Race Education

Using the power of film to address racial inequality

The Challenge

One of our financial services clients approached us to assist with the launch of a programme designed to help them understand colleagues’ experiences of racial inequality within their organisation. Our client wanted a bold and creative solution that would challenge the audience - senior leaders, in this case - and provide a voice to colleagues to ‘speak their truths’, while approaching the subject matter with accuracy and sensitivity.


Our Solution

Authenticity and emotional impact are the hallmarks of great internal communication film, and that’s the solution we recommended.  We wanted authentic colleague voices front and centre in the narrative, but lockdown was preventing them travelling to us. So we devised an alternative approach: we arranged for the real colleagues to record high quality audio of their real stories remotely. We paired the colleagues’ stories with a hyper-focused, slow motion, studio film involving a group of carefully selected local actors who represented the individual colleagues as faithfully as possible.

"It certainly had the desired impact… I saw people around me welling up as they watched it, and I actually cried."

The film includes some heavy subject matter, but the message is one of positivity, power, and hope. Our creative execution featured a series of close-up shots, overlaid with large, bold, onscreen text, highlighting the key messages from colleagues’ experiences. We utilised bright, key colours, such and pink and blue, against a light background, and scored the action with upbeat, positive music that gains momentum throughout the film.

We added a double-exposure effect to the actors’ hero shots, reflecting the conflict in each acted scene, with a blue and pink layer, combined with alternative actor movements in each layer.

For the final scene, we quickly contrasted the lavish colours with a pitch-black background. Here, the actor raises their head, and their eyes meet with the lens for the first time. The double exposure assembles to form a single shot, a dramatic moment to challenge the audience… ARE YOU READY?

Loneliness Lies Beneath

An emotive series of powerful films

Loneliness Lies Beneath

M&S Automated Warehouse

Engaging colleagues in the future of distribution

M&S Automated Warehouse

Proud to be Northern

Rediscovering colleagues’ pride

Proud to be Northern