Shift Videoproductions

// services

How I Work

Character-driven documentary storytelling, as a single film or as a year of it.

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Character-Driven Documentary Films

Real life stories that allow people to understand AND feel your work

Every film begins with deep, personal conversations: with your team, your community, the people whose lives your work touches. Through these conversations I find the story that will resonate most. The result is a cinematic, immersive character-driven documentary film that slows down and focuses on what truly matters.

Same craft, same care, different job. The film takes one of two shapes:

North Star Films

Built around one person inside your organisation: the one who carries the reason it exists, told so that someone outside can understand what holds the work together.

Start here if four people inside describe what you do four different ways, or if partners keep misreading what you are for.

Stories of Change

Built around one person your work changed, staying close enough to that difference for a viewer to feel it rather than read about it.

Start here if you have results and need someone to feel them, or if the next round of funding rests on proving the work landed.

If you would like to engage your audience on a deeper level, book a conversation and let’s explore your next story together.

Every organisation has multiple stories. I start by having deep, personal conversations with the people in your story space: your team, your beneficiaries, the people whose lives your work touches. These aren’t scripted interviews; they’re real, open conversations that help me understand what’s truly at the heart of your work. From there, together we find the story that resonates most with your audience and aligns with your goals.

Purpose-driven organisations: NGOs, foundations, social enterprises, and B-corps that need to communicate complex messages in an accessible, emotionally resonant way.

A well-told documentary story does what no report or infographic can: it makes people care. These films become long-lasting assets for your campaigns, website, social channels, and presentations.

Campaign launches, advocacy, fundraising, annual reports, website hero content, award submissions, and stakeholder engagement.

Narrative Partnership

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Narrative Partnership

Lead your communication with human stories, all year long

A year-long collaboration for organisations that want to stop starting from scratch every quarter. Instead of commissioning film by film, you get a storytelling partner who already knows your mission, your context, and your people, and a narrative that builds on itself instead of resetting.

If the content scramble is wearing you out, book a conversation and let's map the year together.

We start by going deep on your mission, your audience, and what you need the year to achieve. From there I work in quarters: finding the story, filming it, and delivering it, while quarterly planning sessions keep the direction honest as your priorities move.

Organisations with ongoing programmes and year-round communication: nonprofits and foundations talking to donors, and purpose-driven companies that want their values to show rather than be stated. It suits people who already know storytelling works and are tired of restarting it every time.

A single film says one thing well. A year of them builds a narrative identity, and each story adds to the last. You also stop paying the restart cost: no re-explaining your mission, no rebuilding trust with a new crew, no scrambling when something needs to go out.

Sustained donor and funder communication, recruitment, campaigns that run across a year, and any organisation whose work keeps producing stories faster than it can tell them.

// what you get

Honest about scope.

I don’t publish fixed packages because every project is different. What I am clear about upfront is the scope: what gets made, over how many shoot days, and what you get back.

Character-Driven Documentary Film

Every film starts with deep, personal conversations. I talk to the people in your story space to find the narrative that best supports your goals. Pre-production follows three creative milestones: keyword definitions to align on feeling and goal, character selection, and storyboarding. Then 1–2 shoot days, editing, colour, and sound.

Each project gets a detailed written proposal with the exact scope before you commit. No surprises.

All projects include a detailed written proposal with clear scope before any commitment. No surprises.

// common questions

Things people ask before they reach out.

Yes, the majority of my work is international. I’ve filmed across 8+ countries and counting. I’m based in Flanders but regularly work across Europe and beyond. Travel is always scoped in clearly and upfront.

A character-driven documentary takes 6 to 8 weeks from brief to final delivery, depending on pre-production and access to the people at the heart of the story.

Always. After an initial conversation I’ll write a clear proposal covering scope, deliverables, and timeline, all before any contract is signed. I only move forward when both sides are fully clear on what we’re making and why.

Sometimes, yes. If your mission resonates and there’s creative room to reduce scope (fewer deliverables, one shoot day instead of two), I’ll tell you honestly what’s possible. What I won’t do is over-promise and under-deliver. Better to do one thing well than three things poorly.

Book a conversation. I’ll ask you about your goals, your audience, and what you’re hoping the film actually does. From there I’ll suggest the format that makes the most sense, not the biggest one. The call is free and there’s no pressure.

My main working languages are English, Dutch, and German. But with some creative trickery I’ve managed to make films in many other languages too. If the story is right, we’ll find a way.

As involved as you’d like, but I don’t need micromanagement to do good work. I’ll keep you informed at every stage. Most clients say they’re surprised at how smooth the process feels once we’ve aligned on the story direction at the start.

Not sure which format fits?

Let’s talk. I’ll help you figure out the best storytelling approach for your goals.

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