OUR STREETS CHORLTON SHORT-FORM FILM BRIEF
Our Streets Chorlton is a 12-month community-led project in south Manchester to understand how to help decrease carbon emissions by enabling Chorlton people to reduce local and short car journeys.
Opportunity
We are seeking a filmmaker / small production company to work with our project and community representatives on a series of short, shareable films designed to tell stories of change / inspire action.
Please submit responses by end of Thursday 29th April.
This piece of work would suit a self-shooting editor / videographer or small independent based in the Manchester area. We have a ‘local-first’ policy.
Films
We’d like to create a series of films designed to be shared on digital media, that do a number /variety of things;-
- Inspire action
- Feature local people in local and community settings
- Help people see things differently
- Tell the story of the project as it develops
We’re looking for up to 10 films, of the 1-3 mins max duration.
Films would be shot in Chorlton featuring local people and in local settings.
Types of films
The project is focused on understanding the challenges and opportunities for reducing driving and we want films which provoke thought and emotion in relation to this topic. Types of films might include
- Case studies – local people sharing alternatives ways to do everyday tasks without a car eg shopping by bike, walking to school, using a car or lift share
- Project themes – we have three mini projects focused on a school, a high street and a residential street so films focused on these mini-projects or their broad themes of ‘shopping’, ‘school’, ‘home’
- Creative ideas – pieces that show things in a different light eg a relay challenge where a car a bike and a pedestrian get across Chorlton, showing differences in time, Co2, heart rate, mood etc
- ‘Project story’ film – using the footage shot along the way and some bespoke interviews with partners and local people, tell the story of the project in 3 minutes designed to be used near the tail end of the project when we have plenty of great stuff to say.
Creative process
The exact brief for the films would be finalised with the filmmaker following a couple of creative/practical meetings that would allow you to understand more the overarching themes we are working on and the people we are working with, and hear your ideas in response to the project goals.
We would envisage the need for a couple of meetings – with the project and some community representatives – to allow that to happen, and for you to be able to work over a period of time with the project team to secure footage at appropriate opportunities and fully develop the creative ideas for each piece.
There may also be elements that can be worked on together with the project team eg extra mobile footage, and the project team can also assist with casting, scheduling filming opportunities as part of project activities & give location guidance.
To that end we feel this would suit someone who is local to Manchester and can spend short amounts of time with the project over a period, albeit to a fixed and realistic timescale to reflect the budget. But we are open to your suggestions on approach.
Tone
We want local people to be the lead characters in these stories, and their community spaces and places to be the backdrop.
We want to feature a diverse range of people and thought should also be given to working with children – to give voice to a group who are impacted a lot from the problem but are rarely given a vote in the solution.
Budget
£3k (final figure & deliverables subject to your response and our creative discussion).
Deliverables
Up to 10 short films, to include one ‘project story’ film.
Exact number and nature of films to be determined in creative discussion with filmmaker.
Permission notices for promotional use to be collected by filmmaker from subjects.
All raw assets to be delivered to the project.
Timescale:
Films to be delivered between June and Oct inclusive, subject to creative discussion, with project story film to be delivered by 31 Oct 2021.
DBS checked and policies for working with children. Sustainable practices policy including travel to locations.
Your response:
Please tell us in no more than two A4 sides how you would respond to this brief
Within that please give us one short treatment for one film.
Your thoughts on how we can work across the project to maximise the budget available and your time and help make the most of footage and filming opportunities would be welcome.
Please also include at least two examples of your work (filming and editing, separate pieces for each if needs be).
Brief published: by Fri 16th April.
Deadline for your response: midnight Thurs 29th April.
Commission informed: Tuesday 4 May
Send response via email to our team at hello@ourstreetschorlton.co.uk and feel free to email in advance in the event of any queries.
For more about the project find us at
You can read a more detailed background briefing on our project here