Contact sam@helpfulfilms.com to arrange a free no-obligation call. We will discuss the film or video project you would like to commission for your company or organisation.

You may already have a rough idea of your budget and know what you want to achieve by commissioning video content for your organisation.

Or, if you're still in the early stages, I can help you develop your ideas into a plan and provide guidance on potential costs.

I enjoy working collaboratively with clients to keep costs as low as possible while still producing professional-quality videos.

You might want something straightforward, such as a series of professional talking-head video interviews filmed in your office over one day, or something more complex, like a short documentary filmed on location or even filming projects that last multiple days. I can film and edit all of these types of projects for you.

I’ve been filming and editing for eighteen years, and during this time, I’ve developed a clear and streamlined process. In this meeting, we will agree on filming dates and an editing schedule. The schedule will outline when you can expect the first cut of your film, the deadlines for providing feedback, and the dates for any subsequent cuts and the final version. For new clients, these calls typically take around an hour. For repeat clients, the calls are often shorter—sometimes as little as 20 minutes—to finalise the details and create a plan.

Email sam@helpfulfilms.com today to book your free consultation.

Over the years, I’ve experimented with both working solo and directing a crew. I’ve found that for the majority of projects, working solo offers the best balance of affordability for clients while still producing interesting and engaging content.

Filming solo allows me to be nimble and to be able to capture content efficiently. Occasionally, perhaps for a project where I need to be in two places at once, or if you would like me to focus exclusively on directing and interviewing, I hire additional crew.

I use a Sony FX3 cinema camera, which is lightweight and compact, making it less intimidating for interviewees and subjects. Despite its small size, it produces excellent quality footage and is highly stable and reliable.

For simple, talking head videos, I tend to set up in a client's office or hired location, possibly with additional lighting, if it's needed.

For the more involved, documentary style films I tend to divide the shoot into three parts:

1. Interview(s) - these form the spine and structure of the films. I trained as a news journalist at the start of my career, and I have been interviewing people for many years. Some clients ask me to conduct the interviews for their films, while others prefer to do the interviews, while I film. Either way is fine with me. If you’re new to interviewing and would like to conduct the interviews yourself, I’m happy to offer tips and guidance.

2. Show and tell session - this is when an interviewee takes me on a tour of a relevant location to the story, eg the factory they work in, or the studio they run or a relevant outdoor location like a woodland or a beach. This is partly an interview and partly them leading the conversation - showing me relevant things to the story we are telling. It's a good opportunity to get some more varied and dynamic footage to complement the previous sit down interviews.

3. Cutaways - this is when I film extra shots that help bring the story to life. I use these when editing to cover edits in interviews, stitch a story together or show the audience more detail and life. For example if filming in a factory, I might film interesting looking machines or equipment, or shots of interviewees working or having a discussion. I might also film an establishing shot such as a nice wide shot of a location to show where the film is taking place. And finally I might film a closing shot, perhaps an interviewee leaving a location, or closing up their shop - things like that.

Every shoot is slightly different, of course, but that's the general process. Once the filming is complete it is time to head into the next stage - editing...

I offer two different editing processes—you can choose whichever suits your project best.

Some clients prefer a more prescriptive approach to editing. This is particularly useful for in-depth talking-head interviews on technical subjects or internal corporate films. In this case, I deliver the raw footage, and you provide the timecodes for the segments you’d like to keep. I edit the interview and send it back. Sometimes, no further edits are needed. Other times, once the interview is cut together, you may want an additional round or two of changes, which is perfectly normal and expected.

Other clients prefer me to take on more of a director role, especially when producing a documentary for a public audience. In this case, I would work closely with you to plan the shoot, develop interview questions, possibly conduct the interviews, or offer you guidance on conducting the interviews, and then deliver a first cut based on our discussions. This first cut would match the intended final length (e.g. 2 minutes). Your feedback might include requests like, “It’s great, but could we include more about what the project means to people personally and less about XYZ,” or “Could we add a few more shots of the factory floor or the forest,” and so on.

I include up to two rounds of changes in all my quotes, which is almost always sufficient. If additional rounds are needed, they can be accommodated and will be charged hourly.