The brief
Challenging Perceptions in Custody Through Video
The current approach to how women are taken into custody is deeply flawed. A lack of understanding about exploitation and victimisation among custody officers leads to further harm, rather than support. Safer London is committed to changing this. They asked us to create a mixed media campaign that would achieve two key goals: helping women understand their rights and educating custody officers on how they should behave.
What we did
How Charity Video Storytelling Creates Awareness and Drives Change
This campaign involved multiple moving parts, with resources produced in a variety of formats. The centrepiece of the project was a short film, demonstrating how charities use video storytelling as a powerful tool for advocacy and systemic change in non-profit campaigns. The film’s core idea was that how a woman presents herself in custody is often not the full picture of who she is. It aimed to challenge custody officers’ preconceptions and encourage them to see beyond surface behaviour.
To achieve this, we hired out a blackout studio to create an intimate and controlled setting. We worked with actors to film simple yet abstract scenes that represented the contrast between how a woman may appear externally in custody and what she is truly feeling internally.
Post-production played a crucial role in reinforcing this message, ensuring the project aligned with best practices in charity video production to effectively engage stakeholders and inspire action. A carefully crafted voiceover provided deeper meaning to each scene, highlighting the emotional and psychological realities that are often overlooked. The juxtaposition between the visual storytelling and narration helped bring the message together in a compelling and thought-provoking way.
Alongside the film, we created several animations designed to inform women in custody about their rights and to ensure custody officers were aware of their responsibilities. One of these animations was translated into multiple languages to maximise accessibility and reach the widest audience possible.
The technical
Concept development
Scripting
Storyboards
Voiceover
1 day of filming
Studio hire
Post production
Sound design
Music licensing
The result
How Charity Video Storytelling Drives Awareness and Change
This film is abstract yet powerful. We were fortunate to be given complete creative freedom and immense trust from Safer London, which allowed us to push boundaries in visual storytelling. We love how the film turned out and are incredibly proud to have worked on a project that will help drive real, systemic change in how women are treated in custody.
Looking for an engaging way to communicate your charity’s message? Let’s create a compelling impact film together! Let’s talk!
