Collaborate — How it works
Five steps from conversation to delivered film.
A clear, repeatable process — designed to produce authentic, editorial-quality film from the footage your organisation already has access to.
01
Narrative conversations
We don't start with a shot list. We start with a conversation about what the story is, who it's for, and what it needs to achieve. This shapes everything that follows — what we ask contributors to capture, how we structure the edit, and how we measure whether the film has worked.
02
Contributor guidance
We make it straightforward for your people to contribute. Clear briefs, simple filming guidance, and the confidence that comes from knowing exactly what you're looking for before picking up a phone. We remove the guesswork — so contributors can focus on what they know, not how to shoot.
03
Footage submission
No kit list, no technical requirements. Your contributors send footage directly via our upload process — whether that's phone video, existing camera footage, or a mix of both. We've shaped award-worthy content from phone footage alone. The story matters more than the camera.
04
Edit & delivery
This is where the craft lives. We review everything submitted, identify the strongest material, and build the film around what actually works — not necessarily what was planned. Narrative structure, grade, sound design and captions handled. Platform-ready assets delivered.
05
Insight Pack
Optional
One project often contains the seeds of several more. Where useful, we provide an Insight Pack — mapping the key moments, themes and lines across your footage, with recommendations for what else could be made from what you already have. It's a creative asset as much as a production document.
What you'll need
Less than you might think
Contributors with a story to tell
People inside your organisation who are living the subject — not professional speakers or trained presenters.
A brief you believe in
We need to understand what success looks like before we start. Vague briefs produce vague films.
A phone or a camera
That's it. We'll handle the rest. Most modern smartphones produce footage we can work with.
Time for the conversation
The upfront discovery work is where Collaborate earns its results. That conversation is the most important hour of the project.
Optional add-on
The Insight Pack
Most footage contains more than one film. The Insight Pack maps the key moments, themes and lines across your submissions — and surfaces what else could be made from what you already have.
✓
A map of every key moment, theme and line in your footage
✓
Recommendations for additional films you could make from existing material
✓
An honest assessment of what worked well — and what to do differently next time
Want to see this in practice?
Take a look at work made using the Collaborate model, or get in touch to discuss your project.