Telling stories is in our blood. It’s what energises us. Some of the most interesting and surprising stories come from sharing experiences from all kinds of people. We love to tap into that and make films that make you think and feel in equal measure.
Storytelling, for filmmakers, is a passion. We’ve been fortunate enough to work with such a wide range of people whose shared stories fuel intrigue and conversation. We work with brands to bring documentary-style content to their audiences that resonate with them as brand or branded content.
Whether it be a discussion surrounding what makes songwriting an integral part of a musician’s self-worth, a piece which explores the wellbeing benefits of soaking in the atmosphere of a forest, or the struggles that come with expressing your heritage creatively as an ethnic minority, we relish the opportunity to amplify people’s thought-provoking experiences.
It was fantastic. I had the big screen on in my flat and my feet up. Very hard to pick out my favourite parts, but the animations were really beautiful and really resonated with me. I loved it.
I'm really happy with the whole thing. Start to finish. You guys have been great and the final film is a real achievement.
I found the Storm & Shelter team great to work with, very professional and quick to finish the project to deadline. We’ll definitely be working with them again!
Stuff to consider when making Documentary
Every video production project is different, but there are a few important things to consider depending on the type of content you're need, who the audience is, and how it's delivered.
Documentary content isn’t often scripted, remember. A lot of the time, it means working with people who’ve never been in front of the camera before, too. This opens the doors to both unpredictability and absolutely natural golden moments (in equal measure!)
What we do is work closely with those people who’ll be appearing in the piece in pre-production. We’ll speak to them or meet with them beforehand to hear about their story/experience, which in turn helps us to write a guide script. That script helps both you and us make sure we’re telling the right story and to make sure we ask the right questions/film the right scenarios to hit the key messages and tell the story the best way we can.
These bad boys are helpful not only for us but for you too. Storyboards are the director’s vision transferred from their colourful brains onto paper. These can range from a few crude sketches through to fully-painted boards, depending on the production. The production team will use these storyboards to plan the shots from a logistical and practical standpoint, but we’ll also get your eyes on these so that you can see what’s been rattling around in the director’s head and make sure it all lines up with what you want to see. We’ll work with you to make sure that you’re happy with the plans and get the best idea of what your vid’s gonna look like.
With docu content, this whole storyboard can often change (sometimes dramatically!) as new parts of the story is revealed throughout production. Be open to this. It’s where the best stuff comes from!
We’re responsible for ensuring that appropriate child-protection measures are taken with regards to all aspects of a project that relate to working with children and young adults. If required, we will ensure all production staff who need to attend meetings or location filming in schools, colleges or universities have their DBS credentials checked and up-to-date. Evidence that these checks have been performed will be presented to the client once they have been completed.
About to throw your brand video across social media? Hold your horses, sunshine. Where are your subtitles? Whilst most people tend to watch TV with the sound on, when it comes to social feeds, very few will listen with audio as they’re scrolling. This means it’s super important to get your ad transcribed and subtitled so that viewers can be dragged into your narrative message without making the almighty effort to hit that unmute button.
We’ll transcribe, translate (if necessary) and subtitle your ads, supplying you with .SRT subtitle files for the social platforms that support them (giving viewers the choice to watch with subs or without) and for those that don’t, we’ll supply versions of your ad with the subs ‘burnt’ into the video so that they’re always visible. Don’t make the mistake of thinking those pretty pictures are enough to draw these buggers in. Make sure your script is seen as well as heard!
Documentary FAQ
How much does a documentary cost to make?
It’s a classic “piece of string” question, unfortunately! It all depends on things like how many locations we’ll need to cover, how many days we’ll need to film everything you want to include, whether there are actors, the list goes on. That, along with the fact this is such a broad category of content, means it’s pretty much impossible to put a price on. You could have a day’s shoot with two people filming a quick piece to camera, or you could have a 4-5 day shoot with 30 people on it; it all depends on your brief, the sort of content you need, and the best way of telling the story.
How involved will I need to be?
That’s totally up to you! We’re happy to sit down with you at every stage of production, have you on set or even sitting in on an edit, or we can take the brief and come back to you with a first edit. The level of involvement is wherever you feel comfortable—we’ve got processes in place to suit however you’d like to approach it, including dedicated review platforms for multiple stakeholders (goodbye email chains!) and trusted catering & transport contacts for when we’re accommodating an army on set!
How will I review the edit?
We use a review service called Frame.io which allows us to conduct online review cycles of the ad, where you can log in and leave comments directly on the vid. No more long email chains where things get lost and cross-talk makes it a multi-coloured quoted text nightmare. This also means you’re able to have a comprehensive and contained review with stakeholders no matter where they are or when they’re free to feedback—it’s all visible and organised so everyone (who needs to) has their say.
Do you guys cover international requirements?
Sure thing! As well as gracing pretty much every corner of the UK with our presence, we’ve filmed around Europe and understand the logistical challenges that come with shooting abroad. We’re used to having to describe, assemble and disassemble our kit at customs, as well as finding our way around new cities. Who doesn’t love a bit of travel?
I'm from an agency. What makes you guys different to the next production company?
Well, if you’re looking for a company that’s nice and quiet and that’ll just do whatever it says in the brief with a yes sir, no sir mentality, then I’m sorry, you’re in the wrong place. Sure, everything we do hits exactly what your client needs and is in-line with your objective, but we’re the kind of people to run with an idea and throw in a few suggestions and curveballs, giving feedback from a production perspective so that we can make the best possible content for the client. We’re not obnoxious, middle-finger-in-the-air kinda stubborn, we just know from experience that clients enjoy the fact we offer our creative input and give an experienced outside perspective to help content shine and get those other agencies going "ah jeez, wish we’d have thought of that".
How we like to get things done.
Getting great content made should be as straightforward and painless as possible for our clients. So we double down on our processes, thrive on transparency, and communicate like the warm, bright (and slightly peculiar) humans that we are. We’re aware that our clients are busy people—our job is to make your life easier, not to add to your workload.
Sure, making money is important to us; it means we get to keep doing what gets us out of bed in the morning. But we’re always clear about where your budget goes. No sneaking around, no hidden costs. We don’t believe in tricky small print—we like big, bold, honest conversation.
These lovely human beings look after our clients. Look how chirpy they are! Don't you just wanna pick up your phone and give 'em' a call? Or, if interacting with humans in real time saps your energy (know them feels), feel free to lob us an email.
