New graphene film highlights sustainability

The University’s Faculty of Science and Engineering has produced a new short film highlighting the benefits of graphene around sustainability and the progress of this ‘wonder material’ towards commercialisation.

The film was conceived and produced by Alan Beck, Digital Communications Officer, Graphene@Manchester and James Tallentire, Advanced Materials Energy Beacon Manager, in conjunction with Born Communications.

“We wanted to do something different from a ‘standard’ Uni promo film,” says Alan. “And we wanted to convey the excitement that we feel about graphene’s potential as a game-changer in sustainability and energy transition.

“It’s aimed at audiences – general public, industry, policymakers – who’ve either never heard of graphene or heard of it and want to know more, but would be put off by lots of technical detail about electron mobility or van der Waals forces. So there are no talking heads, no technical explainers. It’s about putting advanced material science in a real-world, relatable context.”

The film features an elder sister and younger brother, going on a journey through Manchester, as she explains some of the properties and applications of graphene.

“It was a risk and a challenge, scripting it as a piece of fiction,” Alan adds. “But our actors – Ola and Josh – were brilliant, as was Born’s work on the visuals and soundtrack. We’re really pleased with the end result.”