Story-driven Video Strategy & Production for Ambitious Brands and Organisations
OUR PROCESS
Finding and Telling Better Stories
Here's a brief look at how the 50 Pictures Process takes you from a blank page to a story that W.O.R.K.S.

And beyond.
The First Step
StorySTRATEGY
Before we set off to find and tell remarkable stories, we need to set the groundwork and define the pathway that will lead to your finished story-driven video or campaign.

Through Discovery Calls, we define your goals, your target audience, your most likely sources for promising story ideas, and what success looks like for you.

"When people talk, listen completely. Most people never listen."
Ernest Hemingway
StoryFINDING
The Input Phase

This is Sherlock mode (pipe optional), where we go beyond the obvious - asking purposeful questions even your most inquisitive team members might overlook, and listening with complete attention to every answer.

Through deep-dive discussions and additional research, we gather the raw materials for your story, remaining open-minded and curious about everything we discover.

1. Mapping Your Story World

First, we explore the space where your story will take place - your Story World:


  • your team, customers, and partners
  • your industry and how you fit into it
  • your day-to-day work
  • your products and services
  • your unique approach to what you do
2. Character Snapshots
All stories are about people facing challenges. So. in this step, we identify potential characters for your story: people - with distinctive characteristics and strong motivations - striving towards meaningful goals.

Why do they do what they do?

How might they need to change in order to succeed?

3. Choosing a Story Archetype

Next, we select an architectural blueprint - a structure - for your story from seven broad Story Archetypes:


  • Start-Up Stories (Origins)
  • Ethos Stories (Values)
  • Purpose-Driven Stories (Why)
  • Pioneering Stories (Vision)
  • Enlightening Stories (Teaching)
  • Transformation Stories (Impact)
  • Counterpunching Stories (Objections)
4. Focussing on What W.O.R.K.S.
Now we have a shortlist of story ideas to test against your objectives. We do this by answering each of the following five questions with a single Focus Word for each story idea:

  • WONDER
What's most inspiring about this story?

  • ORIGINALITY
What makes this story unique?

  • REACH
Who will be drawn to this story?

  • KINDLE
What feeling will this story evoke?

  • SHIFT
What reaction will this story prompt?
"Good stories start with good characters - characters we care about, characters we believe in."

J.K. Rowling

StoryTELLING
The Output Phase

Here, we use your Focus Words as our guide to transform the raw materials we've gathered into a remarkable story-driven video. We define your characters and conflicts, explore creative possibilities, and choose the story shape that best meets your goals.

Then, we shoot, edit, refine, and vividly bring your story to life on screens of all sizes, always remembering that what gets results is not just what you tell but the way that you tell it.

1. Picking Your Process Ps

First, we clarify your story's four fundamental components:


  • a motivated PERSON
  • with a clear PURPOSE
  • striving to solve a PROBLEM
  • in a particular PLACE
2. Exploring Story Stuff
Next, we create the space to explore and playfully brainstorm story details and ideas, including:

  • unexpected angles
  • quirky connections
  • recurring themes
  • emerging tones
  • deeper meanings
  • coincidences
  • subtle clues and signals
  • 'what if' scenarios
  • underlying patterns

3. Shaping Your Story

It's time for the fifth Process P:

PLOT.


This is where we introduce our signature Multi-Story Arc Spark to help craft a unique through-line of peaks, troughs, and wiggly bits. The aim is to identify the plot points that chime with your Focus Words and generate the strongest emotional response.

4. Scripts and Storyboards
We can now build detailed scenes, scripts, and storyboards.

This step involves testing and evolving the script - strengthening the themes and tones - until the final draft and storyboards are signed off.

5. Shooting and Editing

This is where the magic happens, as we bring your story from script to screen in three well-crafted steps.


  • Pre-production - planning and logistics
  • Production - capturing the story in sound and vision
  • Post-production - editing the raw footage into a polished story-driven video or series
6. Optimising and Delivering
When you're ready to share your story with the world, we optimise and export it for every platform:

  • Owned media (your channels)
  • Earned media (word-of-mouth)
  • Paid media (targeted reach)
Measuring Success
Every story we tell is a chance to learn and improve. So we track engagement, retention, and conversions across all platforms.

Using these insights, we refine your strategy so each new story builds on the success of the last.
"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you."
Maya Angelou
What Happens Next?
Click the button below to receive a personalised copy of our introductory guide
How to Find a Story That W.O.R.K.S.

Then, to find out how we can work with you as your dedicated story-driving sidekick, make a date for a free 50-minute Discovery Call.
How to Find a Story That W.O.R.K.S.