DukesHill - Champions of the Artisan Brand Film & Content Suite
The brief
DukesHill commissioned a flagship brand film alongside a suite of supporting video assets to articulate its identity as a producer of exceptional British food. The work needed to communicate provenance, craftsmanship, and heritage, while remaining contemporary and usable across web, digital, and social platforms.
The central narrative required a clear farm-to-fork journey, tracing DukesHill’s process from British pig farms through curing and manufacturing, to the final products enjoyed at home. Alongside the hero film, the client required modular content showing the craft behind ham, bacon, and curated product collections.
My role
Shooting Producer Director
I led the project end-to-end, combining creative development, solo direction and cinematography, production planning, and post-production leadership. I was responsible for shaping the narrative structure, delivering the flagship brand film, and overseeing the wider content ecosystem.
Creative development
I developed the concept Champions of the Artisan as a direct reflection of DukesHill’s values: quality, craftsmanship, and tradition. The creative centred on real environments, real processes, and the people behind the food, avoiding stylisation that might undermine authenticity.
The film was structured as a journey, beginning at source and progressing through making, finishing with the final products presented as objects of pride rather than commodities. This allowed DukesHill’s heritage and Royal Warrant credibility to emerge naturally through process and detail rather than overt messaging.
Production approach
The shoot took place across three days in Norfolk and Cambridge, covering farm locations, manufacturing facilities, and domestic settings.
Farm day: I worked solo as a shooting producer director, capturing documentary-led footage of pig farming and early-stage production with minimal intrusion.
Factory day: I hired a Production Assistant to support logistics while I directed and shot manufacturing processes in live conditions.
Home and food scenes: I worked with a food stylist and PA to stage final product moments, ensuring the food was presented with clarity, restraint, and appetite appeal.
All footage was shot on a Sony FX6 with G Master lenses. I used Aputure lighting to create clean, commercial daylight aesthetics that enhanced texture, colour, and detail, particularly important when showcasing cured meats and finished products.
Direction and execution
I directed all scenes personally, balancing documentary observation with controlled composition. The approach prioritised hands-on craft, texture, and time, allowing the audience to understand the labour and care behind each product.
Throughout the shoot, I remained focused on continuity of tone across environments, ensuring the farm, factory, and home scenes felt connected rather than episodic.
Post-production and delivery
I produced and edited the flagship Champions of the Artisan brand film, setting the narrative pace, tonal balance, and visual standard for the wider content suite. I then worked with editors to deliver multiple cut-downs and platform-specific assets showing individual processes and product categories.
I personally colour graded the flagship film and provided colour reference for the supporting edits, ensuring consistency across all outputs.
Outcome
The project resulted in a cohesive brand film and supporting video suite that now underpins DukesHill’s digital presence. The content clearly communicates provenance, craft, and quality, positioning DukesHill as a true artisan producer rather than a premium retailer alone.
The films support web, social, and product storytelling, giving DukesHill a flexible library of assets that reinforce its heritage, Royal Warrant status, and commitment to exceptional British food.