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The Courier has long stood as a cornerstone of local journalism, championing voices that often go unheard and spotlighting the everyday heroes who shape our communities. The goal of this campaign was to amplify those voices through film and showcase the rich stories the Courier has to offer.
The challenge? Deliver an emotionally rich, visually engaging campaign filmed across five distinct locations in just seven days.
Effective storytelling begins long before the camera rolls. With creative direction from Liam Bonar at LBD Studio, our team entered pre-production with a strong focus on authenticity and logistics.
We began by identifying key community contributors and story moments that would carry the emotional weight of the campaign. Site visits, casting conversations, and detailed production scheduling followed, balancing creative ambition with operational precision.
From drone flight paths to light mapping at key locations, every decision was made to elevate the genuine character of the places and people we were filming. This was a campaign about real life which happens in natural light, unscripted moments, and often on tight timelines.
Over one intensive week, our crew travelled from the east coast to the heart of Perthshire, filming in St Andrews, Broughty Ferry, Kenmore, and beyond. Our goal was simple: to capture authentic moments, beautifully.
We employed a nimble, documentary-style approach. Natural light was favoured over artificial setups. Handheld movement gave the visuals a sense of intimacy and immediacy. And, importantly, our contributors weren’t actors, they were the very people the campaign was made for: lifeboat volunteers, musicians, local shop owners, and community champions.
KT Tunstall’s involvement added a powerful emotional resonance, grounding the campaign with a familiar voice that echoes from the region itself. Her on-location performance was a standout moment and a reminder that the soul of this film lies in its personal connections.
In post, the raw footage was shaped into a cohesive and emotionally resonant campaign. Our edit leaned into natural pacing and subtle transitions, ensuring the tone matched the sincerity of the content. We avoided over-stylisation, allowing the strength of the visuals and the voices to speak for themselves.
A particularly meaningful decision in the edit was how we chose to open and close the film. We bookended the campaign with dynamic transitions that move in and out of The Courier's digital interface, acting as a visual metaphor for the newspaper’s evolution into a modern, digital-first platform. These transitions are more than stylistic flourishes; they symbolise the gateway between the everyday world and the deeper stories captured within The Courier's pages, both printed and digital.
Sound design played a pivotal role. Waves breaking in Broughty Ferry, distant laughter from a village café, and the cheers from a last minute goal, all helped ground the viewer in each scene. A carefully curated score underscored emotional beats without overwhelming them.
Each location, each person, and each story was woven together to create a tapestry of local pride, one that reflects The Courier's ethos and celebrates the deep, often unspoken bonds that tie a region together.
The final campaign is now live across STV, Sky, digital platforms, and out-of-home media, but its true impact is felt in the communities it represents. This film is not about big headlines or sweeping statements. It’s about small moments that matter. About belonging, resilience, and pride.
We’re proud to have played a part in helping The Courier bring this story to life, and prouder still to contribute to a campaign that elevates the everyday with cinematic grace.
