Charity
Video Production.
We create award-winning films for charities, healthcare organisations and causes that matter. From fundraising appeals to awareness campaigns, we help organisations tell stories that connect with people and inspire action.
Real stories, creative ideas and campaign films built to make people feel something.
Cornwall Hospice Care | 45 Years
Directed by Ben Battell — produced by Salt & Gorse and Oatey Media
“Exceptionally well executed, offering a searingly honest portrayal of the journey so many families face. A truly accomplished piece.”
The Smiley Charity Film Awards are the leading recognition in UK charity filmmaking. Our film for Cornwall Hospice Care won Judges’ Gold in the £5 to £15 Million category. Commissioned to mark 45 years of care, it was made to honour the hospice’s legacy and reflect the compassion, dignity and humanity at the heart of its work.
The result is a heartfelt, quietly cinematic film offering an intimate glimpse into hospice care, forming the emotional core of the charity’s anniversary campaign across fundraising, digital channels and live events. Rather than following real patients or families, the story was shaped by listening closely to the real experiences of hospice staff and carers, then brought to life with genuine members of the Cornwall Hospice team in front of the camera.
View the Film →Selected Charity Films
People remember how a film made them feel.
Sometimes that feeling comes from a real person’s experience. Sometimes it comes from a powerful idea, a memorable image or an unexpected perspective. Our job is to find the creative approach that gives your message the greatest chance of being seen, shared and remembered.
We do not believe charity films should follow one fixed formula. They can be documentary, scripted, metaphorical, funny, painful, hopeful or quietly restrained. The right idea depends on the organisation, the audience and what the film needs to achieve.
No two causes are the same. Neither are the films.
Some campaigns need urgency. Others need optimism. Some need to challenge perceptions. Others need to raise funds. The creative approach should always be shaped by the objective, the audience and the organisation behind it.
We work alongside charities to find the most effective way to communicate what matters. Sometimes that is a documentary. Sometimes it is a narrative film. Sometimes it is a campaign built around a single idea. The format matters less than the outcome.
From awareness to fundraising.
From single films to full campaign suites, we create charity video content shaped around your audience, your goal and the emotion that will make people care.
Awareness Campaign Films
Films that introduce your cause to new audiences with emotional intelligence and creative ambition. Designed to reach beyond your existing supporters and earn new attention.
Fundraising & Appeal Films
Donor films that communicate urgency and impact with restraint and honesty. Year-end and seasonal appeal content that shows people what their support makes possible.
Supporter & Beneficiary Stories
Intimate, character-led films that put the people behind your cause at the centre of the frame. Handled with the care and respect that personal testimony deserves.
Healthcare & Hospice Films
Sensitive, skilled filmmaking for hospices, hospitals and end-of-life care organisations. We have the experience and the approach to navigate these environments with confidence.
Mental Health & Crisis Films
Films built around personal testimony and sensitive subjects. We work to established media guidelines and bring our own considered approach to every project in this space.
Social & Campaign Content
Platform-optimised content planned from a single shoot to maximise every production. Alongside the main film, we capture assets for Instagram, YouTube and paid channels.
George's Voice
Young women are dying to be heard.
A short film made for a campaign addressing the rising number of eating disorder deaths among young women in the UK. We worked with Georgia's mother in the aftermath of her daughter's death from anorexia — exploring the systemic gaps in care that Georgia experienced and the campaign that grew from that loss.
We spent several weeks building a relationship with the family before a camera appeared. The result is a film that sits with grief honestly — made with total care for the people who trusted us with it.
The Empty Chair
One rescue. One family. One reason to give.
A fundraising film built around the absence at the centre of a family's story. One empty chair at the dinner table. One rescue flight that changed everything. The film approaches the subject through what is missing rather than what was saved — and in doing so, communicates what the Air Ambulance actually means to the people it reaches.
Quiet, personal and grounded in a real family's experience. The kind of film that asks nothing of its audience except their attention.
View the film →Cornwall Hospice Care | 45 Years
Marking 45 years of care for Cornwall's hospice community.
To mark 45 years of care, the film was made to honour the hospice's legacy and reflect the compassion, dignity and humanity at the heart of its work. Rather than featuring real patients or families, we shaped the story by listening to real staff and carers, then filmed with genuine members of the Cornwall Hospice team.
The film won Judges' Gold in the £5 to £15 Million category at the Smiley Charity Film Awards, forming the emotional core of the charity's anniversary campaign across fundraising, digital channels and live events.
View the film →Let's Talk About It
Male mental health in coastal communities.
A brand awareness campaign for Man Down Cornwall, addressing the culture of silence around male mental health in rural and coastal communities. Shot across Cornwall, the film explored what it takes for a man to ask for help — and gave that conversation a face, a voice and somewhere to go.
Personal testimony, careful direction and the understanding that the subject requires space, not pressure.
View the film →
Charity Video Production FAQ
Questions we are often asked.
What is charity video production?
Charity video production is the process of creating films for non-profit organisations, including awareness campaigns, fundraising films, impact stories, supporter content and social media assets. At Salt & Gorse, we approach it as filmmaking rather than content creation: story-led, crafted with care, and built around the people who make your cause real.
How do you work with vulnerable contributors?
Carefully, and with genuine respect. We take time before production to build a relationship with contributors — meeting in person, understanding their story on their terms, and making sure they feel in control of what they share. We work to established media guidelines on sensitive subjects, and we always prioritise the wellbeing of contributors over any creative agenda. The films we are most proud of exist because someone trusted us enough to open up. That trust is not taken lightly.
Can you work on films about bereavement, mental health or end-of-life care?
Yes, and it is something we have done extensively. Films about grief, mental health, end-of-life care and loss require a particular kind of presence on set: patient, unhurried, never transactional. We have filmed in hospices, with bereaved families, and with people sharing stories about their mental health for the first time. We know what that environment asks of a filmmaker, and we are equipped to work within it.
Do you work with charities outside Cornwall?
Yes. We work nationally across the UK and travel internationally for the right projects. Being based in Cornwall means we often work on location in remote, rural and coastal environments — but we are just as comfortable in urban settings, clinical environments or major campaign productions in London and beyond.
How much does charity video production cost?
Costs vary significantly depending on scope, shoot days, crew size, locations and deliverables. We work with charities across a range of budgets and are happy to be direct about what is achievable within yours — including how to plan a shoot that creates the most useful content for the least spend. The best starting point is a conversation. Book a call and we will give you an honest picture of what we can create together.
Can you help us develop the creative idea?
Yes. Many of our charity clients arrive with a strong instinct about what they want to say but no fully formed concept. Creative development is a central part of how we work, from initial treatment and narrative approach through to contributor selection, location scouting and visual style. If you come to us with a brief, we develop it. If you come to us with a feeling, we build the brief together.
What formats do you deliver?
We plan shoots to produce multiple outputs from a single production. Alongside the main film we can produce platform-specific edits for Instagram (Reels, Stories), YouTube, TikTok and paid channels, plus shorter campaign cuts and social-specific versions. We agree the full deliverables list at briefing so nothing is left as an afterthought.
Start a Conversation
Tell us about your project.
Whether you are planning a fundraising appeal, an awareness campaign, an impact story or a full charity brand film, we would love to hear from you. We are happy to be direct about what is achievable within your budget and what kind of creative response your message needs.
