Commissioning a Brand Documentary in Manchester: Formats, Process and Day Rates

A brand film tells people what you do. A branded documentary shows them, through real people and a story that has to be found rather than written. This guide is for marketing teams, founders, charities and cultural organisations in Manchester weighing one up.

What a branded documentary is

A film built on real contributors instead of a script read to camera. It is useful when the point is trust and depth, not a thirty second hook. Recent documentary work from UNDERFOUND Studio includes a film for Manchester Art Gallery on mental health and challenging art, and A Band Of Brothers, following one member through a day of fire, foraging and honest conversation.

Done for you, or made with you

There are two ways to commission documentary content.

• Done for you. We run research, contributors, filming and the full edit. You sign off the treatment and the cuts.
• Made with you. We shape the story alongside your team and film with your people, so you stay close to it.

Both are quoted bespoke, from £350 per day.

How the process runs

1. Research. We start with the subject, not the shot list. Conversations with contributors, a rough narrative spine, and an honest view of what the film can carry.
2. Plan. Contributor agreements, locations, access, schedule and a treatment you sign off before anything is filmed.
3. Film. Small crew, low footprint, enough time in the room for people to relax and say the real thing.
4. Edit. A story assembly first, then picture lock, colour, sound and music. Two rounds of revisions as standard.

As a guide, research and access usually take two to four weeks, filming happens across several days or visits, and the edit runs three to six weeks depending on length.

How long should it be

It depends on where it will be watched. A film for a website or a screening usually sits between eight and twenty minutes. We normally plan a long version plus shorter cutdowns and a trailer, so the same material works on social and in press.

Working with first time contributors

Most people in our documentaries are not performers. We brief contributors properly, keep the crew small, and give them time and control over how they are represented. For charity and social impact work that includes proper consent and safeguarding.

What it costs

Every documentary is quoted bespoke against the brief. Day rates start from £350, and the total depends on research time, number of contributors, shoot days and edit length. You get a fixed quote before any work begins.

Next step

Read more on our documentary film production page, use the free project brief template to set out the story, or book an intro call. The studio is at 11 Oxford Road, Altrincham, and you are welcome to come in and talk it through first.