documentary video production
Capturing real experiences and turning them into stories worth sharing
Every organisation has stories worth telling
Some of the best stories are the ones happening right under our noses. From the people working behind the scenes, the experiences, challenges and achievements that make them unique, documentary filmmaking offers an opportunity to explore those stories in greater depth.
At Moonfruit Media, we create engaging, story-led documentaries that go beyond traditional promotional videos. Through authentic interviews, observational filming and thoughtful editing, we bring real experiences to life, creating films that inform, inspire and connect with audiences.
Uppingham School
Behind the curtain: Chicago
Putting on a West End-style musical production is no small undertaking, particularly when the cast and crew are made up of school pupils.
Working with Uppingham School, we went behind the scenes of their production of Chicago, documenting the rehearsals, preparations and performances, alongside the experiences of the pupils and staff who brought it all together.
The resulting documentary captures much more than the final performance. It’s a story of creativity, collaboration, dedication and the opportunities available to pupils at Uppingham School.
For prospective parents, it’s an authentic insight into the experiences, facilities and support that help pupils develop their talents and pursue their ambitions.
Our Approach
Finding the story and bring it to life
While every project begins with a clear purpose and an understanding of what we want to achieve, the most compelling moments often happen naturally as filming unfolds.
Our approach is built around capturing genuine experiences, asking the right questions and recognising the moments that make a story worth watching.
Through a combination of observational filming, natural interviews and carefully considered visuals, we gather the ingredients of a compelling narrative. It’s then in the editing process that these moments come together, shaping the footage into a cohesive, engaging film that connects with its audience.
The result is a documentary that feels authentic, purposeful and uniquely yours.
Filmed in your customer’s environment
Where possible, we’ll film at your customer’s premises. As well as making things convenient for them, it gives us the opportunity to capture genuine footage of your product or service in use, show the scale of their operation and add context to their story.
We also understand that when we arrive at your customer’s door, we’re representing your business as well as our own. We’ll treat them with the same level of professionalism and customer service you’d expect from your own team, while making the filming process as straightforward and enjoyable as possible.
There’s no need for scripted answers or over-thinking. We approach testimonials as a conversation, using carefully considered questions to draw out genuine experiences and stories. We can then shape that conversation in the edit into a concise, natural and compelling customer story.
More customer stories
Make the most of the opportunity
Getting your customer, their location and everyone’s diaries aligned can often be the hardest part. So when we’re there, it makes sense to capture as much useful content as we can.
Alongside the main testimonial or case study, we can also capture:
Your side of the story. Interviewing someone from your business to add context and expertise.
The two businesses working together. Capturing genuine interaction between your team and your customer.
Short-form edits for social media.
Individual soundbites to use as standalone pieces of content.
Commercial photography of your customer, their operation and your teams working together.
A bank of b-roll to use across future videos.
Want to give something back to your customer?
We can also use the filming day to create a promotional video for them. With us already on location and much of the supporting footage useful across both films, we can efficiently create a separate piece of content introducing their business and what they do.
You cover it as part of the overall project, so your customer gets a professionally produced video without picking up the bill. As well as giving them something genuinely valuable in return for their time, it gives them another reason to be enthusiastic about taking part and creates a bit of extra goodwill around the whole experience.
FAQs
A few common questions about customer testimonials, case studies and what your customers can expect from the filming process.
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The best customer isn’t necessarily your biggest or longest-standing one. We’re looking for someone with a genuine story to tell, ideally with a clear challenge, experience and outcome that potential customers will recognise.
We can help you think through the options and identify which customer stories are likely to make the strongest content.
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Most people we interview aren’t used to being filmed, and we don’t expect them to be.
We keep interviews relaxed and conversational, giving your customer plenty of time and guidance throughout. There’s no expectation to memorise anything or deliver a perfect answer. We’ll have a conversation, ask the right questions and find the story naturally.
And remember, it’s all edited afterwards. The pauses, restarts and bits that don’t quite come out right don’t need to make the final film.
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Yes, we plan the interview beforehand based around the story we’re looking to uncover and can share the questions or general discussion topics ahead of the shoot.
That said, we don’t want anyone rehearsing or memorising answers. The best testimonials come from genuine conversations, so we’ll use those questions as a starting point and follow interesting answers wherever they take us.
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We know your customer is giving up their time to help tell your story, so we’ll always aim to keep disruption to a minimum.
The interview itself will usually take around 30-45 minutes, but we’ll normally spend longer at your customer’s premises capturing the supporting footage that brings their story to life.
A straightforward testimonial can usually be captured within half a day, while a more in-depth case study may require a full day, particularly if we’re filming different areas of their operation, your teams working together or creating additional content while we’re there.
We’ll plan everything beforehand and work around your customer’s operation as best we can.
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Absolutely. Asking a customer to appear on camera and talk about their experience can feel like quite a big ask, particularly if they’ve never done anything like it before.
We can help you explain what’s involved, what we’ll need from them and what they can expect on the day, so they know exactly what they’re agreeing to before the shoot.
And if you want to make the opportunity a little more appealing, we can also build content for their business into the filming day. It gives them something valuable in return for their time and can make that initial conversation much easier.
Once they’ve agreed, we’ll take care of making the filming experience relaxed, professional and straightforward.
