, and their knowledge of the area. In this sector, trust is everything.
Council or public body institutional video. It explains a service, a project or a town's identity with residents as the main characters. It works when you see the real town, not the postcard one.
Foundation or association institutional video. The cause told by the people it helps and those who support it. This is where a specific story has most power compared with a statistic.
How long it should be and where it is used
Length depends on where it will be watched, and it is worth deciding before shooting.
For the website, the main piece works well at between one and three minutes. That is the time someone who has landed on your page is willing to spend getting to know you. We explain it in detail in how long a corporate video should be.
For events, trade fairs and presentations, the piece can be a little longer, because the audience is seated and attentive, or shorter if it loops on a stand.
For social media, the long piece does not work as it is. A good institutional video yields versions of fifteen to sixty seconds, vertical and subtitled, each telling one idea: a person, a place, a moment.
That is why, when producing it, the most efficient approach is to think of a set rather than a single piece. The same shoot day can produce the long version for the website, a short version for presentations and several pieces for social media. That way the institutional video stops being something watched once and forgotten, and becomes material used for months.
A well-made institutional video ages slowly, because it tells who you are rather than what you are selling this year. Even so, it is worth reviewing every two or three years, or when the organisation changes significantly: new premises, new leadership, a new stage.
How we produce it at Bostak
Producing an institutional video is more about listening than filming. Before talking about cameras, at Bostak Films we sit down with the organisation to understand its story, who has something to say and what the viewer should feel.
From there we propose a form: a documentary with interviews, a story told by a single person, a walk through the spaces or a mix. We prepare the people who will speak so they come across naturally, we film in their spaces, in Barcelona, the Baix Llobregat or wherever they are, or in our studio in Viladecans if a controlled background is needed, and we take care of image, sound, colour and music right to the end.
We deliver the main version together with short pieces for social media and presentations, so the work keeps paying off.
The first question is often budget. We do not give fixed figures because it depends on how many shoot days, how many people and how many versions are needed; we explain it in how much a corporate video costs.
At Bostak, Albert Murillo's production company, we make corporate and institutional video for companies, institutions and organisations. If your organisation needs to introduce itself with a video that genuinely builds trust, book a free diagnosis and we will tell you how we would approach it.
FAQ
What is an institutional video and how is it different from a corporate video?
It is a piece that presents an organisation as it is: history, mission, values and people. Corporate video is a broader family that includes commercial pieces such as product videos or success stories. An institutional video does not sell a service: it conveys identity and trust to any audience.
What should an institutional video include?
The organisation's origin, its mission in plain words, real people speaking, the places where it works, some concrete proof of what it does and a final idea that sticks. Better without a generic voiceover, stock phrases or stock footage.
How long should an institutional video be?
The main piece for the website, between one and three minutes. For events it can be somewhat longer. For social media, versions of fifteen to sixty seconds are cut, vertical and subtitled. The efficient approach is to plan every version before the shoot.
Which organisations make institutional videos?
Companies, councils and public bodies, schools and universities, foundations, associations, hospitals, sports clubs and cooperatives. Any organisation that needs to explain who it is and build trust with clients, citizens, families, partners or investors.
Does an institutional video need a script?
It needs a clear structure, but not a text to memorise. What works is preparing topics with each person who will speak, filming natural interviews and building the story in the edit. The script is written at the start as a plan and finished in the edit.
How often should you update an institutional video?
A good institutional video lasts for years because it tells who you are, not what you are selling. Even so, it is worth reviewing every two or three years or when something important changes: premises, leadership, name or stage. Short social pieces can be refreshed more often.
Got a project in mind?
We tell stories in video end to end — production, filming and post-production.
Keep reading