How we create brand documentaries that move people
Most people think making a brand documentary starts with cameras and ends with editing. It doesn’t. It starts with listening, and ends with sharing.
Before we ever hit record, we sit down and try to feel what your story is really about. Not the tagline. Not the elevator pitch. The truth under the surface. The messy, meaningful, human part. That’s what moves people, and that’s what we’re after.
This article is a peek into how we work. Not the polished agency process version. The real one. The one I built from years of late nights, heavy gear bags, and conversations that changed the way my team and I see the world.
Step 1: We dig for gold, not content
We start with questions, not scripts. We ask things like:
Why did this company really start?
What pisses you off about your industry?
What have you seen that most people haven’t?
What change are you trying to create, and why does it matter now?
We don’t want the glossy version. We want the stuff you almost don’t want to say on camera. That’s where the power is.
Step 2: We shape your truth into story
We use our own five-act documentary blueprint to shape the narrative. It’s not rigid, but it gives us a map.
Hook the viewer with something real or unexpected
Set the stage: who you are, where you are, what’s at stake
Show the tension, friction, or challenge
Push it further until something shifts
End with impact, and a reason to care
This structure makes your story land in the gut, not just the head. It creates emotion with direction. Not just a nice video, but something that sticks and makes an impact in the world.
Step 3: We shoot with a documentary soul
Yes, we use great gear. Yes, we care about lighting. But we’re not trying to win awards for slickness. We’re trying to film something honest.
Sometimes that means filming in a factory at dawn.
Sometimes it’s sitting with someone long enough for them to forget the camera is there.
Sometimes it means we’re traveling a small propeller plane and can’t bring all the gear with us, and have to make hard choices.
We’re not here to control the story. We’re here to capture it, as it really unfolds.
Step 4: We edit for emotion, not ego
In the editing room, we cut with one question in mind:
“What will make someone feel this?”
It’s not about showing everything. It’s about showing the right things. A look. A pause. A contradiction. A truth that slips out when the script is long gone.
Step 5: We help you use it, not just post it once
This isn’t a one-and-done video. It’s an anchor. A core story that can power your companies content for months, even years - if used right.
We call this multiplying content.
From one Impact Doc, we can help you:
Cut shorter versions for social, website, and presentations
Build a snackable short-video series from the footage you already have
Use behind-the-scenes clips to show your people and culture
The result? A streamlined content engine that saves your marketing team time, energy, and budget. You stop scrambling for new content every week and start building real consistency around your message.
From this material your marketing team can then:
Turn key insights into blog posts or articles
Schedule content for months in advance
Base news letter campaigns around the content
Plan events around the film
And much more…
And you don’t have to do it alone. We love being that creative partner. The ones who get your brand, care about your mission, and help you stretch your story across the whole year.
It’s not just about making something beautiful. It’s about making it useful. This means it’s not just smart branding, it gives you a competitive advantage in the market and helps the bottom line.
So no, it’s not just a cost, making an impact doc is an investment that comes back to you. In views, engagement, customer satisfaction, sales, influence and employee engagement and pride.
That’s why I’m so proud of the work my team and I get to do.
Want to build a brand story that actually moves people? Book a call with me and let’s talk.
/Robin Danehav, founder of Impact Docs Studio.