Our Creative Manifesto

We’re on a mission. Everyone at Film Division doesn’t just show up for work. Instead, every single one of us shows up daily to make the world a better place. We use film and video as tools in our fight for a future where people, planet and prosperity are always put over profit. And that is why we stick to our three point creative manifesto. This manifesto guides our decision making and inspires our projects. ‘Why’, you may ask? Because we’re serious about making a difference in our lifetime!

Below, we outline each point and explain how we let those principles guide our work:

Creative Manifesto Rule 1. Always Start From Empathy

This is the foundational principle of our creative manifesto that should guide every decision you make. It means shifting your perspective from “I’ll produce what you ask me to produce” to “How can we genuinely positively impact every member of the audience”. As content creators, we’re mindful of the impact we can have on our audience. Just as any other form of media, video content can be used for the right or the wrong reasons. Examples of media usage for the wrong reasons are plenty. From cold-war propaganda to modernday misinformation.

So what does this means in practice:

Starting from empathy involves a deep and genuine understanding of your target viewer. Our creative manifesto states that before you ever write a script or pick up a camera, you must answer these questions:

• Who is actually watching? Go beyond simple demographics. What are their goals, their daily challenges, their fears, and their aspirations? Create an “audience persona” if you need to.
• What are the struggles they encounter in relation to your message? What pain point or question does your video seek to address? People watch videos to be educated, entertained, or to find a solution. Your video must serve one of these purposes from their point of view.
• What is their context? Where will they be watching this video? On a mobile phone during a commute (potentially without sound)? On a desktop in a quiet office? On a TV in a living room? This context dictates technical choices like subtitles, pacing, and shot composition.
• How do hope they feel after watching the content? The emotional journey is paramount. Do you want them to feel inspired, relieved, understood, excited, or confident? Every element—music, pacing, color, tone of voice—should be chosen to evoke that specific feeling.

How it Creates Positive Results:

• Builds Connection and Trust: When viewers feel that you understand their world, they are far more likely to trust your message and your brand. The video feels like a helpful conversation rather than a disruptive advertisement. And it is that genuine connection that is important! Focus on authenticity.
• Increases Engagement and Watch Time: Content that resonates with a viewer’s personal experience or solves a real problem will hold their attention. They are less likely to click away if the content is directly relevant to them.
• Drives Action: An empathetic approach uncovers the true motivation behind a viewer’s potential actions. By addressing their core need (e.g., the desire for more free time) instead of just your product’s feature (e.g., “automated workflows”), your call to action becomes much more compelling.

Example:

• Without Empathy: A video ad for a bank that lists its mortgage rates and application features.
• With Empathy: A video that tells the story of a young couple overwhelmed and confused by the home-buying process. It shows their journey from anxiety to the joy of getting their keys, positioning the bank as the helpful guide that made it simple and understandable.

Creative Manifesto Rule 2. Never Compromise Quality Over Convenience

This principle our our creative manifesto is about respecting your audience’s time and your own brand. In an age saturated with content, quality is a key differentiator. It’s a direct signal of professionalism, credibility, and trustworthiness. When you’re serious about the impact your content has on the audience, you won’t be cutting corners. It also translates to paying attention to those little details. Those nuances that genuinly make the content better.

Next to paying attention to details, it also implies that you take enough time and not rush through the creative manifesto process. Sometimes you do need to sit on an idea or concept for a few days before going out to film. Planning iterations in concept development helps!

What it Means in Practice:

This doesn’t mean you need a Hollywood budget for every video. It means being intentional and excellent with the resources you have, and refusing to cut corners that degrade the viewer’s experience.

• Empathy is still important: It is vital to remind yourself throughout the entire production process that you’re creating something for real people. People with thoughts, feelings, passions and struggles. Always aim to do right by them. Would you like it if someone cut’s corneners for a service you’re using? Exactly! Therefor you need to focus on the real stories of real people making a difference. Embrace the ‘Why’ to truly connect with your audience. Show, don’t tell. Put the extra effort in to show how you make the world a better place instead of  just talking about it! The proof is in the pudding!
• Shoot the why, not the what: Not compromising quality over convenience also means going the extra mile to get the right shot. If you grow tomatos, don’t just talk to a camera with a message about how delicicious your produce is. Instead, film a family eating a tomato salad or a chef cutting the tomato perfectly! Tomatoes are meant to be eaten and enjoyed. Make the audience want the tomatos. Make them jealous.
• Don’t film people at their desk: This is similar to the previous point. People sitting at their desk is boring. It’s the output that matters! If your staff design wind turbines, show the windturbines and not your staff sitting behind an interchangeble PC or Mac. Your audience will thank you by actually paying attention because they can visualise the value of the effort.

How it Creates Positive Results:

• Establishes Credibility: Putting more effort into your productions subconsciously tells the viewer that you are serious, professional, and successful. Quick and easy undermines your message, no matter how good it is.
• Maintains Focus on the Message: When a viewer is presented by boring imagery, they are not absorbing your message. Having contextual and exciting footage creates a seamless experience allows the story and information to shine.
• Strengthens Brand Perception: Every piece of content is a reflection of your brand. Consistently producing engaging and vibrant video builds a brand image of excellence and reliability. Your audience will actually look forward to your next release!

Example:

• Convenience: Recording a CEO’s message in your meeting because it’s “quick and easy.”
• Quality: Booking half a day to film your CEO’s message “on the road” where your work force are or with the end users of your charity. The result is exponentially more relatable and effective because it shows your care as well.

Creative Manifesto Rule 3. Embrace the Rule of Three (Creative Options)

In this context, this principle is a mandatory creative manifesto process: For any project, always generate three distinct and viable concepts before selecting one to develop. It’s a safeguard against the natural tendency to fall in love with the first idea that comes to mind, which is often the most conventional one.

Forcing yourself to explore the creative context in three different directions opens up a wide range of new possibilities. For every piece of content, it is a challenge to positively stand out from the noice. As such, you need to put the effort in! In more ways then one, this rule is an extension of the first and second rule in our creative manifesto. If you truly care about your audience and you enter a project with a determination to not compromise quality over convienence, exploring different creative directions should be a natural continuation.

What it Means in Practice:

This creative manifesto rule forces the creative team to move beyond a single path and explore the full spectrum of possibilities. The key is that the three ideas must be genuinely different, not just minor variations of each other.

• Divergent Approaches: The concepts should differ in a fundamental way. This could be a difference in:
  • Tone: One is humorous and self-aware. One is serious and emotional. One is inspirational and epic.
  • Format: One is a cinematic narrative. One is a fast-paced animated explainer. One is a raw, documentary-style testimonial.
  • Core Message: One focuses on the customer’s problem. One focuses on the product’s innovative features. One focuses on the long-term vision of the company.
• Low-Fidelity Pitching: You don’t produce three full videos. Instead, you develop the three concepts to an equal, pitchable stage. This could be a one-page treatment, a simple storyboard, or a script for each. This allows stakeholders to evaluate the core ideas without a major investment of time or resources.
• The “Safe, Bold, and Wild” Model: A great way to structure the three options is to present:
  1. The Safe Bet: A polished, well-executed version of a more traditional approach. It’s guaranteed to work but might not break new ground.
  2. The Bold Reframe: A concept that comes at the problem from a new angle, perhaps with a surprising narrative or visual style. It’s more memorable and has a higher potential reward.
  3. The Wild Card: An unconventional, high-risk/high-reward idea that truly challenges assumptions. Even if not chosen, it often stretches the boundaries of the project and can inject innovative elements into one of the safer concepts.

How it Creates Positive Results:

• Breaks the “First Idea” Curse: The first idea is rarely the best. It’s typically the most obvious. This discipline forces a team to dig deeper, past the clichés, to find more original and effective solutions.
• Fosters True Innovation: By demanding variety, you create a space where genuine creativity can flourish. It encourages thinking from completely different perspectives, leading to breakthroughs that would have been missed if the team had settled on the first path.
• Improves Strategic Decision-Making: Presenting stakeholders with a single “take it or leave it” idea leads to a simple yes/no decision. Presenting three options transforms the conversation. It allows for a strategic discussion about which tone, message, and approach best serves the campaign’s goals. It turns stakeholders into collaborators.
• Reduces Production Risk: By discussing concepts at an early stage, you get buy-in on the core creative direction before investing heavily in production. This drastically reduces the chance of receiving major, costly feedback late in the game that forces you to start over. You can even combine the strongest elements of two different concepts into a superior hybrid idea.

Example:

The Goal: A video for an internal meeting to get the sales team excited about a new, complex software product they will have to sell.

• The “First Idea” Trap: A standard screen-recording of a product manager clicking through the features, with a voiceover explaining what each button does.
• Applying the Rule of Three: The team develops three distinct concepts to pitch:
  1. Concept A (The “Safe” Explainer): A slick, professionally animated explainer video that breaks down the product’s top three features and connects them directly to sales-closing benefits. Clear, concise, and informative.
  2. Concept B (The “Bold” Testimonial): A video featuring a “secret” pilot customer who has already used the new software to close a massive deal. They speak passionately about how it overcame specific objections and gave them a competitive edge. It’s about proof and emotion.
  3. Concept C (The “Wild Card” Analogy): A highly stylized video that uses the analogy of a Formula 1 pit crew. It shows the sales team as the driver, and the new software as the advanced pit crew technology that gets them ahead of the competition in seconds. It’s fast, exciting, and focuses entirely on the theme of speed and advantage.

The leadership team can now make a strategic choice, or even decide to combine the powerful story from Concept B with the exciting visual energy of Concept C for a truly memorable result.

Wrapping up!

This creative manifesto is who we are. Full stop. This is what you’ll be getting when you work with us on a project. Yes, we might be critical at some moments, but now you know why. It’s because we want to do right by the people who will watch the stuff we produce. If you care as much as we do, then great things will follow!

Get in touch now and let’s change the world together!