Blowing the trumpet: Kruger National Park, South Africa
Photo: Ben Kempas

Delivering Impact Campaigns for Documentaries

The film you’ve created is unique, so why limit its horizons with an ‘off the shelf’ outreach plan? We’ve developed a range of innovative techniques to bring independent films to audiences that traditional distribution just can’t reach. 

Driven by our expertise in harnessing people-power, our aim is to craft unique campaigns that will stand out in a crowded digital space.

Creative
impact strategies
Research &
outreach
Community-powered
events
Communications
& social media
Actions & advocacy
Story universes
Innovative tech
Discussion guides

"Film & Campaign brings real and practical knowledge to releasing documentaries across multiple territories and engaging an audience in creative and original ways. We worked together on several pan European releases of documentaries for the European network Moving Docs, for which Film & Campaign created highly innovative and successful distribution and promotion strategies." – Rea Apostilides, Anemon Productions

Strong films need strong campaigns

It’s never too early to start thinking about audiences and outreach – even before you begin production of your film. Filmmakers tell us that our ideation workshops during a film’s development phase sharpened their own focus in storytelling.

More and more producers are succeeding in including campaign development as an integral part of their production budgets. Don't wait until your film is ready for distribution, as this will lead to long delays and missed opportunities.

 

IMPACT

 
Ideation & Research Development & Buildup Live Campaign
Development Production & Post Distribution
 

FILM

 

Funding is always one of the biggest challenges facing a new outreach campaign. We are not a funder, but we have a track record of helping clients secure funds. Campaigns and initiatives we have worked on were supported by Aktion Mensch, Bertha Foundation, Bertelsmann Stiftung, Creative Europe, Creative Scotland, the Danish Film Institute, Doc Society, Nesta, Nordisk Film & TV Fond, SAP, Wellcome Trust, and many others.

Increasingly, producers see the pre-release build-up of an audience as a worthwhile investment: a film that already comes with a built-in audience will be more attractive to commissioning editors, sales agents and distributors. 

Some campaigns will generate additional income as part of the action, such as increased sales, crowdfunding or community screening fees.

"From all my time working with you, I value your reliability and the passion for the projects and subjects you engage in. For THE OIL MACHINE, we enjoyed being guided step by step to come up with a campaign narrative which allowed us to attract funding. Since producers juggle so many things already, your support in writing the actual grant applications was invaluable and made our impact campaign happen. Film & Campaign is a trusted partner, and I would recommend them to anyone with an impact campaign in mind." – Sonja Henrici, Sonja Henrici Creates Ltd.

Whatever stage your project is at, if you’re interested in working with us, let’s begin a conversation about how we can work together.

Get in touch

Below are some case studies of campaigns in a great variety of shapes, sizes and budgets.

 

After THE OIL MACHINE

Sparking conversations in a rapidly changing context with 230+ events

How do you encourage people to watch your film against daily-changing political and economic turmoil? Our campaign shows that carefully curated and supported events can still draw crowds.
Read more

WER SIND WIR? (Who are we?)

Let's get to know each other

WER SIND WIR? (WHO ARE WE?) is a bold documentary from Switzerland by Edgar Hagen which has inspired us to develop a campaign for greater togetherness between people with and without disabilities.
Read more

DIE KINDER DER UTOPIE

A Germany-wide, year-long, on-demand impact campaign

Case study of our biggest campaign yet, with a nationwide day of action beating the blockbusters
Read more

ANOTHER PARADISE

Promoting ANOTHER PARADISE at Sheffield Doc/Fest

How a timely micro-campaign for the world premiere at a key industry festival can put a film on the map.
Read more

ONCE AURORA

Developing an outreach plan for ONCE AURORA

Case study: from a 20-minute visit to an 'outreach clinic' to a 2-day development workshop to an 18-page proposal
Read more

Moving Docs: SILVANA & more

Preparing 'Event Cinema Online' (and other 2018 activities)

Researching 'Event Cinema Online' and much more – the contribution of Film & Campaign to the 2018 edition of Moving Docs
Read more

BUGSfeed – a taste of insects

A comprehensive publishing platform for BUGS

Find and engage your audience! But can you overcome 'disgust'? 10-month content campaign for audience build-up in anticipation of the documentary BUGS
Read more

SEVEN SONGS FOR A LONG LIFE

Social media campaign and web management

How can you get maximum attention to a niche documentary about dying – when you only have four weeks? Short-term social media campaign, web content management, #MyLastSong video sharing
Read more

FUTURE MY LOVE

Paying it forward

How can we 'sell' a film about a world without money? We can simply 'pay it forward'.
Read more

The D-Word

Platform development, fundraising, collaborative projects

The world's documentary makers meet at The D-Word. A co-host for 12 years, Ben Kempas developed the platform, managed collaborations and ran crowdfunding drives.
Read more

Portable Fundraiser

Crowdfunding through Distrify players

Development and application of innovative crowdfunding and donation tools inside a video player that can be embedded anywhere.
Read more

I AM BREATHING

350 community screenings in 50 countries

Want to watch a film about a man dying of a rare disease? This niche documentary has reached global audiences through volunteer events, a petition, media, advertising, and top-up donations.
Read more

Let's talk!