If you’re an organisation, a charity, or a small business, and you want a film that feels real, this is what we do.
The Benefits Of Documentaries
Most of the people who come to us are busy. They don’t want a complicated process, they just want the end result to look and sound right, and to feel like them. They also want it to work, on a website, on social media, in a pitch deck, on a fundraising page, or as part of recruitment. That’s why our documentary work is built around clarity, and momentum, rather than endless back and forth.
Our documentary production is for people who need a proper result. Not a glossy advert, not a hype piece, more like something that helps people understand who you are, what you do, and why it matters, without having to read ten pages of text.
“By investing in documentary production you are building an asset for your business.”
Curious about what else we do? Our home page has the overview.
If that sounds like what you’re after, the simplest next step is to get in touch via the contact page and tell us what you’re trying to achieve. Even a scrappy message is fine. We can tidy the thinking together.
What We Make (Real Deliverables, Not Vague “Content”)
When people hire a documentary production company, they usually want a film that does one of two things.
Either it tells a story that builds trust, and helps strangers feel like they know you, or it captures something important that would be hard to explain any other way, like the impact of a charity, the reality of a service, or the human side of a team. Documentary filmmaking works best when it feels grounded, like someone could almost step into the room and see what’s happening.
Here are common documentary video production formats we produce, with what they’re actually used for:
- Short brand documentary, usually 2 to 5 minutes, ideal for a homepage, an about page, or a landing page where trust is the job
- Mini documentary series, often 3 short films of 2 to 3 minutes each, useful when the story has more than one angle, or you want content you can release over time
- Owner story film, a grounded “why we started” piece that avoids the cringe factor, and focuses on credibility and real motivation
- Corporate documentary, case study style films that show the reality of how you work, who you help, and what changes as a result
- Charity documentary film, impact stories designed to support fundraising, awareness, volunteer recruitment, or stakeholder reporting
- Behind the scenes documentary, showing how something is made, delivered, built, repaired, trained, cooked, or prepared, often a strong trust builder
- Customer story documentary, real customer voices, filmed properly and edited with care, so it feels sincere rather than forced
If you already know exactly what you want, great. If you don’t, that’s more common. Creating a documentary is often a discovery process in itself, you start with an intention, then the story sharpens once we understand the audience and the outcome.
And just to say it plainly, documentary production is not “one size fits all”. A corporate documentary for recruitment is a different tone to a charity documentary film for fundraising, even if the filming approach looks similar. We’ll guide that, because otherwise you end up with a film that feels nice but doesn’t land.
What you actually get
When you commission documentary production, you’re not just getting a single finished film and a goodbye. You’re getting a small set of deliverables that make the project usable across your website and your channels, without you having to figure out the technical bits.
Typically that includes:
- A final master film, exported for your website and YouTube
- A web optimised version that loads quickly and still looks sharp
- A social cut down, usually 30 to 90 seconds, for LinkedIn and Instagram
- Optional extra cut downs in 9:16 for Stories and Reels, and 1:1 for feeds, if that’s part of your plan
- Captions, either supplied as an .srt file or burned in, depending on how you’ll use the film
- Basic sound mixing and clean audio, including removing obvious distractions
- Licensed music, chosen to fit the tone, not to be dramatic for the sake of it
- A small set of still frames pulled from the footage, useful for thumbnails and web images
If you already know where the film will live, for example your homepage, a landing page, a fundraising page, or a recruitment page, tell us early and we’ll shape the versions around that. It’s much easier than trying to force one edit to do every job afterwards.
A Quick Note About The Word “Documentary” (Because It Matters)
Sometimes people say “documentary” and they mean feature length films, broadcasters, long investigations, the stricter definition. Other people say “documentary” and they mean a short, honest film that feels real, the kind you might put on a charity site, a business website, or a recruitment page. Both are valid. They’re just different jobs, with different expectations.
Most of our documentary work is commissioned by organisations, charities, and small businesses. It’s documentary in style, real people, real places, real story, but it’s also made with a purpose, trust building, recruitment, fundraising, impact, internal culture. That commissioning side doesn’t make it fake, it just means the film has an intended outcome.
The important bit is this, documentary style does not automatically mean glossy or salesy. It can still be truthful, calm, and observant, and it usually lands better because of that. In fact, for a lot of documentary projects, the whole point is that it feels honest enough to believe.
At the same time, we can also make traditional documentary films in the stricter sense, including journalistic, issue led work, where the story leads and the film is not there to flatter anyone. That might be about a local issue, a product or industry problem, health topics, community concerns, or something like government overspending and how it affects real people. If a client wants a proper documentary approach, we’re happy to do that.
The only thing we’ll always be careful about is clarity around editorial control, fairness, and what can be evidenced. Journalistic work needs a slightly different agreement, otherwise people can end up expecting two opposite things at once, a hard edged documentary, but with full control over every line. That’s where projects wobble. We’d rather talk about it upfront.
Who This Is For
This page is for people who want something more meaningful than a standard promo video. It’s for teams who want trust, not just clicks. It’s for organisations who do good work but find it hard to explain it, because the real value is in the nuance, the people, the before and after, the atmosphere. A documentary style film is good at capturing that stuff without forcing it.
A business documentary works well when you’re trying to shorten the gap between “I’ve never heard of you” and “I think I trust you”. That’s the moment where people either enquire or they disappear. A documentary style film helps because it shows reality, rather than telling people what to think.
A charity impact film works when you need donors, stakeholders, or volunteers to feel something real, and to understand what their support changes. Not in a dramatic way, just in a human way. For charities, documentaries often become a quiet but powerful fundraising tool, because it gives people something they can share and stand behind.
And sometimes, it’s internal. Culture, recruitment, change projects, even handovers. Documentary style films can be surprisingly useful inside organisations, because people actually watch it, especially when it looks like the real world they’re in every day.
Not For You If…
This is worth saying clearly, because it saves everyone time.
If you want a feature length film, or a TV commission pitch pack only, we’re probably not the right fit here. If you want something made on a student budget, we won’t be able to do it properly, and you’ll feel the compromise all the way through the finished film. Documentary production takes planning, filming, and editing time, and if that gets squeezed too hard, the film always shows it.
Also, if what you want is a highly scripted, sales heavy video that looks like a documentary but is really just an advert in disguise, you might be better with a traditional promo route. We can do scripted work, but it’s not what this page is built around. Documentary production works best when there’s room for real moments, and a bit of breathing space, otherwise it stops feeling like a documentary and starts feeling like a pitch.
The Process (Calm, Practical, No Drama)
A lot of people worry they need a perfect idea before they talk to a documentary filmmaker. You don’t. You need a starting point and a bit of honesty about what you want the film to do. Documentary production looks complicated from the outside, but in practice it’s a set of calm steps, done in the right order.
We usually start with a discovery call. That’s where we figure out the story angle, what we’re trying to communicate, and what the viewer should feel or understand by the end. Sometimes the story is obvious. Sometimes it needs a little digging. That’s normal, and it’s part of documentary production, even when the film is short.
After that, we plan the shoot. This is where we save time later. We’ll agree who needs to be interviewed, what locations matter, what b roll will make the film feel real, and what the schedule looks like. We’ll also help with interview prompts, because most people don’t need a script, but they do need a bit of structure so the conversation stays useful. That planning stage is often where documentary production either stays smooth, or starts to wobble, so we take it seriously.
Then we film. It might be one day, it might be more. Interviews tend to be the backbone, and b roll is what makes it feel like a documentary rather than a talking head on a chair. We keep crews sensible for the job. Small when we can, bigger only when it genuinely helps. Documentary production is not about turning up with the biggest kit, it’s about capturing what matters without making it awkward for everyone on site.
Editing comes next. We deliver a first edit, you review it, and you send notes. We then do the agreed revision rounds and finish the film properly, including versions for web and social so you’re not stuck with one file that works nowhere. This is also where documentary production becomes “real” for most clients, you suddenly see the story taking shape, and you can feel whether it’s landing.
What We Need From You (So The Project Doesn’t Drag)
This bit is slightly unglamorous, but it makes the difference between a smooth project and a slow one. Documentary production can be quick and calm, but only if the basics are in place.
We need one decision maker for approvals. Not because we want control, but because multiple voices with equal authority can pull a film in three directions and stall it. That’s where documentary production timelines quietly stretch, even when everyone has good intentions.
We need access to the right people for interviews, or at least permission to film them, and we need realistic access to your location, whether that’s a workplace, a site, a venue, or wherever the story actually happens. Documentary production relies on real access, because that’s what gives the film its credibility.
If you have brand guidelines, logo files, or any strong preferences on tone or music, it helps to share them early. If you don’t, that’s fine too, we just make choices that fit the story and keep it clean. Either way, documentary production gets easier when the preferences are known upfront, rather than appearing at the final review stage.
Timescales
A typical turnaround for a first edit is around 7 to 10 days after filming. Sometimes it’s quicker, sometimes it isn’t, it depends on complexity, how many interviews, how much b roll, travel, and how many deliverables we’re creating. Documentary production is often faster than people fear, but it’s rarely instant, because good editing takes time.
If you need it faster, we can sometimes accommodate that if it’s agreed in advance and the schedule allows. Rushed timelines are possible, but only if the planning is tight. Otherwise it turns into stress, and the film suffers. Documentary production is a craft, and when it gets rushed, the pacing and the clarity are usually the first things to go.
Pricing Approach (Clear, Predictable, No Surprise Add-Ons)
We price documentary production based on scope. That usually comes down to filming days, complexity, travel, and post production time, including how many versions you need and how revision rounds are handled. Documentary production can be very predictable cost wise once the scope is clear, that’s why we focus on scoping properly rather than guessing.
If you like fixed packages and predictable costs, we can work that way, as long as the deliverable is clearly defined. It’s usually the clearest route for small businesses and charities because it stops the “how much is this going to creep” worry. Documentary production feels a lot less daunting when the boundaries are agreed from the start.
If you’re not sure what you need yet, we can still quote quickly once we understand the shape. You don’t need a full brief, you just need to tell us what the film is for and who needs to watch it. Documentary production starts with intent, not paperwork.
If what you really need is a simpler promotional video, rather than documentary style, you might prefer our video for small business page. That can be a more straightforward route for short intro videos and starter projects, and it sits alongside documentary production rather than competing with it.
Examples and Social Proof
This section works best when it’s not overloaded. Three to six strong examples is usually enough, as long as they’re labelled properly. Documentary production is easier to buy when people can see what you mean in real work, rather than trying to imagine it from words.
The label matters more than people think. A visitor should be able to scan and instantly understand, who it was for, what the goal was, and what kind of documentary style it is. Documentary production covers a few flavours, so the labels help people self select.
If you tell me which Vimeo links you want to use, I’ll write the short labels in this same tone, and I’ll keep it honest. No vague “inspiring story” filler. Just clear documentary production examples that show outcomes.
FAQ (Practical Stuff People Always Ask)
For most documentary production aimed at a website, 2 to 5 minutes is a strong place to start. It’s long enough to feel real, but short enough that people will actually finish it. For social, it’s often better to create a tighter version, sometimes 30 to 90 seconds, then let the longer film live on your site or in a pinned post.
If the story genuinely needs longer, for example a charity documentary film with multiple voices, or a corporate documentary with a bigger before and after, we can do that. We’ll usually suggest having a shorter cut down too, because documentary production is not just about making a film, it’s about making something people will watch.
Yes, and honestly that’s very normal. A lot of documentary production starts with a feeling, like “we do something worthwhile but we can’t explain it”, or “we’re proud of what we do but our website doesn’t show it”. That’s enough to begin.
We’ll ask a few practical questions, who needs to watch it, what do you want them to do afterwards, what do people misunderstand about you, what’s the human bit that gets missed. From there we can shape an angle that’s simple, believable, and filmable. That’s usually when documentary production stops feeling vague and starts feeling like a plan.
Most documentary production is interview led, supported by b roll, and a structure we build in planning. You don’t usually need a word for word script, and in many cases a script actually makes people sound less like themselves.
What you do need is a clear thread, a simple order, and good prompts. We’ll help with that, so the interviews stay focused without feeling staged. If you want a more scripted approach, for example a brand documentary with voiceover, or a tighter corporate documentary style, we can do that too, we just decide early so the production fits the goal.
Yes. Most people feel a bit odd at first, even confident people, because being filmed makes you more self aware than usual. In documentary production we’re not trying to make you perform, we’re trying to make you comfortable enough to talk like you normally talk.
We’ll guide gently, keep the setup calm, and use prompts so you’re not searching for words. Usually after a few minutes it stops feeling like “being on camera” and starts feeling like a conversation. If someone is particularly nervous we can adapt, shorter takes, more breaks, or filming in a setting that feels familiar rather than formal.
Yes, within reason, and we’re upfront about the costs. For documentary production, travel time and travel expenses need to be agreed early so the quote stays predictable, and so you’re not surprised later.
If the project is further afield, or needs multiple days, we’ll build a sensible schedule so you’re not paying for unnecessary travel. Most clients are not trying to get the cheapest film in the world, they just want documentary production that’s properly planned and fairly priced.
Yes, and it’s usually a smart part of documentary production, because different platforms need different pacing. A 3 minute brand documentary might be perfect on your website, but too long for LinkedIn, and definitely too long for an advert placement.
We can create shorter versions that still feel like the same story, rather than random clips that lose context. If you already have a platform plan, we’ll build around it. If you don’t, we’ll suggest a simple set of cut downs that tends to work well for documentary production, without making it feel like a marketing frenzy.
Typical documentary production timelines are around 7 to 10 days for a first edit after filming, depending on complexity. That’s a realistic range where the editing can be done properly and the film still keeps momentum.
If you need a faster turnaround, it can sometimes be done if we agree it in advance and the schedule allows. The key is planning. When documentary production is rushed without planning, it doesn’t just feel stressful, it tends to look rushed too, and that defeats the whole point of choosing a documentary style in the first place.
Talk To Us About Your Documentary
If you’re thinking about a documentary style film, or a corporate documentary, or a charity documentary film, the fastest way to get clarity is to talk it through.
Send a message via the contact page and tell us what you want the film to do, who it’s for, and any deadlines you already know about. If you’re unsure on format, say that. It’s not a problem, it’s honestly part of the job.
When you’re ready, contact us and we’ll help you shape it into a plan you can actually say yes to. Then we’ll turn it into documentary style film that looks right, sounds right, and feels true to you.
Contents
- 1 If you’re an organisation, a charity, or a small business, and you want a film that feels real, this is what we do.
- 2 The Benefits Of Documentaries
- 3 What We Make (Real Deliverables, Not Vague “Content”)
- 4 What you actually get
- 5 A Quick Note About The Word “Documentary” (Because It Matters)
- 6 Who This Is For
- 7 Not For You If…
- 8 The Process (Calm, Practical, No Drama)
- 9 What We Need From You (So The Project Doesn’t Drag)
- 10 Timescales
- 11 Pricing Approach (Clear, Predictable, No Surprise Add-Ons)
- 12 Examples and Social Proof
- 13 FAQ (Practical Stuff People Always Ask)
- 14 Talk To Us About Your Documentary
