The conversation often starts the same way: “We just need a simple video!’. Someone in a chair, talking about how great our [insert product or service] is, for social media. We want more likes, views, engagement…”

​

Now, there’s nothing wrong with that approach. But as a video producer, I believe it’s my job to push that brief a little further. After all, I’m the one with the experience in crafting content that people genuinely want to watch.

The brief for this project was to create a short film promoting Iconic Project Management’s apprenticeship scheme, a programme they care deeply about.

 

The goal was to encourage young people to take their first steps into the working world with Iconic. But instead of pointing a camera at the CEO in a boardroom, I suggested we tell the story through the eyes of the apprentice themselves.

 

As it happened, the current apprentice was heading to Bournemouth on the south

coast to complete some checks ahead of renovation work. It was the perfect backdrop. I kept the plan loose to allow for real moments and captured the day as it unfolded. Train journeys, seaside sunshine, fish and chips on the beach, even a nap on the way home. It was honest, real, and, for a first job, pretty exciting.

 

We paired this with a bright, well-lit studio shoot to round out the story. The final edit gave a true glimpse into what life could look like as an apprentice at Iconic, and the client loved it. They saw the value in going beyond “simple” and investing in a film that could genuinely connect with future recruits.

​

For me, it always comes back to this: if you start with story, everything else will follow.