We sat down with Lewis, one of our Senior Content Developers, to lift the lid on what actually goes on behind the scenes at MASSOLIT — from choosing topics to dealing with exploding lightbulbs. With growing demand, hitting 20 subjects and introducing open access, it felt like the right moment to explain how courses actually get made.
Sure! I joined MASSOLIT after studying psychology at Oxford, initially to expand our psychology library. Nearly five years later, I now oversee psychology, sociology, PE, and dip into lots of other subjects across the site; creating new content, updating old material, and making everything as accessible as possible.
In short: teachers. Our decisions are shaped by what schools are teaching, exam board specifications, and direct requests from educators. Curriculum changes are mapped carefully, so when a specification shifts, we know exactly what needs updating. Teacher feedback is huge, especially when students struggle with a topic – our academics can target those tricky areas while keeping the material engaging.
We start with university departments – heads of department know their teams best. We also follow current research to spot experts in high-demand topics. A great contributor is passionate, prepared, and willing to adapt their teaching for a school audience. We meet every academic before filming to make sure the topic fits both the curriculum and their expertise.
We encourage academics to structure their talks in ways that feel natural, but we help them break complex ideas into digestible chunks. Our lectures are segmented, so teachers can use them as starters, homework, or CPD. Editing plays a big part – cutting pauses, arranging content logically, adding slides, graphics, captions, and ensuring accuracy. Sometimes a 45-minute university lecture ends up as a ten-minute, highly focused video that still hits all the key points.
Usually an early start, living in Bristol means I’m often leaving my house first thing and, especially if it has been a challenging shoot, getting home late. Setup can take ten minutes or over an hour, depending on the location so it’s important to arrive with plenty of time. We travel with all the equipment, find the best angles, and balance clarity with portability. Challenges range from noisy construction to tiny offices where we have to get creative with mirrors just to get a good shot.
That’s when our editors really shine. They polish the content, check facts, and create visuals that help students grasp tricky concepts. Academics have final sign-off, and we take classroom feedback seriously – it directly shapes future updates and new courses.
We’ve had exploding lightbulbs, seagulls interrupting lectures, a mid-shoot illness leading to a scrapped course, wheels falling off suitcases and one (mostly) patient dog who waited (mostly) outside the office whilst we filmed. You never know what’s going to happen! Plus I’ve personally been lucky enough to film everywhere from biomechanics labs to stadiums, libraries, and even cinema rooms. Those are always memorable moments.
Thank you, Lewis, for taking us behind the scenes and sharing how much work goes into every lecture.
Next time you press play, remember: there’s a lot happening behind the scenes to make that ten-minute video as clear, accurate, and useful as possible.
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