Selected film case studies
Before we decide what to film, we ask who needs to see it, where they’ll encounter it, and what they need to understand at that moment. That helps us decide whether a film can help and whose experience can carry the story. These projects show how those decisions shaped the work.
The people behind B.C. forestry
Truck Loggers Association · Giving a public issue a human point of view
If your audience already has an opinion about your industry, another explanation may leave that opinion exactly where it was. With forestry, people often enter the conversation through statistics and policy. We wanted to give them a way in through the people whose lives are tied to the work.
That meant choosing forestry workers and their families as the centre of the films. We wanted viewers to spend time with those families and see what was at stake for them. The association used the films on television, online, and across floor-to-ceiling screens at its convention.
For your own brief: Write down the first thing people assume about your work. Then ask whose experience could make them reconsider it.
Watch the Truck Loggers Association film
Southpointe Academy
A capital campaign film for families and donors
Southpointe needed families and donors to picture a future they were being asked to help build. A building plan can explain what will go where. The film had a different job. It needed to make that future feel real to the people considering whether to support it.
We told the story through a child’s eyes. That choice put the emphasis on what students could experience. Southpointe used the film throughout the capital campaign to help families and donors understand what the school was working toward.
For your own brief: Finish the sentence “If this campaign succeeds, someone will be able to…” The rest of that sentence may tell you more about what to film than the building plans do.
Watch the Southpointe Academy film
Port of Vancouver
A film for the Port of Vancouver’s Delta Community Office
A port is easier to understand when you have someone to explore it with. We made a grandfather and grandchild’s visit the thread of the film, letting their relationship and curiosity give viewers a reason to follow along.
The Delta Community Office used the film to help families and visitors understand what the port does and make the office feel more approachable. That purpose shaped the point of view. We wanted someone who knew very little about the port to feel comfortable starting there.
For your own brief: If the goal is to welcome people into an unfamiliar place or subject, think about who could take them through it for the first time. Let that visit guide what you explain and in what order.
Watch the Port of Vancouver film
KidSport
A 30-second nonprofit film about getting the chance to play
A registration fee is easy to describe. What a child misses when their family can’t afford it is harder to put into words. KidSport helps families cover the cost of joining organized sport. We focused the film on what that chance can mean to a child, including friendship, confidence, and belonging.
The short film gave KidSport something to show families, donors, and supporters when explaining why access to sport matters. In 30 seconds, we kept the focus on one question: what does getting to play mean to a child? A film for existing donors could do a different job by showing what their support made possible over a season.
Choosing a nonprofit film: If people are new to your work, give them a reason to care. If they already care, show them what your work makes possible. If they’ve already helped, show them what their support did. If you’re asking them to give, make the opportunity specific enough that they know what their contribution would change. Start with where the audience is today.
Learn about KidSport’s registration grants
Evolution Fulfillment
A brand film about the people you trust with your orders
When you hand over fulfillment, you’re trusting someone else with the orders your customers are waiting for. If a shipment goes wrong, who answers the phone? Will that person understand your account and know what to do? That was the question we wanted the film to address.
The warehouse footage showed the operation and the people doing the work. We wanted the viewer to come away with a sense of who they’d be dealing with before they made that first call. That’s a different impression from simply knowing the size of the facility or seeing how many boxes move through it.
For your own brief: Think about what a good customer worries about after they sign. If your team does something reassuring in that moment, that detail may tell a prospect more about your business than a tour of your facility.
Bria Waterford
Help families talk about a move they’re unsure about
When someone is considering a move into senior living, they may be thinking about what they’ll have to give up. A tour can show the rooms and amenities. The harder question is what an ordinary day will feel like once they live there.
We built a four-part campaign around what life there could offer residents, from friendships and shared meals to new experiences and more freedom. That gave Bria a way to talk with families about the change they were weighing in terms that mattered to them.
For your own brief: Ask what someone is afraid they’ll lose if they say yes. Then look for something you can show about what day-to-day life is actually like after the decision.
IMPACT
Show what progress looks like over time
A young person considering employment training, an employer considering a placement, and a funder deciding whether to keep supporting a program all need to understand different things. The young person may want to know what it feels like to start. The employer may want to understand what opening that first door involves. The funder needs to see what happens beyond the training itself.
We made 17 videos over three years, drawing on the experiences of participants and employers. The series made room for changes that a single overview could easily gloss over, like growing more comfortable in a workplace, forming friendships, and taking a first step toward employment.
For your own brief: Before planning a series, write down one question each audience needs answered. Then ask what you’d have to observe over time to answer it honestly. That gives you a reason to return with a camera.
Step Forward Health Society
Help people understand what access to care changes
A nonprofit can explain its services clearly and still leave people wondering what it’s like to need them. For Step Forward, the film needed to explain both why mental health support can be hard to access and how the society helps people reach counselling and other programs.
We built the story around access. That gave the audience a way to understand the connection between the barriers people face and the different kinds of help the society provides.
For your own brief: Think about someone encountering your organization for the first time. What would they need to understand about the problem before your work, or an invitation to support it, would make sense?
Talk about your project
Tell me who you need to reach and what you wish they understood.