Your questions, answered

What is documentary-style content?

Documentary-style content is any video content made primarily from ‘stuff that’s really happening.’ Real events, real words, real people. That could be a case study, a testimonial, an event film, a day-in-the-life video, or a full, custom documentary project.

What is a mission-driven organisation?

A mission-drive organisation is a business, charity or public body with an ethical mission: to help people or animals, save the environment, or transform an industry for the better. If you have a goal beyond making money, you’re probably the sort of organisation I can help.

What’s your process before we sign up with you?

The pre-sale journey with me is more in-depth than most. It goes like this:

Introductory call – 5-10 minutes

We’ll have an introductory call on the phone to get acquainted and find out more about each other, and for me to find out what your goals are and whether I think I can help. We’ll also check that ballpark budgets align.

Discovery call – 30-60 minutes

We’ll then have a discovery call on Teams with you and any relevant members or your team. This is a chance for me to do a deep dive on your organisation, goals, audience, and current channels. We’ll start to throw around ideas, and I’ll take the results of this call and create one to three proposals.

Proposal Call – 15-30 minutes

I’ll then present my ideas, fully costed, to you. I’ll talk through my thinking and give you a chance to ask any questions.

I’ll then send the proposal via email, and give you time to think before you come to a decision.

I hate being on camera! And so do all of my colleagues!

So does literally everyone! Well, not literally, but like, 99% of people. The vast, vast majority of people I film with don’t like being on camera – at first, anyway.

I consider myself a bit of a master at making people feel comfortable, safe and happy on camera.

I do this through plentiful preparation and getting to know each other, either pre-shoot or during, and keeping things relaxed and stress-free by leaving enough time to allow for slip ups, nerves, and plain old ‘taking a while to get it right’.

But don’t take my word for it:

“I normally cringe to watch myself on video. But I think these are alright. That’s high praise for the guy behind the camera making me feel at ease, and capturing me in a way I feel comfortable with.” – Dr. Miriam Silver, BERRI

Why do you spend so much time with potential clients pre-sale?

Because if I don’t, I can’t know that the service I’m providing is what you really need to generate the results you want.

Once we want to work with you, what’s the process?

Glad you asked! First of all, I’ll send a contract, terms and conditions, and some guidelines for working together. I’ll also take a 50% deposit before any work begins. Then, for most projects, the process looks like this:

Pre-production: The most important bit. This’ll usually involve between 1 and 3 meetings, setting out exactly what each deliverable will do, who’s it for, and ultimately what it’ll feature. We’ll also finalise project milestones, work out logisitics and timings for shoot days, and brainstorm how to give you the absolute best value from the project. There’ll be a pre-production plan presented as part of the proposal, so you’ll always know what this process will look like for your project, and I’ll be there to guide you through it with clear action points for everybody throughout. Don’t worry, most of the work will fall on my shoulders behind the scenes, making it as easy for you as possible.

Production: The bit where we film stuff. These will be planned during pre-production – the best made plans rarely survive contact with reality, but it’s essential to have the plan in place even if it may need adapting on the day!

Post-production: We’ve got the raw materials – now it’s time to turn them into deliverables that do what you need. We’ll already have set out timelines during pre-production, and you’ll also have two rounds of amends if needed.

These are the three main stages, but for each project I’ll go into quite a bit more detail during the proposal stage.

None of the packages feel quite right for me… is there flexibility? 

Of course! The packages can be taken ‘off-the-shelf’, but in practice this is rarely how I work with clients – they’re there to give an idea of what you get for your money. Every proposal is bespoke, and comes about as a result of a collaborative process of discovery and brainstorming before any contracts are signed or deposits paid.

There are a lot of video freelancers out there cheaper than you… why shouldn’t I go with them?

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

I’ll level with you here – anyone can point a phone at something and make a decent-looking video.

Gone are the days of needing serious skill to make something that isn’t a grainy, shaky mess.

But a video that looks decent isn’t a good investment. For one, the video I produce looks, and sounds, a lot better than decent, but that’s not really why I’m worth it.

I make sure that what we make actually speaks to your audience, at the point in their journey they’re at, and gets them in a space to take the next step with getting involved with what you’re doing. Most video out there is, effectively, useless – what you’re paying for is something that looks good, and fulfils a purpose.

How much creative control will I have? I’ve always fancied myself a bit of a filmmaker…

Ultimately, you’re the client and have final say. However, you’re paying good money for a video expert for a reason, and if revisions come back that will make your video worse at achieving what it needs to, I’ll tell you that, and suggest alternatives. I’m not here to be a yes-man – I’m here to achieve your business goals through video

Do you work with other freelancers?

Yes, if the project requires it and budget is available, I bring in additional crew/editors/motion designers. Any additional staffing will be discussed during the proposal stage, pre-sale.